Should Congressman Rick Nolan get a free pass on environmental issues because he has stood up against war on Syria?
I think we should duly note the important role Congressman Rick Nolan contributes when it comes to peace.
But, we--- progressive activists--- should be running a full slate of congressional candidates in each Congressional District in Minnesota of people who can articulate and explain the relationship between peace, full employment, health care and the protection of our living environment.
Over 40% of all the iron ore mined here in Minnesota has been used to prepare for wars, to fight wars and to rebuild in the aftermath of wars.
We have been left with huge polluted pits and massive unemployment and poverty while the mining companies abscond with all the profits.
The fact of the matter is, that if we didn't have this huge Military-Industrial Complex there wouldn't even be a market for these minerals that they will be extracting through sulfide mining which will create massive public health concerns and problems while destroying the environment.
Rick Nolan has done an excellent job in standing up for peace and against going to war in Syria but this shouldn't protect and shield him from the real debate we need to have in this state when it comes to any mining issues be it sulfide mining or peat mining.
Quite frankly, I don't see how Congressman Rick Nolan's narrow vision is all that different from that of "environmentalists" who refuse to recognize how the dots are connected.
Anyone looking at the mangled mess concrete and steel of what remains of the St. Paul Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant and doesn't question the foolishness of laying waste to a huge carbon footprint which it took to build this plant which provided Minnesotans with 2,000 jobs working in one of the safest and healthiest working environments in a plant that was a model of green manufacturing right smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood isn't going to think to challenge Rick Nolan's support for sulfide mining.
Let's come together in a statewide conference to select candidates for peace, social, economic and environmental justice to run as a slate in all eight Congressional Districts.
The issue isn't so much as one of what Congressman Rick Nolan is doing--- after all, he is just one more millionaire businessman sitting in Congress; the issue is one of which what are we going to do to bring forward real alternatives.
Perhaps a statewide conference held in Rick Nolan's hometown--- Crosby, Minnesota--- home of Karl Emil Nygard, the first Communist Mayor in the United States, is what is warranted?
We need to get back to the concepts advanced by the old socialist Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party unless we want to continue to be held hostage to the very Wall Street politicians who bring us environmentally destructive mining and wars instead of full employment, health care and the protection of Mother Nature which is our living environment.
As environmentalists we should acknowledge the good work Congressman Rick Nolan is doing on questions of peace but democracy is about all voices being heard and each of these voices being involved in the electoral process--- Rick Nolan shouldn't be immune from having to defend all of his views, stands and votes.
Let's challenge Rick Nolan on mining and other issues along with placing our views in the electoral arena in a way that people in all eight of Minnesota's Congressional Districts have real choices on Election Day.
In addition to sulfide mining, Rick Nolan has terrible positions on many other issues ranging from Indian Gaming and worker's rights to his support for corrupt tribal politicians like Archie LaRose, Floyd Jourdain and Kevin Leecy. Nolan supports Obamacare and privatized health care, too.
The fact of the matter is that Rick Nolan is part of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party's super-majority here in Minnesota and working people have yet to reap any tangible benefits from this super-majority.