>Instant Antiwar Action Group Contact: Will Miller >Press Release cell phone (802) 343-1169 >April 26th, 1999 > > >Why We are Occupying Bernie Sander's Burlington Office: > > [Burlington, VT] I am writing on behalf of the anarcho-socialist-feminist >and anti-racist left in Vermont, some of whom are sitting next to me in >this occupation. We are in Bernie's Sander's office to help bring a halt >to the escalating war in Yugoslavia and the ongoing war against Iraq, both >supported by Sanders. > Many of us worked on Bernie's campaigns through 1980's, the years he >was--as the local press repeatedly put it--the "avowed socialist" Mayor >of Burlington, Vermont. His descent into de facto membership the Democratic >party >has been a major setback for the task of building a real electoral >alternative to >the two factions of the corporate property that monopolize what passes for >political choice in the United States. Bernie's selling out says clearly to >working >people and those unable to find work that even leftists become mainstream >politicians, >when and if they win office. > Sanders presented himself to the left outside of Vermont as the leader of the >third party movement, vanquishing the two major parties in every Mayoral >election >from 1981-88. > When he first got elected Mayor of Burlington he was the only >elected U.S. official to attend the anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution >in Managua. The Gannett owned Burlington Free Press said he had to be >removed from office "by any means necessary." Now that same Burlington > >Free Press endorses his Congressional candidacy. > Bernie became an imperialist to get elected in 1990. In August, 1990--after >the Bush administration enticed Iraq into invading Kuwait--Sanders said he >wasn't "going >to let some damn war cost him the election," according to a staff >member who was present at the time. So Sanders backed the buildup in the >Persian Gulf >and dumped on the left anti-imperialist peace movement, singling out his >former >allies like Dave Dellinger for public criticism. > He lost in 1988 Congressional race, the last time the Democratic >Party ran an official candidate against him. In that election Sanders and >the Democrat, Paul Poirer, split the majority of votes and the election >went to the Republican, Peter Smith. > Bernie--out of office for the first time in eight years--then went to > >the Kennedy School at Harvard for six months and came back with a new >relationship >with the state's Democrats. The Vermont Democratic Party leadership has >allowed no authorized candidate to run against Bernie in 1990 (or since) >and in return, Bernie has repeatedly >blocked third party building. His closet party, the Democrats, are very >worried about a left 3rd party forming in Vermont. In the last two >elections, Sanders has prevented Progressives >in his machine from running against Howard Dean, our conservative Democratic >Governor who was ahead of Gingrich in the attack on welfare. > The unauthorized Democratic candidate in 1990, Delores Sandoval, >an African American faculty member at the University of Vermont, was amazed >that the official party treated her as a non-person and Bernie kept >out-flanking her to her right. She opposed the Gulf build-up, Bernie >supported it. She supported decriminialization of drug use and Bernie >defended the war on drugs, and so on..... > After being safely elected in November of 1990, Bernie continued to >support the buildup while seeking membership in the Democratic >Congressional Caucus--with the enthusiastic support of the Vermont >Democratic Party leadership. But, the national Democratic Party blew him >off, so he finally voted against the war and returned home--and as the war >began--belatedly claimed to be the leader of the anti-war movement in >Vermont. > Since 1991 the Democrats have given Bernie membership in their >Congressional Caucus. Reciprocally, Bernie has become an ardent imperialist. >Sanders endorsed Clinton in 1992 and 1996. In 1992 he described Clinton as the >"lesser of evils," ( a justification he used to denounce when he was what >the local >press called an "avowed socialist"). By 1996 he gave Clinton an >unqualified endorsement. >He has been a consistent "Friend of Bill's" from since 1992. One student >I knew >worked on the Clinton Campaign in 1996 and all across Vermont, Bernie was >on the stage with the rest of the Vermont Democratic Party Leadership, >while the unauthorized Democratic candidate for his Congressional seat was >kept out in the audience. > Sanders continues to support sanctions even though the Iraqi body >count has now passed 1.5 million. Just as he has supported every bombing >of Iraq >since 1992. When Clinton sent military