Waterfront Greens Insist on Progressive Policies from Congressman Thompson

Sunday, March 25, 2007

PRESS RELEASE
Attention: For Immediate Release

Waterfront Greens Insist on Progressive Policies from Congressman Thompson

At their meeting yesterday afternoon, the Waterfront Greens voted unanimously to adopt a resolution detailing their concerns over the lack of meaningful action by Congressman Mike Thompson on a host of issues related to the war and the erosion of civil liberties.

This resolution will be brought directly to Thompson’s doorstep with the Waterfront Greens continuing their participation in the growing Dream Big Coalition protests at his Eureka office, located on 3rd Street at the corner of D Street in Old Town, between 11:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. every Monday. Members of the Waterfront Greens will deliver the resolution to Thompson’s representatives at Noon, then make themselves available for questions from the press.

"With the House vote this week in favor of continuing the war until near the end of Bush’s presidency, we really think our Congressman is not reflecting the will of his constituents, who want the Iraq occupation to end this year," said Jaime Rose, the Chair of the Waterfront Greens. "We see representatives like Barbara Lee standing up for what’s right and progressives on the North Coast deserve no less. Impeachment of this President is not off the table by a long shot."

In addition to calling for support for Woolsey’s HR 508 to end occupation this year and require reparations to the Iraqi people, the Waterfront Greens cited a raft of populist legislation which Congressman Thompson has yet to sign on with to repeal the President’s ability to seize control of state National Guard units, require investigation of torture and other abuses by US intelligence agencies, to restore habeas corpus, prevent abuse of privacy and preclude the opening of mail without warrant.

"Where was our representative when torture was funded by the Congress and outsourced to gulags overseas?" said Xandra Manns, the Treasurer of the Waterfront Greens. "We must question what our country stands for when these outrageous crimes are allowed to go on and on without bringing the perpetrators to justice."

While Congress gets the weekends off for the politicians to return home to their districts, Congressman Thompson has so far rejected calls by the Dream Big Coalition to hold public town hall meetings in Eureka to answer these questions face to face.

"If this is our Congressman, he should make himself available to all the people," said Martha Hart, the Co-Chair of the Waterfront Greens. "These weekly protests at his offices across the district will only turn into sit-ins because he refuses to address our issues without spinning, deflecting, delaying and confusing the issues."

Waterfront Greens members also pointed out the conflict between Thompson’s sudden leadership of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counterintelligence and his sizable contribution from Lockheed Martin in the last election.
"Pay to play politics must not be tolerated if we are to be a democracy," said Maria Hershey, Historian of the Waterfront Greens. "We need an investigation of how intelligent our intelligence agencies really are after telling us about the weapons of mass destruction we never found in Iraq."

The meeting also addressed progress on local issues such as police review, election reform, genetic pollution and the fantastic work already done through the new Adopt-A-Park program for the South Fork of Cooper Slough at the corner of 16th and J Street. Plans are in the works as well to expand the ongoing yard tree planing program and introduce a Community Garden in Old Town, as well as to issue a comprehensive Legislative Agenda outlining holistic solutions to community problems.

The Waterfront Greens are grassroots Green activists from Northwestern Eureka, Samoa, Fairhaven and Indianola committed to the implementation of a populist agenda of sustainability and social justice using the politics of empowerment to break the stranglehold of the two-party system. Their next meeting is on Saturday, April 7th at 1:30 p.m. at Has Beans Café, located at 2nd and I Street in Old Town Eureka. Call 441-0702 for more information.


Adopted on Saturday, March 24, 2007

RESOLUTION
of the Waterfront Greens
a branch of the California Populist Greens
covering Northwestern Eureka, Samoa, Fairhaven and Indianola

Resolution Concerning Congressman Mike Thompson
Whereas, During every Monday morning over the last two months, the Dream Big Coalition, which includes the Waterfront Greens, has held protests at the Eureka offices of Congressman Mike Thompson to protest his opposition to: Swift implementation of impeachment proceedings against President George W. Bush; Immediate withdrawal of all US forces from Iraq; Restoration of all civil liberties improperly abridged by the USA Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act and by other breaches of the Bill of Rights by both executive and legislative branches of government; and,

Whereas, Instead of supporting the Out Of Iraq Caucus leader Lynn Woolsey’s House Resolution 508 to require a complete end to US occupation of Iraq this year as well as reparations to the Iraqi people, Congressman Thompson backed the play of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and voted to continue funding of the Iraq war for another 18 months, despite the massive war crimes and deaths of between 500,000 and 900,000 Iraqis as well as over 3,200 American soldiers; and,

Whereas, Whereas, Congressman Thompson has also failed to join more progressive representatives who have proposed legislation to repeal the President’s ability to seize control of state National Guard units, require investigation of torture and other abuses by US intelligence agencies, to restore habeas corpus, prevent abuse of privacy and preclude the opening of mail without warrant; and,

Whereas, A clear majority of constituents in Eureka and across the First District back these progressive measures and have made their opinions known in polling data and public outcry, and have repeatedly requested the Congressman return to his district to hold town hall meetings with the public, as yet to no avail; and,

Whereas, As the new Chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence’s Subcommittee on Terrorism, Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counterintelligence, Congressman Thompson has the unique ability to require true accountability for these agencies in order to prevent the kinds of outrageous abuses of human rights and constitutionally-protected liberties which have taken place. Therefore be it

Resolved, The Waterfront Greens urge Congressman Thompson to join the Out Of Iraq Caucus, the Progressive Caucus and to support HR 508 and other legislation designed to restore credibility to US foreign policy by getting all troops out of Iraq in 2007 and implementing a comprehensive regime of reparations to the Iraqi people. Be it further

Resolved, The Waterfront Greens call upon Congressman Thompson to introduce companion legislation in the House of Representatives to Senate Resolution 22 to require the government to obtain a court-issued warrant before it can search mail, and further call upon him to co-sponsor House Resolution 267 to restore habeas corpus, House Resolution 1352 to ban the outsourcing of torture, House Resolution 11 to specify oversight of the National Security Agency, House Resolution 1117 to repeal the REAL ID Act and House Resolution 413 to repeal the President’s authority to declare wars without specific authorization from Congress. Be it further

Resolved, The Waterfront Greens ask Congressman Thompson to conduct in-depth and meaningful hearings on the abuses of power by the intelligence agencies under the purview of the committees he sits upon, and to bring to justice those responsible for the abrogation of the Geneva Conventions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Be it further

Resolved, The Waterfront Greens insist to Congressman Thompson that he reject any further campaign contributions from Lockheed Martin, one of his top contributors in his last re-election campaign, so long as he sits on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence’s Subcommittee on Terrorism, Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counterintelligence due to the inherent conflict of interest in taking money from a defense contractor while overseeing the activities of defense intelligence agencies. Be it further
Resolved, The Historian of the Waterfront Greens shall transmit this resolution to the Emerald Regional Greens, the GPCA, the California Populist Greens, the Out Of Iraq Caucus, the Progressive Caucus, the Backbone Campaign, the Dream Big Coalition, Congressman Mike Thompson and the media.