HeidiAllen.com

Thank Goodness for OneWorld.net. I have loved ones in Costa Rica. The current national crisis there would have escaped my notice if I’d relied on the mainstream media.

Most Americans don’t know that Costa Rica has a long history as a peaceful, constitutional democracy, with the highest standard of living in Central America. Unfortunately, US-friendly business interests have been infiltrating the Costa Rican government, culminating in the election of the current president, Abel Pacheco.

Right now, a massive general strike and protests are spreading across the country. Ticos, as Costa Ricans call themselves, are usually very passive, but with their parliament set to pass the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and some of their government’s duties now contracted out to corporations in other countries, Ticos have had about enough.

Inflation is rising far more quickly than the cost of living. Privatization of formally government held industries is causing rising unemployment. The huge influx of foreign nationals retiring to Costa Rica has driven up housing prices in some areas beyond the reach of all but the wealthiest Costa Ricans.

The coffee growing regions are suffering terribly due to the global coffee crisis. Farmers are often offered less for their coffee than it cost them to grow it. Many Ticos blame the crisis on the policies of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Ticos also feel that their safety has been endangered by the US invasion of Iraq. They’re the main US ally in Central America, making them a target. Costa Rica’s own Supreme Court has issued a report saying that the Pacheco administration violated the country’s constitution by supporting the US invasion of Iraq. The average Tico is strongly against the invasion.

As for CAFTA, representatives of the United States used some very questionable tactics to force Costa Rica’s negotiators to sign on to the agreement. For example, US-based Harken energy, the oil company once run by George W. Bush, suddenly wanted the Costa Rican government to cough up $57 billion, three times Costa Rica’s gross domestic product.

The amount, they claimed, was due to them as reimbursement for a drilling project that was halted due to environmental concerns. Harken’s own website estimated the actual amount lost at $10 million.

When CAFTA negotiations ended favorably for the US, the new Harken settlement offer dropped to between $3 and $11 million. Harken stands to gain substantially if Costa Rica passes CAFTA, which may force Ticos to allow oil drilling, regardless of their no-drill laws.

So I’m torn. On the one hand, I and my loved ones are glad that our Tico friends have finally decided to stand up to a government that is selling them down the river. On the other hand, I fear for those I love. They’ll soon be without electricity, water, telephone or internet service if the strike continues. And they’re obviously Americans. That is no longer a good thing.

I received an email from one of my loved ones in Costa Rica today, and will include an excerpt here.

First, note that the term “Nicos” refers to Nicaraguans. It’s pronounced “NEE-coes”. The Tico (Costa Rican) police force now includes many Nicos. Tico police aren’t issued firearms, but Nico police officers tend to carry the weapons that they used as soldiers in their homeland. There’s been growing tension between Ticos and Nicos for decades. This adds yet more fodder to a situation that could easily become explosive. My loved one writes:

“President Pacheco is acting like a fool. He was filmed laughing at workers’ demands. There is a lot of anger out there. And TV coverage of Gestapo-like police breaking truck windows and lobbing tear gas into the trucks to get the drivers out inflamed the situation. A lot of innocents were beaten up by police thugs.

After that students and teachers and hospital workers joined the protests. Of course, nobody really wants the TLC (CAFTA) because Bush is demanding that Costa Rica dismantle its constitution in order to join. Bush wants US big business to run the country’s infrastructure. Now things are pretty much a government monopoly. But the Costa Ricans are willing to try free trade as long as the decision and manner of doing so is theirs.

“Ticos are generally pretty passive. They don’t like confrontations. It’s a different thing with the Nicos. They have had nothing BUT violence forever. And Costa Rica has been pushed to the limit with Nicuaraguan refugees crossing the border by the thousands every week. They come because they are starving in Nicuaragua. They come with nothing but their weapons and disease. It’s pretty sad. You can’t eat guns!”

I was also forwarded a note from another American (whom I don’t know) who lives near San Jose, the Costa Rican capital. His name is Mark John Allen and he writes:

“As I speculated earlier, events at present are surreal and simillar to events leading up to this country’s Civil War in the 1940s, in that you have a government totally out of touch and alientated for quite some time from the people. Instead of working for the benefit of the people, the people perceive that it is working for special interests, the elite in the country, the IMF and their ilk, and doing what it is told by the US government, whose ridiculous policies the majority of the people hate and despise.

“They can see that this outside, alien power is attempting to subvert their national sovereignty, and has talked or coerced Pacheco into doing things that are damaging to the country and contrary to the wishes of the people.

“Pacheco could send out an olive branch by immediately taking his signature off of George Bush’s ludicrous so called “coalition” but instead, even on this minor point, he remains stubbornly opposed to what the people wish. He is a proud, arrogant, stupid man without understanding. Everything he does serves only to escalate this crisis more.

“What started out small on Monday has cascaded into a potential national disaster and civil war. He had better start acting like the President of the people of Costa Rica rather than the lackey of special interests and the US government if he wants to remain in power for the remainder of his term. Otherwise, the ugly mood of the people will grab him by the neck, and forcibly show him to the door post haste.

