Concerned Families of Westchester Newsletter
September 29, 2019
Hello All - CFOW welcomes the long-overdue move to impeach President Trump. Trump's "crimes and misdemeanors" began on Day One, with his barring of refugees, and have continued ever since. For more than two years our nation has been emotionally battered by his racism, his sadism towards immigrants and refugees, his ignorance and recklessness towards efforts to stem our climate crisis, and his shoot-from-the-hip approach to foreign policy and war. Impeach him now, as soon as possible.
However, we think the Democrats are using poor judgment in focusing impeachment only on his Ukraine phone call to get dirt on Joe Biden. From the viewpoint of the Democratic Party leadership, it may make sense to a simple and what is believed to be a slam-dunk issue. With no chance of impeachment passing the Senate, a quick process in the House will check the impeachment box – thus ensuring party unity – and get the congressional process out of the way as soon as possible in order to focus on the 2020 presidential election.
Certainly it would be more satisfying to conduct impeachment hearings against the Trump Agenda itself. Criminality runs through all Trump has done. Ending US participation in the Paris Climate Agreement ensures climate chaos will get dangerously worse. Pulling out of the Iran Nuclear Agreement endangers everyone in the Middle East and raises the prospects of war. The illegal and sadistic policies directed toward immigrants and refugees on our southern border ("Children in Cages") are a national disgrace. And there is much more. As many have remarked, impeaching Trump on a phone call to Ukraine is like jailing Al Capone for tax evasion.
Perhaps another reason for a short and sweet impeachment process is that (I suspect) there are many issues and much murkiness in this struggle at the top of the US power structure. The role of Joe Biden in the Obama administrations support for the 2014 Ukraine coup and the subsequent US manipulation of Ukraine politics will be an interesting story someday. The phone call itself was related to a belief – not crazy – that the Ukraine government of 2016 sought to support Hillary Clinton's candidacy. And it seems naïve to anyone with a memory to think that the CIA has no stake in the power struggles of the day. I've linked an article below (there are many) that pursues these and similar lines of thought.
Let us hope that, against the wishes of the Democrat leadership, the impeachment hearings come to include the more serious of Trump's crimes and misdemeanors. Indeed, it is likely that Trump, like Nixon, will melt down during investigation and that new discoveries will reveal unknown dimensions of his criminality. Cover-ups of the cover-up seem likely. These are interesting times.
Some Useful Reading/Viewing on the Impeachment Crisis
A video/reading of Trump's phone call with Ukraine's President Zelensky can be read/seen here.
The Whistleblower's complaint can be read here.
(Video) James Risen: Whistleblower Complaint Shows "Trump Is a Habitual Criminal" Abusing His Office
From Democracy Now! [September 27, 2019]
---- Democrats are ramping up efforts to impeach President Trump for pressing the president of Ukraine to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Nearly 90% of House Democrats now support impeachment … For more on the unfolding scandal, we speak with James Risen, senior national security correspondent for The Intercept. [See the Program]
Another Day, Another Scandal. What the 'Trump-Ukraine Collusion' Is Really About
By Daniel Lazare, Antiwar.com [September 28, 2019]
---- From initial report to America's greatest scandal ever in just four days – surely this was some sort of Washington speed record. Since the moment Trump was elected, Democrats have been searching for "the Big One," as New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd put it, the scandal "that's going to finally bring Donald Trump down" – and now at last they found it. … Now that Trump stood accused of conspiring or coordinating with the Ukrainian government – or at least trying to – surely the Big One was finally at hand. But it's not. One reason is that there's no sign of a quid pro quo. … Another reason for skepticism is that charges of a smear job clearly misplaced. If anyone's activities are suspicious, it's Biden's, and Trump can hardly be blamed for wanting to get to the bottom of them. [Read More] And for more skepticism, read "The Democrats' Impeachment Attempt Against Trump Is A Huge Mistake," from Moon of Alabama [September 25, 2019] [Link].
Save the VFW Park – Home of CFOW
In the fall of 2002, CFOW stalwarts began what became a weekly vigil/protest in Dobbs Ferry against the looming war against Iraq. During and after the war, our Saturday vigils continued; though about 10 years ago we moved from Dobbs Ferry to Hastings, assembling at the VFW Park each Saturday noon with posters, leaflets, and a banner-de-jour to protest war and injustice. And so over the past decade the VFW Plaza has become a CFOW home to some 500 weekly peace & justice gatherings.
For those not familiar with Hastings' VFW Park, it is in the center of the village, with an inviting green lawn descending a steepish hill to a small semi-circular stone amphitheater about 25' by 30'. A few small steps separate the plaza or stage from the sidewalk, and each Saturday we line up on the plaza along the sidewalk to hold our signs and banner and give out leaflets to passersby. There is also interaction with people in cars: honks, thumbs-up, and occasional shouts of disagreement. Frequently people we know or don't know stop to discuss the issue of the day – on last Saturday, for example, impeachment.
