Peaceniks Gone Wild

One of the core ideas behind the United States Constitution is federalism—the division of power between the central government in Washington and the multitude of state and local governments. The Constitution explicitly assigns responsibility for national defense and foreign policy to the U.S. government. This has been the case for over 200 years.

However, the Cambridge City Council seems to be oblivious to this time-tested arrangement. Instead, it routinely attempts to extend its reach into matters of national and foreign policy. Take for example its Policy Order Resolution of July 30, 2007, which called for “withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq,” along with “multi-lateral talks involving Iraqi factions, neighboring nations, and the United Nations.” Other Policy Orders have dealt with Dow Chemical, nuclear weapons and a proposed federal Department of Peace.

My personal favorite is Policy Order O-26 (December, 2004), calling on the U.S. Diplomatic Mission in Cuba to remove an “inflammatory Christmas display in Havana.” The councilors were upset about the U.S. Mission’s choice of decorations: “In addition to the traditional Santa Claus, candy canes, and white lights wrapped around a palm tree, the display features a sign reading ’75,’ a reference to dissidents jailed by Fidel Castro’s government.” Good Heavens! How despicable of those Yankees to spoil Mr. Castro’s holiday season by reminding him of his own political prisoners!

My heart goes out to Margaret Drury, the long-suffering City Clerk who is continually asked to “forward a suitably engrossed copy” of these absurd policy orders to unsuspecting government officials in Washington and elsewhere. So little time, and so much to do. It’s a wonder that we still get our property tax bills on time.

Perhaps the most egregious example of the City Council’s overreach was the creation of the Peace Commission over 25 years ago. This peculiar institution was initially named the Commission on Nuclear Disarmament and Peace Education. At that time, leftists were in high dudgeon over President Reagan’s bid to increase military spending in response to Soviet aggression. Unable to challenge Reagan’s landslide victory in the national election, activists decided to take the battle to a local level by focusing on the dangers of nuclear war. There was giddy talk of suspending the laws of physics by declaring the city to be a “nuclear-free zone.” The City Council caved in to all of this foolishness by creating a brand-new city department with its own budget, which is now on the order of $75,000 per year.

The actual function of the Commission was stated in gory detail in Section 2.90.050 of the city ordinances: “Support the actions taken by the City Council to protect the citizens of Cambridge and lessen the danger of nuclear destruction to the City.” Meanwhile, President Reagan continued his mad pursuit of the Evil Empire, which eventually resulted in fall of the Berlin Wall as well as freedom from Communist tyranny for Poland, Hungary, and other countries formerly trapped behind the Iron Curtain. To spare our city from further embarrassment, the phrase “Nuclear Disarmament” was dropped from the Commission’s name.

Now that we are no longer in imminent danger of nuclear war with the Soviets, what has the Peace Commission been up to? Its exclusive focus is still on the alleged crimes and misdemeanors of the United States along with our closest Middle East ally, the State of Israel. The commission has been silent with regard to the genocide in Darfur, the brutal Chinese colonization of Tibet or Hamas’ rocket attacks on civilian targets in Israel. On the other hand, the commission recently sent an official delegation to Bethlehem to provide aid and comfort to those who seek to destroy Israel.

The City Councilors should stick to what they are elected to do: overseeing the day-to-day business of the city. The Peace Commission’s $75,000 budget would be much better spent on additional staff for the police department—the only agency that really does have the ability to “keep the peace.”

—Michael Selva

This was originally published in the Right View column of theCambridge Chronicle on February 26, 2008