“And by the way, UnAbel, sending in your goon squads [police] dressed in black like Mutant Ninja Turtles as you have been taught by the Yankees to smash people’s heads, windshields, etc., is not just un Costa Rican, but won’t cut it here and is not an act of reconcilliation.”

I pray that the Costa Rican government heeds the will of the people before it’s too late.

I’m now officially the Alternate Elections Judge for my precinct. I’m already the Democratic Chair (of my precinct). Both positions sound a lot fancier than they are. Silly me… I thought that the chair position was for primaries only and that I was a judge in name only, since the Presiding Judge has been at his post for years.

At a recent county Dem meeting, I found out otherwise. I’m supposed to be organizing Democrats in my area, which includes a handful of small towns. Ayeeeeeeee! I’m also supposed to be on the county executive committee. Well, I’ve been saying that this is the most important presidential election in our country’s history. I guess it’s time to act like it.

I already have several political bumperstickers on my car. Most people ask the same question: “Aren’t you afraid that someone will key your car or take out their road rage on you?!”

The thought certainly has crossed my mind, especially since I live in a conservative bible-belt area. But I have to ask 2 questions of my own:

1. Is our country now so divided that we must live in fear of violence over political differences?

2. What good is freedom of speech if we’re all too afraid to take advantage of it?

With my new duties, I’ll have to set an example by putting up yard signs. This causes people to fear for my safety even more acutely. “But they’ll know where you live!”, they exclaim. I’m not going to lie. It scares me, too. But every time we step back, those we fear step forward. If we don’t take a stand, there will be no room left to stand in. So I’ll cross my fingers and put up those signs.

The irony in all this is that I’m not remotely a Democratic Party loyalist. I’m more interested in specific candidates. Thus, I vote for Green candidates when practical, for Democrats in most races and for Republicans and Libertarians when their opponents are truly unfit for office, as happens occasionally.

Maybe this is a plus. The most critical voters in this election will be the ones who haven’t yet decided to vote, or are thinking of voting third party. I’d like to reach out to Libertarians who are angry at what the Bush administration has done to privacy rights; to Greens who would find more comfort in Kerry’s voting record than his stump speeches, and to Republicans who thought they were getting a fiscal conservative who would protect American jobs, but got the opposite.

Now I just have to figure out how to do all that! ; )

This week’s issue of the San Antonio Current includes some quotes from me. As with every interview I’ve ever done, my words were changed around a bit and the journalist made assumptions about my reasoning to better make her point. You can see the actual email interview in an earlier post to this blog. All in all, though, it’s a decent article. I have a few points of disagreement and clarification that I’ll address at the end of this reprint:

A big ole’ bandwagon

By Jodie Briggs

Local Dean, Kucinich supporters throw weight behind Kerry

Judy Hall spoke with the fervent tone of a church-goer. “I was looking for a candidate for two to three years. I needed to find someone that I truly believed in.”

Hall not only found her candidate, she became active in her candidate’s campaign. Although she had never been involved politically, Hall traveled to different states to campaign and chaired local events in his support. The only problem? He won’t be on the Democratic ticket this fall.

Supporters of Howard Dean, Dennis Kucinich, and the other former Democratic contenders face a big decision: Jump on a new bandwagon or retreat from presidential politics. For many, their newfound activism is too strong to shake, even if it means supporting John Kerry, whom they see as an imperfect candidate, but one still better than President Bush.

Hall, a local leader in the Dean for America movement, was disappointed but not deterred when Dean left the race. “When things changed (for Dean), there was a lot of emotion.” She decided to stay with the Dean base while moving her support to Kerry. Like other Dean supporters, she remains involved with Democracy for America, the political action committee that spun off from Dean’s campaign.

Democracy for America supports candidates in state and national campaigns who promote the same issues that Dean brought to the national dialogue. While its members continue to speak of Dean in hushed, worshipful voices, most are committed to electing Kerry. “It wasn’t easy at first because we were so passionate,” says Hall about making the switch, “but they all support Kerry.”

During the primary, the differences between the two candidates appeared sharp and insurmountable. Dean launched his campaign and drew a significant portion of his supporters with an anti-war stance, while Kerry voted for the authorization of war and called for international cooperation. Domestically, the two sparred over health care plans and Bush’s tax cuts.

But for former Dean supporters, those details may not matter as much now. Rene Gonzalez knew instantly that he would support Dean after seeing him on television. “When he said he was going to repeal the Bush tax cuts, that’s when I said ‘That’s my guy.’” Although Kerry has said he will only repeal some of the cuts, leaving in place those that benefit the middle class, Gonzalez will support him. “At this point, what we need to do is get rid of Bush,” Gonzalez insisted.

For those who have shifted their alliance, it seems that reconciliation of the differences comes in three forms: 1) Kerry has adopted Dean ideas. 2) Kerry believes in solid Democratic platforms. Or 3) Kerry is not Bush.

Hall takes the more optimistic Dean-inspired view. “The things that were important to Dean became important to the other candidates.” She argues that whomever voters ended up anointing in the primaries would be responsible to the Dean movement. “The candidate would take forth those same messages and if they dropped the ball there would be a lot of people to respond to,” she said.