This is a classic example of a "public sphere," now rapidly vanishing from the urban and suburban architectural scene. This public space is used for official events – the home port for the Veterans' Day and Memorial Day parades, for example – or as a venue for unofficial events such as a rally against white-nationalist graffiti found near our schools; or a rally against Trump's banning of refugees, which was attended by many local politicians; or for a display of baby strollers, a protest against Trump's policy of separating families at our southwestern border. It is also a place where the Girl Scouts sell cookies, young entrepreneurs set up a lemonade stand, and skateboarders practice new tricks. As a public sphere, I can think of no similar location in Westchester. It gives the village a true center, something lacking in most villages; and we can view it with pride as a symbol of the village's public support for citizen activism.
It is therefore truly disappointing to learn that the Village of Hastings is seeking federal funding to replace the VFW Plaza and the lawn behind it with a new park. In the funding application submitted to the County, the plaza/amphitheater bordering the sidewalk would be removed, and the lawn would be brought down to the sidewalk, with many changes on what is now the grass area. The submitted plan can be viewed at here, with a sketch of the site plan on page 45.
Certainly the VFW Plaza could use some repairs – new benches, for example – and the lawn behind it could use more chairs and some trees to replace those recently lost. But the possibility of "free money" (a grant of $200K), to be matched by $200K of Village money, has lured our Board of Trustees into proposing a big project, one that can attract federal funding. The grant proposal has been submitted, after a "process" that was rushed and included little time for thought or community input, and we will know in January if the plan has been funded. While the Village committee working on this assured a meeting last Monday that if the proposal was funded the plan could be changed, we are concerned that the plaza/amphitheater and beautiful green lawn will be lost. The VFW Park is one of the things that make Hastings unique among the Rivertowns, and it should be preserved and maintained, not dug up and replaced. If you would like to express an opinion about the Village plan, please call our mayor, Nikki Armacost, at 914 478 3400 ext 651; or you can send a letter to the Board of Trustees, Hastings Municipal Building, 7 Maple Ave., Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706.
CFOW Nuts & Bolts
Please consider getting involved with Concerned Families of Westchester. We meet for a protest/rally each Saturday in Hastings, from 12 to 1 p.m., at the VFW Plaza (Warburton and Spring St.) Our leaflet and posters for our rallies are usually about war or the climate crisis, but issues such as racial justice or Trump's immigration policies are often targeted, depending on current events. We (usually) meet on the first Sunday of each month, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the Dobbs Ferry Historical Society. Our weekly newsletter is archived at https://cfow.blogspot.com/; and news of interest and coming events is posted on our CFOW Facebook page. And if you would like to support our work by making a contribution, please send your check to CFOW, PO Box 364, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706. Thanks!
That's it for this week.
Best wishes,
Frank Brodhead
For CFOW
GOOD READING/FEATURED ESSAYS
Snowden in the Labyrinth
By Jonathan Lethem, New York Review of Books [October 24, 2019 Issue]
[FB – This is a review of Edward Snowden's just-published autobiography, Permanent Record]
---- Snowden's book is straightforward, admirably so. He has taken the risk of assuming that his reader is interested not only in his "moment of vision" and the brazen act that earned his fame and notoriety, but also in the formation of his personality, and the slow growth of his understanding of technology, espionage, surveillance, and human rights. Despite his gifts at computer programming, he has no interest in persuading you that he's unusual; quite the opposite. A clean-cut, apolitical child of a military family, his father a Coast Guard officer, his mother a federal employee—his parents divorced in 2001—Snowden is a gentle and conforming type, and he's consistently amazed that more people don't feel as he does about the intelligence community's crimes. … How does one decide to become the dissident, the scapegoat, the whistleblower? Snowden seems as mystified as we are. [Read More]
Sanders and Warren: The need for a progressive front
By The Organizing Upgrade Editorial Collective [September 28, 2019]
---- As the Democratic primaries unfold, clear patterns are emerging in the polls. Joe Biden has held on to a steadily diminishing but still significant lead. Bernie Sanders has held a relatively steady proportion of support. Elizabeth Warren has emerged from the pack to be level or sometimes ahead of Sanders, while all other candidates lag behind. While there is much to be said about how to read these early polls, the most important takeaway is that the two candidates with the most progressive visions and campaigns have together surpassed the party's centrist standard-bearer. … We believe that base building groups should assert themselves in the primary process and we believe firmly that the different decisions groups reach to endorse either Sanders or Warren should not produce irresolvable contradictions. Instead, we contend that building a primary-stage front against the party's conservative wing should be our rallying cry. [Read More]
