Topic: Chris Lugo

Lugo on the military: No draft, no way!

By Chris Lugo | April 20, 2008 |

My father is a Vietnam Veteran. He was an officer in ROTC in 1968 while he was in college and went to Vietnam as a Lieutenant the year I was born. My father felt an obligation to his country and a duty to serve when called. I was born in a snowstorm in rural Minnesota while my father was halfway around the world in the jungles of Vietnam. I am proud of my father and his service to my country.

When I was a teenager, going to private Catholic school, I was approached by military recruiters. I was encouraged to join the military and to enlist in the ROTC program, much like my father had been. For whatever reason, I declined. I was not yet a peace activist like I became after the first Gulf War, but something in my instincts told me that I could not serve in the military the way my father had served.

In 1990, while I was enrolled at the University of Minnesota, George Bush Sr. began beating the drums of war. I was enrolled in the selective service program at that time in order to get student loans to go to college. I remember clearly the night the bombs began to drop in Iraq for the first time. I was living in the student district of Minneapolis and there had been anti-war activity on campus leading up to the invasion. Students were busy organizing against the campus military center, sometimes called the stockade, holding demonstrations and putting anti-war material in front of the recruiting and training center. «Read the rest of this article»

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Five years at war doesn’t go unnoticed in Nashville Peace and Justice groups

By Debbie Boen | March 19, 2008 |

On March 15th, the sacrifices of those affected by the conflict in Iraq during the past five years was honored at the Ampitheater at Bicentennial Mall in Downtown Nashville. The event include strong expressions of support and sympathy for the members of the U.S. armed forces, their families and the people of Iraq.

A carload of Clarksville area people dropped in on the Peace protest in Nashville on Saturday, March 15, noon-3p.m. The event reflected on five years of war in Iraq and offered a large slate of speakers and performers organized by Nashville Peace and Justice Center. The rally was well-attended despite the drizzle that we had until around 2 p.m. when the sky let down its forces on us.

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Indian Health Care Improvement Act deserves reauthorization

By Chris Lugo | March 1, 2008 |

This month the Senate is considering the Indian Health Care Improvement Reauthorization Bill, SB 1200. This bill, which is designed to address the health care needs of some two million residents of the United States who can claim American Indian ancestry, is an important step toward honoring the obligations that we as Americans have toward the health and welfare of Native Americans. This bill will make up-to-date amendments to the health care available to 1.9 million rural and urban indigenous people in the United States, and will restore honor to the federal government’s trust and obligation to native tribes.

Congress passed the Indian Health Care Improvement Act in 1976 to address health disparities between Native Americans and the rest of the populace. Since 1992, when the act was last reauthorized, the U.S. health care delivery system has been revolutionized, while the Indian health care system has not.

This bill lays the foundation for program change, including shifts from acute care to prevention and the provision of mental health services for children. It addresses health crises such as diabetes, youth suicide, and drug addiction that have escalated among native peoples in the past 15 years. It facilitates greater input to program operation from the local tribal level and enhances recruitment and retention of health professionals in facilities serving native populations. «Read the rest of this article»

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Homelessness: It can happen to anyone

By Chris Lugo | February 19, 2008 |

According to a recent point in time survey by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there are an estimated 740,000 experiencing homelessness at any given time in America. In addition to this, an estimated 3.5 million people will experience temporary homelessness at some point in a given year, including some 1.35 million children according to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty.

As America slides into a recession many victims of the mortgage crisis will find themselves homeless, hidden victims of the subprime loan fallout. The fact is that homelessness can happen to anyone, children, working adults, veterans and even entire families.

I believe that we as Americans have the collective will to end homelessness in America by strengthening the social safety net and making sure that no one falls through the cracks. At the federal level there are many proposals available that would provide a seamless web to catch those who have fallen on hard times and insure that in the future no one is found sleeping under a bridge or frozen to death in the middle of the winter for lack of adequate housing. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Opinion | 5 Comments

Lugo seeks Democractic nod for US Senate

By Christine Anne Piesyk | January 14, 2008 |

Chris Lugo announced his Democratic bid for the US Senate seat today in Nashville by encouraging Tennesseans to vote for peace in 2008. Lugo thinks the time has come for a Democratic Senator for Tennessee.