Other Dean supporters contend that Kerry is a fine candidate, thank you very much. “If you look at Kerry’s record, he votes for the things I care about,” said Zada True-Courage. “I was not excited about John Kerry, but I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t support him.”

Still other former Dean proponents unquestionably support Kerry as the white knight to deliver them from another Bush presidency. “While there are many things I like about Kerry, frankly, I’d vote for Mickey Mouse if he were the Democratic candidate,” explained Connie Marshall.

Dennis Kucinich devotees are confronting an even longer set of discrepancies with Kerry’s platform. Kucinich maintained that he would not only remove troops from Iraq, but that he would create a Department of Peace to promote non-violence. Kucinich also vehemently criticized the Patriot Act and trade agreements like NAFTA, both of which he pledged to repeal.

Kucinich, who remained in the race long after Kerry had sewn up the nomination, continued to urge Kerry to take a more progressive stance. Although the Democratic platform is still far from Kucinich’s, it now includes language that authorizes removing troops. Last week, Kucinich officially withdrew from the race, endorsed Kerry, and urged his supporters to do the same.

Heidi Allen, who was a Kucinich delegate at last month’s state Democratic convention, agrees with Kucinich’s decision. “I’m officially a Kerry supporter now,” she said. Allen believes that criticism of Kerry’s moderate stance is unfounded. “I believe Kerry’s voting record a whole lot more that I believe the rhetoric that comes out of his campaign,” she said. “Since the furthest back I was able to track his votes, he has fought for progressive values.” Allen dismissed his more moderate votes on the war authorization and the Patriot Act as “lapses in judgment.” Like former Dean supporters, Allen embraces Kerry as an alternative to Bush. “I fear for the future of our democracy should he be re-elected,” she said.

With the most anti-Kerry wing of the party now supporting him, Democrats have positioned themselves as a party united against Bush. They are so strong, in fact, as to balk at the mere suggestion of Kerry criticism. When questioned by opponents about Kerry’s alleged flip-flopping or pandering, they dismiss it with a list of grievances against Bush or arguments straight out of Kerry’s stump speech.

Recent polling, meanwhile, suggests the unified Democrats have a major opening. In one poll, 55 percent of people disagreed with the statement “I believe our country is on the right track.” Another poll showed Kerry pulling ahead in swing states. To the befuddlement of the party faithful, the race remains deadlocked. “I don’t get it,” said Gonzalez.

Ultimately, as Connie Marshall explained, the tight race inspires even those who may hold their nose in the voting booth. “The bottom line for me is that I’d vote for anybody to get Dubya out of office.”

***

Ok, my points of disagreement and clarification:

Dean and Kucinich supporters are a diverse lot. While it’s true that most Dean supporters are now stumping for Kerry, at least half (maybe more) of the “Kooch” crowd is up for grabs. Some will be voting for the Green’s David Cobb. Some will be voting for Nader. Some are waiting to see if Kerry gets his head screwed on right regarding Iraq and Israel. Some have given up on the Democratic process entirely and won’t be voting.

Then there are those who, like myself, are supporting Kerry… while fervently hoping that he gets rid of his ridiculous “I’m a warhawk, too” campaign strategy. When I described Kerry’s votes on the Patriot Act and Iraq as “lapses in judgement”, I was NOT dismissing them. They’re big lapses. I pray that Kerry figures out what Democrats and progressive Independents really want before November rolls around.

The article calls Kucinich supporters the “anti-Kerry wing of the party”. While there are those in the Kooch camp that might agree with that description, most people are capable of recognizing shades between black and white. The bottom line is that Kerry just isn’t as good as Dennis. The current schism is between those who won’t settle for less and those who feel that pragmatism and duty require them to vote Bush out of office, period.

Which brings me to this: One thing the article gets right is what I would describe as the Triage Movement. In medical terminology, triage is the prioritization of patients based on the severity of their injuries. In political terminology, triage currently translates into Anybody But Bush. Given the severity of the injuries visited upon our Republic by the Bush Administration, the first priority must be the current Administration’s removal from office.

As to my supposedly agreeing with Kucinich’s decision to pull out of the race when he did, I said no such thing. I was taken by surprise. I’d been under the impression that Dennis would stay in the race until the delegate roll call vote for the nominee had been completed. Regardless, my candidate made his decision and I’ve responded to his request to transfer my support to Kerry.

On a side note, I send my kudos to the Kucinich delegates at the Democratic National Convention! Dennis released them from having to vote for him and asked that they instead nominate Kerry. They refused. Instead, they will make their voices heard (at least on the Convention floor) by casting their votes for Kucinich. THEN, and only then, will they shift their support to Kerry.

It’s incredibly difficult to become a National Delegate, especially when your candidate is seen as a spoiler. It takes determination, time, money and facing off against the often corrupt Old Guard, who are determined to ensure that only their hand-picked delegates make it to National. The fact that 1.6% of the delegates in Boston this week are Kucinich delegates is nothing short of a miracle, considering what they had to endure to get there. And it indicates a much larger percentage of Kooch supporters back home. I hope the Kerry campaign picks up on this.