Here's why I'm determined to find a candidate to beat Ellen Tauscher (CA-10) in 2008's primary. His name is Rep. Mike Honda (CA-15). A man that spent his early years in an American Concentration camp, he steps up for Lt. Eheren Watada in a published OP-ED. No weasle words.
Lt. Watada has taken a solemn oath of allegiance as a military officer. With the order to deploy to Iraq, he found himself with a dilemma: Either follow this oath or risk the severe consequences of disobedience. In the spirit of Henry David Thoreau, this young man searched his soul and found himself unable to suppress his conscience and opposition to what he views as an immoral, illegal war.
There's not much more, but there's more.
Thanks for following me down. The dead-trees media that published his opinion disagrees with him.
His arguments are appealing, but unconvincing. As an officer, he's in no position to refuse orders to go to Iraq. His change of mind and claims of conscience don't excuse him duty.
Some folks have emailed me about how Tauscher isn't so bad, after all, she's a Democrat, yada, yada, yada. My point is that her district isn't as conservative as Mike Honda's, and Honda speaks out. (San Jose is like the Bay Area's little slice of Orange county) Not to mention
I voted against giving President Bush the authority to use military force in Iraq, and do not believe his justifications for taking us into war were even minimally adequate. As a duly elected member of Congress, I express my admiration for a young American who, in the same spirit, has heeded his conscience at tremendous risk to livelihood, reputation and personal freedom in order to right what he and the vast majority of his compatriots see as a tremendous wrong.
And the CA-10 deserves a Representative in the US House that will say out loud (or rather, in print)
At best, our president misled the nation on the rationale for going into Iraq. He has embroiled this great country in a cycle of brutality there that has grievously tarnished America's international reputation, has further destabilized an already precarious Middle East and has taken the lives of more than 3,000 American fathers, mothers, sons and daughters.
Follow the links to read the whole story. Anyone living in the CA-10, who do you know that's electable?