“We have had over a decade of Republican representation in the US Senate and look at where it has gotten us. We are at the bottom of almost every social indicator for quality of life. We are near the bottom of the list in terms of health, education, life expectancy and even infant mortality. It is time to invest in the health of our state instead of wasting our federal dollars on war and corporate subsidies.” — Chris Lugo

Lugo said he is seeking the U.S. Senate seat because “it is time to end the war and bring the troops home. It is time to use our taxpayer dollars wisely to provide universal healthcare. It is time to repair our nation’s domestic infrastructure. It is time to end poverty in America. It is time to end our dependence on oil by developing safe and viable alternative energy sources. It is time to leave our children a clean, healthy and peaceful environment in which to live and raise their families.” «Read the rest of this article»

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Lugo launches ‘vote for peace” website

By Christine Anne Piesyk | November 20, 2007 |

Chris Lugo, candidate for US Senate, has announced the establishment of his new website, Vote for Peace, a resource for everyone who is interested in in his candidacy and issues affecting peace and the health and welfare of the American citizenry. Lugo, a resident of Nashville, ran for this seat in 2006 as the Green Party of Tennessee candidate.

In announcing the new site, Lugo said,

“The war in Iraq has been dragging on for more than four years now with no end in sight. The Bush administration has failed the American people and the Republican leadership which has supported this administration is complicit in this unwarranted war of aggression which has cost the lives of thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis at a cost of trillions of dollars.”

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Activist Chris Lugo seeks U.S. Senate seat; critical of ‘misdirected’ national priorities

By Christine Anne Piesyk | October 29, 2007 |

After a long summer of consideration I have made the decision to enter the race in Tennessee as a candidate for the US Senate. – Chris Lugo

Chris Lugo has decided to toss his hat into the ring of contenders for a Tennessee seat in the U.S. Senate, working from a progressive, independent and green platform that first and foremost is an anti-war stance that advocates an end to the Iraq War and refocusing of energy and tax dollars on domestic issues including public safety, transportation infrastructure, and alternative energy.

“I plan to work to represent a progressive voice in Tennessee in the 2008 elections. As the former 2006 Green Party of Tennessee candidate for US Senate, I plan to build on my experience and knowledge for the 2008 elections. My work as a peace activist working with statewide coalitions to end the war in Iraq for the past five years will be helpful in getting out the antiwar message which is at the core of my campaign. I hope you will consider supporting my effort to be that voice in Tennessee.

“I am the only candidate running for Senate in Tennessee who stands for the progressive ideals that have made this country great. I am truly interested in the needs of the poor, the elderly, women and children, working people, immigrants, gays and lesbians, and the environment. I am the only candidate who stands for peace. I have a long history of service to my community and working for a better Tennessee.”

Lugo reminded voters that the Iraq War has passed the four year mark with thousands of Americans killed and an estimated 700,000 to 1.2 million Iraqis killed. Millions more have become refugees. «Read the rest of this article»

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Green Party Senate Candidate Chris Lugo Urges Inclusion in Debates

By Chris Lugo | September 27, 2006 |

Nashville, TN: Green Party of Tennessee candidate for US Senate Chris Lugo is urging the League of Women Voters and other organizations sponsoring debates in Tennessee to open up the debates to all candidates on the ballot,”This is a democracy and the only way the voters can know who they are voting for is if they have a chance to see them and hear them. It is of vital importance in this important statewide election that the media not exclude candidates and thereby hand the elections over to the campaigns with the most money.”

The League of Women voters has scheduled a debate between Democrat Harold Ford Jr. and Republican Bob Corker on October 28th in candidate Chris Lugo’s home town of Nashville. The Green Party of Tennessee has been fielding candidates for office since 1996. The National Green Party has been in existence for almost three decades and has elected officials in over 250 positions nationally and is running hundreds of candidates this year. In Tennessee, the Green Party is fielding candidates in two Congressional races as well as the Gubenatorial and Senate races. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Politics | 2 Comments