COVID: Money for Human Need Not War Machine & Greed
To the Mayor and Common Council members,
First of all thanks to everyone who has made this virtual meeting possible especially the techies who are improvising all this. Thanks also for taking up this important issue again. Time as you know is of the essence the Air Force is scheduled to make a final decision any day now. As a 42 year resident of Madison most of that on the near east side, I’m concerned for the working class people of our neighborhood who deserve to live in peace and work in their gardens. I am reminded of the Biblical quote used in Hamilton. Washington explains to Hamilton his decision not to run for president again. It’s from Micheas Chapter 4 verse 4 in my dad’s bible, “And every man shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree and there shall be none to make them afraid.”
These line reminds me of my mother, who grew up on the farm and worked hard most of her life.Mom worked at Campbell Soup in Fremont, Nebraska where I grew up. Then as now a blue collar town. She was in the same union as my friends that used to work at Oscar Mayer’s. The Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workman’s Union, now the United Food and Commercial Workers. (UFCW) In season mom would come home after a hard days work taking bones out of chickens and work for several hours in her garden. I didn’t get it then, dad and I were deployed to weeding, harvesting and other tasks. but I think I understand now. Mom found peace in her own garden and it helped her to carry on.
- Just as people here find peace in their gardens be they in the shadow of Oscar’s or Troy Gardens.or Oak Park Terrace (the trailer park near the airport) The gardens also are practical, an important supplement to tight food budgets.
- There should be no F-35’s in Madison or anywhere because this is a killing machine, an offensive weapon which will have nuclear capability.
- Just as we have a right to peace here in our own gardens so do people around the world. We have no business making weapons that have already been deployed abroad to deadly effect by the US, Israel in Syria and will soon be used by other countries.
- Finally in this time of crisis the F-35 program should be cancelled and the funds used to help aid people harmed by the Corona virus. The Air National Guard and other Guard members should be converting the Monona Terrace Convention Center for the homeless and care for people from our soon to be overflowing hospitals. In New York the Javits Center has had at least part of its facilities converted for hospital use by the National Guard. We need emergency shelters for the homeless, money to those unemployed so they can maintain themselves in their homes and so much more.
Money for the people not for the F-35.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Be well in these difficult times.
Sincerely,
Harry Richardson
Madison, Wisconsin
Executive board member of AFSCME Local 171. we passed a resolution opposing the F-35