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Stacey Lawson talks about structural reform as fellow candidates Jared Huffman, left and John Lewallen listen during a debate of the 2nd Congressional District, which includes 12 candidates, held at Dominican University, April 17, 2012. (Crista Jeremiason / PD)
By GUY KOVNER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
SAN RAFAEL — The gloves came off in a North Coast congressional candidates’ forum Tuesday night as two of the Democrats assailed fellow Marin County candidate Stacey Lawson over her voting record and business background.
Norman Solomon, a West Marin activist and author, noted that Lawson, a political newcomer, had failed to vote in two-thirds of recent elections and said she brought “massive amounts of money” from corporate allies into the campaign.
Speaking next, Susan Adams, a Marin County supervisor, challenged Lawson’s business record, including an allegation that one of the firms she headed, Chelsey Henry Inc. of Seattle, failed to fully pay its payroll taxes.
“Is this the kind of economic policy we need?” Adams said.
In response, Lawson said it was “definitely a mistake” not to have voted in the elections. “I was disenfranchised,” she said, describing her feeling at the time that the political system was “not the answer.”
“I’m running because I genuinely care,” Lawson said.
Published reports said that Lawson voted four times in 12 elections between October 2003 and November 2008 when she lived in San Francisco, prior to moving to San Rafael.
After the event she said she took the criticism as evidence that her campaign was making an impact.
The debate, sponsored by Dominican University and the League of Women Voters of Marin County, drew a crowd of more than 150 people to Angelico Hall on the campus in San Rafael just three weeks before absentee voters begin casting their ballots for the June 5 primary.
Twelve candidates — eight Democrats, two Republicans and two no party preference — are vying for the 2nd Congresional District seat in Congress
The top two vote-getters, regardless of party, will compete in the general election in November.
The 100-minute forum’s scripted format, with each candidate given one minute to answer questions formulated by Dominican political science majors, allowed minimal interaction between the dozen hopefuls.
“We don’t have a classic debate” said Dominican president Mary Marcy, the moderator.
Following the criticism of Lawson, John Lewallen, a seaweed harvester from Philo in Mendocino County and an unaffiliated candidate, prompted a laugh by saying: “I’m the candidate for the hopeless because I’m the most hopeless candidate.”
“If you elect me, we’ll shake politics worldwide,” he said.
Republican Michael Halliwell of Cotati said he is the only candidate who opposes legalizing marijuana. He also claimed that “all these Democrats” will repeal the Proposition 13 control of California property taxes, an issue outside the jurisdiction of Congress.
In contrast, Democrat Andrew Caffrey of Garberville said he lives in “the third world part of this district” where marijuana is the economic mainstay. Caffrey, wearing a black cowboy hat, said that he is a medical marijuana patient.
Democrat William Courtney of Mendocino, a psychiatrist, said he is an expert in “cannabinoid science” and that marijuana could be used to formulate a blockbuster drug to reduce heart attack severity.
Republican Dan Roberts, a securities broker from Mill Valley, said he was the only military veteran veteran among the candidates, having served as a Marine during the Vietnam war. Roberts joined most of the Democrats in calling for American troops to come home from the Middle East and said he wants “to pay the full cost” of bringing them home.
Democratic Assemblyman Jared Huffman of San Rafael touted his experience in the Legislature, getting 60 bills enacted, including halting expansion of San Quentin Prison’s death row.
Brooke Clarke of Ukiah, the other no party preference candidate, said Democrats and Republicans are the “same party functionally,” adding that President Barack Obama has continued “the Bush 43 line.”
Democrat Larry Fritzlan, a Mill Valley therapist, charged that “Congress is bought off; it’s corrupt,” asserting that the lawmakers are “funneling money from us, the taxpayers, the 1 percent.”
Petaluma Vice Mayor Tiffany Renee, a Democrat, called for refinancing of student loans and a moratorium on home foreclosures.
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Norman Solomon DOES NOT disrespect veterans! He — like Ron Paul — questions the missions they’ve been sent on, missions that have little to do with defending our land and a lot to do with preserving the corporate state.
He is the only one of the candidates running in the Democratic primary who understands the difference between defending America and defending the people who run America.
Solomon wants to cut military spending in half because he has a personal problem with veterans and the people serving in the military. Solomon came of age in 1969 when a draft existed but never served in the military.
Instead, Solomon has a record of attacking soldiers on active duty even comparing them to serial killers who shoot up classrooms. He has a record of stating soldiers get “undue respect,” should not be considered heroes, and even suggests instead our service men and women should get “moral condemnation”(See the link below)
http://antiwar.com/solomon/?articleid=10841
Here is an excerpt:
“So, why is the ghastly war effort continuing unabated? A big factor is the undue respect that’s reserved for American warriors in American society.”
And another:
“The president’s war policies may come under withering media fire, but the daily activities of the U.S. armed forces are subjected to scant moral condemnation. Yet, under orders from the top, they routinely continue to inflict – or serve as a catalyst for – violence far more extensive than the shooting sprees that turned a placid Virginia campus into a slaughterhouse.”
And another:
“We often read, see and hear explicit media commendations that praise as heroic the Americans in uniform who are trying to kill, and to avoid being killed, in Afghanistan and Iraq.
But the media baseline is to glorify the U.S. military – yesterday, today and tomorrow – bringing so much bloodshed to Iraq.”
