As you all know by now, State Senator Lou Correa voted against SJR 1. And as you remember, SJR 1 is the the resolution opposing the proposed escalation of the Iraq War. I wanted to know why my own State Senator would vote against this resolution. I wanted to know why he voted against a resolution that called for an end to this disastrous war that has hurt our community in Central Orange County in many, many ways. So I took out some time last night to write my Senator a letter. And since Senator Correa's office has still not responded to any of the previous calls and emails asking him why he voted the way he did, I figured that I might as well share my letter with all of you. And besides, I would like for everyone here to know how one of Lou Correa's own constituents feels about his vote.
Follow me down below for the full letter...
(Cross-posted at Calitics, MyDD, and My Left Wing...
And thanks to The Liberal OC for the nice shout-out)
Senator Correa,
My name is Andrew Davey, and I am one of your constituents. I live in Santa Ana. And like many of your fellow constituents in Santa Ana, I would like to see an end to this disastrous war in Iraq. That is why I am writing to you today: I would like to know why you voted against SJR 1, the resolution opposing the proposed escalation of the Iraq War.
I don't know if you remember me, but I helped get you elected last year. I voted for you in the primary last June, even as many of my friends were supporting the other Democrat. I voted for you because I considered you to be a man of integrity, and I thought that as you have real roots in our working-class community, that you wouldn't ignore our concerns. I then walked the streets of Santa Ana during the general election campaign, letting my neighbors know that you were the candidate best suited to fight for our community in the State Senate. One time when I brought my dad into the campaign office, and your staffers put BOTH OF US to work sealing envelopes. However, we didn't mind because we knew that we were helping to send a good man to fight for us in Sacramento. On election day, we were with you all day. I walked in Santa Ana all day, urging my fellow Santa Ana voters to get out and vote for you. And again, I did it because I believed in you. I thought that you would be someone who would serve our community well in Sacramento.
So what happened? Why would you vote against a resolution condemning this failed war in Iraq? Why would you vote against a resolution urging Washington to find a solution that would bring home our brave troops as soon as possible? I would like to know, since our community is being affected by this ongoing war in such a great way. Our kids are being recruited to fight a civil war between Shi'a and Sunni factions thousands of miles away from home, when they should be in college, preparing for a better life. Our hard-earned tax dollars are being spent on propping up a lame, sick joke that some would like to call the "Iraqi government" in Baghdad, even as our own government refuses to put out tax dollars to work for us in providing health care coverage for all and helping us improve our local schools. As our brave sons and daughters are being sent off to fight another war over limited supplies of fossil fuels, our federal government has done NOTHING to invest in renewable energy that would both free us from all these foreign entanglements over oil AND do something to stop the oncoming catastrophe of global climate change. So, Senator Correa, why would you vote to support a continuation of this ongoing fiasco when you know that this war is not in the best interest of our community?
I once had faith in you, that you would take into consideration the best interests of our community. And you know what? I just realized that I still do. If I didn't believe that you cared about our best interests, then I wouldn't bother writing to you in the first place. So why, Senator Correa? Why would you vote against this resolution, even as your own constituents cry for an end to this war? Why would you vote against this resolution, even as your constituents are paying a dear cost for this failed war in some way or another? Why, when you know how this war is hurting our nation, and our state, and our neighborhoods? I would like to have faith in you again, Senator, as someone who cares about the community. And oh yes, I would like to see an end to this war as soon as humanly possible. Please give us an answer soon, as we would like to know why you voted this way.
Oh yes, and thank you for reading this letter. I certainly appreciate your attention to my concerns.
Sincerely,
Andrew Davey
Santa Ana, CA
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