---- As the Democratic primaries unfold, clear patterns are emerging in the polls. Joe Biden has held on to a steadily diminishing but still significant lead. Bernie Sanders has held a relatively steady proportion of support. Elizabeth Warren has emerged from the pack to be level or sometimes ahead of Sanders, while all other candidates lag behind. While there is much to be said about how to read these early polls, the most important takeaway is that the two candidates with the most progressive visions and campaigns have together surpassed the party's centrist standard-bearer. … We believe that base building groups should assert themselves in the primary process and we believe firmly that the different decisions groups reach to endorse either Sanders or Warren should not produce irresolvable contradictions. Instead, we contend that building a primary-stage front against the party's conservative wing should be our rallying cry. [Read More]
Stepping Away From a Disastrous War Over Kashmir
By Murtaza Hussain, The Intercept [September 28, 2019]
---- At a massive rally in Houston this past weekend, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a stadium packed with supporters that India had bade "farewell" to a constitutional clause granting autonomy to the Himalayan region of Kashmir. "Article 370 had deprived people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh of development," Modi told the crowd. "Terror and separatist elements were misusing the situation. Now, people there have got equal rights." The crowd responded with roaring applause. Modi's remark about "equal rights" was a jarring contrast to the news reports that have come in from Kashmir describing thousands of detentions, cases of torture and death, and a communications blackout that has severed Kashmir from the rest of the world. The de facto annexation of the long-contested region has further strained relations between India and Pakistan. It has also raised the specter of a full-blown insurgency pitting the Indian government against disaffected Kashmiris. For those to whom these ratcheted-up tensions look like another flare-up in a troubled area of the world, the situation bears a caveat: This time is different. [Read More]
---- At a massive rally in Houston this past weekend, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a stadium packed with supporters that India had bade "farewell" to a constitutional clause granting autonomy to the Himalayan region of Kashmir. "Article 370 had deprived people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh of development," Modi told the crowd. "Terror and separatist elements were misusing the situation. Now, people there have got equal rights." The crowd responded with roaring applause. Modi's remark about "equal rights" was a jarring contrast to the news reports that have come in from Kashmir describing thousands of detentions, cases of torture and death, and a communications blackout that has severed Kashmir from the rest of the world. The de facto annexation of the long-contested region has further strained relations between India and Pakistan. It has also raised the specter of a full-blown insurgency pitting the Indian government against disaffected Kashmiris. For those to whom these ratcheted-up tensions look like another flare-up in a troubled area of the world, the situation bears a caveat: This time is different. [Read More]
Ending GM's Two-Tiered Labor System Is UAW Members' Top Demand — and Part of a Bigger Fight Against Worker Misclassification
By Rachel M. Cohen, The Intercept [September 26 2019]
---- Since last week, nearly 50,000 GM workers have been on strike, in part against a two-tiered system enforced by the auto giant that leaves "temporary" workers doing the same jobs as permanent staff for substantially less pay and fewer benefits. The striking workers, represented by the United Automobile Workers union, or UAW, are demanding a defined path to "permanent seniority" for GM's temporary workers — who make up about 7 percent of GM's U.S. workforce. GM has also entrenched inequality in its ranks by contracting out some jobs, like custodial work, that were traditionally staff roles. … The workers' demands are part of a broader push against worker misclassification, a tactic used by employers to lessen their labor costs. [Read More] Also illuminating/useful for this important strike, read "GM Strikers Say 'No More Tiers!'" by Jane Slaughter and Chris Brooks, Labor Notes [September 18, 2019] [Link]; and "What's at Stake in the General Motors Strike," by Nelson Lichtenstein, Dissent [September 20, 2019] [Link]
Our History
The Desperate Plight Behind "Darkness at Noon"
By Adam Kirsch, The New Yorker [September 23, 2019]
---- On December 1, 1934, Sergei Kirov, the head of the Communist Party in Leningrad, was shot and killed in the hallway outside his office. The assassin, an unemployed man who had been expelled from the Party and bore a grudge against its leadership, was apprehended on the spot, but the case still raised questions. How did the killer get his pistol? Who had called off the bodyguards who usually surrounded Kirov at all times? Today, most historians agree that it was Joseph Stalin himself who ordered the murder, in order to eliminate a potential rival. But the official investigation came to quite different conclusions. During the next four years, it metastasized into a conspiracy-hunt that claimed to expose shocking villainy at the highest levels of Russia's government, military, and industry. In a series of trials that were publicized around the world, some of the oldest and most trusted Bolshevik leaders—men who, with Lenin, had led the Russian Revolution—were accused of being traitors. … That novelist was Arthur Koestler, and the book that the Moscow Trials inspired him to write was "Darkness at Noon," which became one of the most important political novels of the twentieth century. Telling the story of a veteran Bolshevik who is awaiting trial for treason, the book originally appeared in December, 1940, just two years after the events that it drew on, and became a worldwide phenomenon. [Read More]