Those are Congressional Candidate Norman Solomon’s published words. So if Solomon disrespects those who wear the uniform of the United States, how can he represent and serve the needs of the sizable population of veterans and their families who live on the North Coast? We live in a free country, thanks in part to our soldiers, so an individual like Solomon can say anything he wants but why would any veteran vote for him?
Solomon Hates “Militarists”
Norman Solomon doesn’t just disrespect people in the military, he has labeled Democrats who have run for President in recent elections “militarists” and made it a factor in his decision not to endorse them or vote for them. It’s important to him. And guess what? That works both ways. Registered voters who are veterans can find allies in several of the other candidates who do respect the sacrifice and courage of veterans and active duty service members.
In 2004 Solomon did not vote for or endorse the Democratic nominee John Kerry in part because Kerry was a veteran and Solomon considers him a “militarist”. He made that very clear in his writing published in 2002 and 2004 (See links below)
http://www.albionmonitor.com/0210a/copyright/ns-kerrysellout.html
http://yubanet.com/columns/Norman_Solomon_Presidential_Candidates_Compared_to_7393.php
http://dissidentvoice.org/Feb04/Solomon0209.htm
Holly Jaramillo is a Solomon true believer. But the vitriol and intolerance for Democratic Party leaders and the Party itself has come from her candidate, Solomon. In 2004 Solomon was the holier than thou leftist apparently registered to vote with the Green Party who became a judgmental critic of Senator Kerry’s service. Kerry was criticized from both the far left and right on the most unlikely basis: his military service.
It was a similar story with Al Gore. Al Gore is also an Army veteran who Solomon dismissed as a “militarist”. Solomon did not vote for or endorse Al Gore in 2000. He disclosed that himself and the information is online.
Norman Solomon has written that it is very important to have truth in labeling of candidates for office and to hold candidates accountable for their positions and statements. If there is a problem with a link below just use Google. The truth of the matter is Solomon has mostly made Democrats the targets of his scrutiny and purity tests, so surely he can stand up to a little discussion of his own record now that he’s switched parties and is running as a Democrat for a federal office.
He’s never held public office. Anyone who is not on Solomon’s payroll should have no trouble understanding Norman Solomon’s message and statements are hateful and divisive. He meant them to be. If his words sound like something out of the ’60s it’s because that’s where he’s stuck.
Setting the vitriol (and falsehoods) aside, Norman Solomon is, in fact, supported by Veterans. See what one prominent Iraq and Afghanistan Vet wrote in a recent Solomon email:
“When I went to Afghanistan with Norman Solomon in the summer of 2009, the visit was painful. We saw a lot of suffering, and there was no end in sight.
As a decorated Marine Corps veteran who was sent to Afghanistan and Iraq, I learned the hard way that those wars were wrong. Now, I’m a strong supporter of the Solomon for Congress campaign. I want Norman to be in Congress — speaking out and working for a sane foreign policy, based on diplomacy and humanitarian aid, not unending warfare.”
Rick Reyes, Chair
Veterans Caucus of the California Democratic Party
@Iraq War Vet
Maybe you should Google your candidate and the words “soldiers” “military” and “veterans”…you’ll find Solomon has written columns comparing soldiers in our military to serial killers. He has no respect for vets. But he evaded the Vietname war himself and never served even during the draft.
What a depressing headline. Is that what the public seeks in an election campaign, heat? How about clarity, or policy discussions, or specific proposals?
Nope. All the news media, not just cable channels is looking to inflame rather than inform.
Anyone else notice how the Press Democrat is afraid to publish the whole news?
The following is from today’s Sacramento Bee which describes Sonoma County native who REFUSES to pay taxes to a corrupt, immoral, greedy government.
————–
April 19, 2012
Activist Sheehan Says She Has Court Date Today For Refusing To Pay Taxes
“Anti-war crusader Cindy Sheehan said she will appear in federal court today to defend her decision not to pay taxes.”
————–
The Press Democrat works hand in hand with a corrupt, greedy Sonoma County government. If everyone refused to pay taxes to support the political parasites, think how sweet life would be.
So it looks like most of us that post here at WSC should vote for Lawson, Roberts, Huffman. In fact, Huffman is probably too left leaning for me.
Republicans can’t win a partisan seat in the North Bay so they do one (or both) of two things. They run for the non-partisan seats such as city council or county supervisor or they simply run as Democrats and lie about their real party affiliation. Ms Lawson and Mr. Huffman are both DINO’s (Democrat In Name Only).
Huffman has a few campaign signs around Petaluma. Almost all of them are in locations that have NEVER had campaign signs from liberals or progressives of any sort (Regency, Deer Creek and in the flood plain across the highway from there). The rest of them are in locations that will pretty much put up anybody’s sign if asked. he probably has more right-wing campaign contributions than Ms. Lawson does. The paper won’t investigate and print that, though.
Lawson not only failed to vote in eight out of twelve elections, but it looks as if she has a failure to pay taxes problem too. Not that we will see this covered in the pages of the Press Democrat, after all she is supported by their advertisers and business friends, including Doug Bosco and the Farm Bureau. Of course if she were Rue Furch, Noreen Evans or Michael Allen they would have her failure to vote and pay her taxes on the front page.
I guess Miss Lawson didn’t think it was important to vote against Prop 8.
And we have Mr. Huffman who is endorsed by numerous Pro-War Democrats.
Is there a true progressive liberal running for this liberal district? YES!!! His name is NORMAN SOLOMON.