Peace group applauds RPCV Congressman Sam Farr
Peace group applauds Farr, four others
California Peace Action lauds them in full-page ad
By Ethan Daniel Lindsey
The Californian
With a full-page ad in Monday's Los Angeles Times, a Berkeley-based nonprofit peace advocacy group congratulated U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, and four others in Congress for "leadership in new foreign policy."
"We've been working for over a year with constituents throughout the state of California, and Rep. Farr was one of the members to actually publicly commit to change in U.S. foreign policy," said Nathan Britton, political director for the group, California Peace Action.
"These representatives are actively pointing the way to a foreign policy that is in line with our values as a nation."
Since Sept. 11, 2001, Farr has increasingly moved to the left on international affairs, including "no" votes on the bill authorizing the use of force in Iraq and two bills backing U.S. troops' efforts in the region, according to his congressional voting record.
Farr shared credit in the ad with U.S. reps. Mike Honda (D-San Jose), Pete Stark (D-Fremont), Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles), Diane Watson (D-Culver City) and Henry Waxman (D-W. Hollywood).
Britton said California Peace Action's new foreign policy campaign has also endorsed U.S. reps. Maurice Hinchey (D-New York), Ed Towns (D-New York) and Rush Holt (D-New Jersey).
The price of a full-page ad in a weekday edition of the Los Angeles Times was not immediately available, but based on a column-inch price cited on the Times' Web site, it would cost about $100,000.
One of Farr's Republican challengers in the 2004 congressional campaign, businessman Mark Risley, said he doesn't believe Farr has changed his views on the issues. Instead, he said Farr is pandering to voters.
"Mr. Farr's foreign policy is flawed," said Risley, president of Peninsula Sports Inc. "In the 1990s, when a different party was sitting in the Oval Office, eight times he voted to deploy our troops. The Iraq vote was the very first time he voted against deploying troops."
MacGregor Eddy, a vocal Salinas anti-war advocate, said she thinks Farr's changed policy came for other reasons.
"My belief is the 2000 election really shocked him to his core," Eddy said. "The executive branch was taken over. And so, especially recently, he has been so courageous and really speaking out."
She noted that Farr helped coordinate the re-election efforts of U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Berkeley) in 2002 after she cast the lone vote against the invasion of Afghanistan.
Farr said he did not know about the Los Angeles Times advertisement until Monday morning when he saw it.
"I'm flattered by it," he said. "It's an honor to be recognized for leadership in new foreign policy. What this country needs is something between the war corps and the Peace Corps."
Farr served in the Peace Corps in Colombia as a young man.
Both Farr and Risley said foreign policy will be a big issue in the coming campaign, in part because of the 17th Congressional District's activist base in Santa Cruz.
