MAPA Members Carry Peace Message to Congress
This article is an update on Mass. Peace Action’s advocacy with elected officials. It appeared in our summer 2015 MAPA newsletter.
Katherine Clark: Eva Moseley met Rep. Clark at her office hours at Cafe Zing in April, thanking her for skipping Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, and suggesting non-official people for her to visit in Palestine when she visits Israel in August. The next week, Shelagh Foreman, John MacDougall, Ernesta Kraczkiewicz, and Faith Madzar met with Geoff Browning, Clark’s foreign policy aide. They asked Rep. Clark to sponsor the SANE Act (HR.1534), which she promised to do while running for Congress but has not yet done.
Joseph Kennedy III: Carol Coakley attended a February meeting with Kennedy organized by several unions regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Fast Track. Kennedy expressed his opposition to Fast Track.
After several meetings with constituents complaining about his one-sided support of Israel during and after last year’s Israeli assault on Gaza, Rep. Kennedy wrote a letter to constituents that expressed concern about Palestinians’ rights and future.
Ed Markey: MAPA organized a letter to Sen. Markey urging him to support the Iran nuclear deal framework and to oppose the Corker bill, which encourages Congressional interference in the negotiations. It was signed by nuclear experts, professors, philanthropists, and leaders of labor and community organizations.
Seth Moulton: Moulton was the only Mass. Rep to vote against reducing the Pentagon’s OCO slush fund. MAPA, the North Shore Coalition for Peace & Justice and North Shore Labor Council rallied May 8 to press Moulton for a commitment to vote No on Fast Track.