units to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in >October, 1994 >because Iraq moved troops inside Iraq closer to the Kuwait border >(apparently about 100 miles away), Bernie supported this because "we cannot >tolerate aggression." > As a Congressman in Vermont he has allied himself the MIA/POW crowd, the >American Legion and the VFW, the very groups that redbaited him as Mayor. >At the same >time he and his staff "forget" to invite the Green Mountain Veteran's >for Peace--the only anti-imperialist veteran's group in the state--to his >sponsored Veteran's events. He sends out mailings to veterans that >supports the US having "the strongest military in the world," while >praising our sacrifices as veterans "for the freedom of Americans." > Bernie regularly rides out with the rest of the Vermont Congressional >delegation defending the military contracts in Vermont against cuts by the >Pentagon, while arguing that some moderation in military spending is >possible on the grounds "that the >threat of communism is over" (WCAX interview, 10/94) > Incidentally, Sanders now has a stronger record voting on the Democratic >side in the Congress than either Bonoir or Gephardt--the Congressional >Leadership >of the Democratic Party. It is tempting to situate Sanders within the >framework of the >Congress as a whole. By that standard he doesn't look so bad--though that's >a very >low standard to use. But remember, unlike Maxine Waters or Ron Dellums who >moved continuously to their left during their Congressional careers, Bernie >got where he is now by a lurch to the right. He promises working people, >the aged, the poor, and the "vanishing middle class" that he will defend >them while he repeatedly blocks the building of the anti-capitalist >political movement and party that might actual make such promises legitimate. >Indeed, when challenged publicly about his failure to help build a left >alternative >to the major capitalist parties, Sanders claims he is now too busy with his >work in >Congress to be bothered. > Among his other discredits, Sanders supported the Federal Crime Bill that >give the gave the capitalist state more than 50 new pretexts to execute >members of the working class--because those without capital get the >punishment. He did this while courting the Vermont Police Chief's Assn. > Sanders also voted to extradite Assata Shakur from Cuba in violation of >the existing treaties with Cuba. > Recently, Bernie championed in Congress the dumping of Vermont's nuclear >waste near Sierra Blanca, Texas, a low income border community with a >mostly Latino population that is overwhelmingly opposed to the dump >project. Environmental racism and classism seem not to bother him. > On a related issue, Bernie was recently asked by the local press why he >was the only member of Vermont' s three member Congressional delegation who >had no person of color on his staff. Bernie responded that "we're hiring >the most qualified people we can." > For all of these reasons, we are sitting-in at Bernie Sander's Office. We >call on all Vermonters who shares our concern and horror at what U.S. >Empire is doing in Yugoslavia and Iraq to make your voices heard! Join us >at Sanders office or pay a call on the office of Senators Leahy and >Stafford. All three of them support both of these wars! In a one-party >system, they call it a "bi-partisan" on foreign policy. > > >In solidarity with the peoples of Iraq and Yugoslavia! > > > > >For the Instant Antiwar Action Group >Will Miller >10 Machia Hill Rd. >Westford, VT 05494 >office (802) 656-3137 >home:(802) 879-0288 >e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > >******************************************************************* >Will Miller Phones: (802) 656-3137 (office) >Philosophy Department before 9:00 PM (802) 879-0288 (home) >University of Vermont (UVM) Philosophy Dept. FAX (802) 656-3133 >70 South Williams Street, Room 107 E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Burlington, VT 05401-3404 Web page: http://www.uvm.edu/~wmiller > >******************************************************************* >Manifest Destiny 1998: > "If we have to use force, it is because we are America! We are the >indispensable nation. We stand tall. We see further into the future" > Madeleine Albright, U.S. Secretary of State, February 19, 1998 >******************************************************************* Ron Jacobs\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\I never intend to Bailey Howe Library\\\\\\\\\\\to adjust myself to University of Vermont\\\\\\\\the madness of militarism Burlington, VT\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\-Martin Luther King, Jr. http://moose.uvm.edu/~rjacobs/ronshome.html
