Left In Lowell

Capping the size of military deployments is perfectly within the rights and responsibilities of the US Congress. Past examples include but are not limited to: denying the CIC’s right to deploy in Cambodia in 1970; requiring authorization to expand troops in Lebanon in 1983; and Congress required authorization to increase operations in Somalia, 1993, under Clinton.

[Via Kos.]

I’m shilling for my husband’s orchestra concert, because most of us can appreciate the arts and we all need a break from politics and life in general. This is the Dudley House Orchestra out of Harvard University’s graduate school, and I can honestly say they are very excellent (I’m looking forward to it). The concert is for Sunday, Jan 14 in Cambridge at Harvard’s Sanders Theatre. There’s free parking at 52 Oxford St in Cambridge.

20th Century American Composers - January 14th, 4:00pm, Sanders Theatre

Antheil - McKonkey’s Ferry Overture (Washington at Trenton)
Copland - Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo
Still - In Memoriam: the Colored Soldiers Who Died for Democracy
Barber - Symphony No. 1 in One Movement

Tickets available at the Harvard Box Office, on the web, or at the door.
$9 (general public), $6 (students, seniors, Harvard ID holders)

Live music, especially a good orchestra, is one of life’s little pleasures. I hope we see you there!

Margaret of the Citywide Parents Council (blog here) sent out an announcement of a follow-up to their October 2006 Mary Bacigalupo forum on education:

Please join us on Monday, January 22, 7 pm at the Stoklosa School for an important follow-up to the October Forum on the Community Role in Education.

As you recall, in October, Keynote Speaker Jeff Howard summarized the research that indicates a truly community-wide effort is needed to produce ‘proficient’ children and adults. Every child can attain educational success, but the schools alone can’t make this happen. Parents, higher education, business leaders and health and social service agencies must believe in a vision of success for all children and then fill complementary, supportive roles for the students. The challenge now is to organize the expressed interests and energies.

The plan is to reconvene Forum participants at the Citywide Parent Council meeting on January 22, beginning at 7 pm, with coffee available at 6:30 pm.

Participation by diverse stakeholders is essential, and all interested community members in Lowell are invited to attend.

Margaret wrote about the October forum here. If you’re interested in the future of education in Lowell, check it out.

I got this release from Meehan’s office tonight:

Meehan To Introduce Resolution Opposing “Surge” of U.S. Forces In Iraq

WASHINTON, DC - Congressman Marty Meehan, senior member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), will introduce a Resolution that it is the Sense of Congress that the proposed plan to send additional U.S. Forces into Iraq would only lead to further chaos in Iraq.

“During the past few weeks, there have been strong indications that we may be about to enter a new phase of the war, with a significant escalation of troops expected to be announced in the coming days,” said Meehan. “This is not a new strategy. Twice in the past 12 months the President has increased troop levels in a last ditch effort to control the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Iraq. Rather than cooling tensions in Baghdad, the situation has descended further into chaos.”

Meehan’s Resolution calls for the President to ask Congress for an up or down vote if he plans to raise troop levels above the current level of 132,000. The resolution has received the support of Representatives Payne, Woolsey, DeFazio, Blumenauer, Capps, Grijalva, Baldwin, McCollum, Markey, and Cummings.

Looks like we’ve got some parity between the House and the Senate on this important first step.

Hoss on BMG pointed out a Herald article (as much as I try to avoid the Sun, I avoid the Herald even more) that is as about as nasty-stupid as an article can get. In it, this idiot-savant writer tries to convince readers that the first place to cut to find more room in the budget is in the tiny budget of the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Because, you know, they do stuff like try to produce and teach art crap to kids and the public. First on his list of ire, is Lowell’s Angkor Youth Dance Troupe.

Anyone with any personal experience watching these shining kids performing their native dance at various events in Lowell knows the power of connecting youth with community, art, and culture. But apparently, not good enough…for an anonymous legislative source, a staffer no less:

But one legislative staffer questioned the use of taxpayer dollars on such programs when many agencies are struggling to provide basic services.

“We’re cutting some pretty crucial programs and spending state money on programs where it really doesn’t need to be spent,” said the legislative source. “As far as I know, there is no Cambodian folk dancing crisis in the state.”

The source isn’t even brave enough to put his name on his negative view of these programs. It’s obvious to me that Wedge here has an agenda in including him in the article, no? Must have been particularly hard to find someone to criticize a drop-in-the-bucket-budget program like the Mass Cultural Council which helps to keep kids off the streets by using the arts, and helps them stay connected to their culture, enriching the cities and towns which they call home?

And memo to Wedge: teaching incarcerated teens Shakespeare is the best idea I’ve seen yet, except for teaching them graphic design, which is a usable work skill for when they head back to the streets.

This is exactly what is needed. It doesn’t go far enough in my opinion, but the American people are not interested in having their new Democratic leadership shy away from interfering with Bush’s completely inept leadership on Iraq [Update: quote from Kennedy writing on BMG]:

I am on my way to the National Press Club in Washington in a few minutes to speak about a new bill. If passed, it will prohibit escalation in Iraq without express Congressional approval of a plan and budget.

President Bush owes the American people a clear explanation about what he’s trying to accomplish in Iraq, and that’s why I’m introducing legislation that will force him to explain himself.

In October 2002, Members of Congress authorized a war against the regime of Saddam Hussein, not to send our troops into a civil war. I voted against that resolution and feel an escalation of this war only compounds the original mistake of going in the first place.

I also write about my idea in comments of the Senator’s post: that I believe we can go one step further, and since the President can’t lead our troops worth a damn, it’s time to micro-manage the war in Iraq by earmarking appropriations to only those activities that directly support the troops. We need to cut spending for any other activity. This will choke off funding for the badly wasted and botched rebuilding projects which have all but halted due to sectarian violence anyway, and any other war profiteering by Halliburton and others. And in 2008 the Dems can say, we supported the troops with targeted funding, but cut off the trough for the pigs. I think that would be a powerful message to send about who is really for supporting our men and women in combat, because the Republicans sure as hell can’t make that claim.

It’s also great to see the Senator posting on Blue Mass Group to let us know about his bill. Thanks, Senator. It’s very rare that you and I disagree.