February 20, 2010
Progressive Democrats Sonoma County held its second Brown Bag Lunch Vigil in front of Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey’s office on Wednesday, calling for healthcare not warfare & for a ‘No’ vote on any further war funding. Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) and allies held at least 60 similar vigils outside or in Congressional District offices around the country.
Sonoma County vigil participants were buoyed by the news that at the same time we were on the sidewalk, members of the PDA Healthcare NOT Warfare campaign and allies were on Capitol hill, visiting the DC offices of these same 60 Representatives, delivering information on the costs of war to that Congressperson’s District and specific information on what the money could have paid for instead.
DC citizen lobbyists highlighted information such as what the over 1.8 Billion Dollars in Sonoma County taxes sent since 2001 for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could have been used for instead — how many schools, teachers, jobs programs; healthcare for how many people, etc.
This information can be found at the National Priorities Project website. Anyone can type in their state, county or city and see what they have ‘contributed’ to the cost of the wars. And with a ‘click’ can see the figures on what those (often) BILLIONS could have paid for instead. http://www.nationalpriorities.org/tradeoffs
In Santa Rosa we delivered this letter signed by the BBLV participants, to Rep. Woolsey’s local District office:
http://pdsonoma.org/article/letter-rep-lynn-woolsey-delivered-feb-brown-bag-lunch-vigil
Sonoma County PDA’ers and friends will be back the 3rd Wednesday of each month, from noon until 1:00 pm. with this message. Next month we plan to bring some music and some noisemakers ala Molly Ivins!
We hope you can join us … and bring a friend!
