Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Ah, yes, conservative
Last week, Jonathan Wornick, of the Peace and Justice Commission (*snicker*) wrote an op-ed criticizing the attempt to have the city government support a "Department of Peace" (*snicker*) at the federal level. He makes some decent arguments, but let's look at the bitching.
Linda Henderson, from not-Berkeley, says:
It simply astounds me that someone so interested in seeing that city resources be well spent does not seem to have the insight to recognize the basic tenet of this bill, which is fiscally conservative in nature. Meeting violence at the causal level saves dollars now spent on the symptoms, while not solving any problems.
Well, one thing to note might be that those things are not paid for by city resources. A Department of Peace will not be a city of Berkeley responsibility. The other thing to note is that writing a resolution in support of a Department of Peace does absolutely nothing, and thus is not more fiscally conservative than not doing so.
As an attorney, I cannot imagine anyone, who feels remotely responsible as a citizen in a democracy, advocating that one should not be concerned about national politics because it is not their job on the local level to so involve themselves, as politicians or otherwise. Quite the contrary...it is your job Mr. Wornick. Et tu, Councilman Wozniak? May I suggest that if you are uncomfortable with where you are sitting, that you consider changing your seat.
Bravo to the Berkeley City Council for understanding its role. Keep shining your light—we can see by it all the way over here in the state of Michigan!
Are all Lansing people this dumb? No one is advocating that people not be concerned with the federal government. They're advocating that one should not use the city government's time to do so. They say it is not their job to involve themselves, as local politicians. Where does this "or otherwise" come from?
In Elliot Cohen's complaints, he explains how important it is for city governments to pass such resolutions, with this interesting example:
And the Berkeley City Council unanimously voted, not once, but twice, to oppose the invasion of Iraq.
Well, if that's not effectiveness, I don't know what is!
Blaine Brende is... well... just fucking stupid.
Personally I think that the idea of a Department of Peace is a brilliant and revolutionary idea whose time will come. Think of it, a cabinet level officer to advise the president concerning, non-violent solutions to world problems. And if the U.S. does this, will not other nations follow? And if the Department of Peace idea catches on world wide, could war become obsolete? A brave dream but one worth dreaming. If you think about it, it's Berkeley’s Peace and Justice Commission expanded to the federal level.
Yes, war will definitely become obsolete.
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