To the Venice Beachhead,
Today I attended a boisterous rally in Eugene, Oregon, for Senator Bernie Sanders. He addressed the prime issues facing America today; the mass incarceration of the poor and people of color, police brutality, wage equality for women, a fifteen-dollar minimum wage, health care for all, the end of fracking, marijuana decriminalization, a carbon tax on the Big Oil and gas-polluting industries, free college tuition (so the youth aren’t burdened with thousands of dollars of debt), political electoral reform, and taxing the corporations and Wall Street their fair share, in order to pay for the enactment of these programs. No other candidate in the race (being a bunch of billionaires) has the decency or courage to speak the hard truth, and expose the lies and corruption inherent in the system. Bernie is the voice of the Occupy movement, against the 1% hoarders of wealth in this country, and has called for a vast political revolution, involving everyone.
Jump back to the founding of the Beachhead, in 1968, by members of the Peace and Freedom Party. Going on fifty years, the Beachhead has represented the will of the people against a fascist and racist status quo. What is the reasoning of the current Beachhead to take no part in the political discussion being raised in the ongoing election primaries? As a former writer for the Beachhead, I respect its focus on local events in Venice, especially overdevelopment and escalating rents. Yet to carry nary a word on the primary issues and debates, and, specifically, to refuse to champion the policies set forth by Senator Sanders, is, in my opinion, a gross and negligent failure to uphold the Spirit of the People of Venice, and the guiding light of fifty-years worth of Speaking Truth to Power, as exemplified by the dedicated work of thousands of writers and contributors to the Beachhead. Sitting on the fence is a lame position, helping none and betraying all. Beachheads of the past would have joyfully jumped into the fray, and would encourage Venetians / Californians to be fully informed of the issues, and all the candidates’ political histories, stance, and credibility.
Thank-you,
Erica Snowlake