Campaign Theme: A Mature Patriotism - For the Common Good

President Kennedy- “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

Religious Scripture- “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.”

Peter Moore-Kochlacs- “We in the United States and in the 52^nd Congressional District need a new, exciting and mature patriotic vision. A vision of social, regional, national, international, and ecological interdependence and cooperation that calls out of us our best selves. This is what i plan to bring back to the office! An enthusiasm that has been missing for22 years.

Common Knowledge- No nation, not even the United States, can or should be an island unto itself. [Re-John Dunne]

Content of a Mature Patriotism, Leadership and Vision

A mature patriotism tries to leave no one behind.
A mature patriotism is deeply concerned about contemporary life-long public education.
A mature patriotism encourages the growth and the sharing of scientific understandings that assist the expansion of the common good for our entire world.
A mature patriotism seeks a living wage for its employed people, especially military families serving our nation, and at least some minimum family health coverage.
A mature patriotism constantly, persistently, and tirelessly works and prays for peaceful solutions to conflicts, while maintaining a cost effective, mobile, 21^st century military and police force.
A mature patriotism realizes that while economic grow and stability is important, there is much more to human life than personal and corporate wealth.
A mature patriotism does not promote corporate welfare and the greed of wealthy investors at the expense of our personal, family, local, regional, national global, and ecological health.
a mature patriotism / leadership is deeply concerned about the basic financial safety net of its citizens. It will not gamble witht he social security of its seniors based on the ups and downs of the Wall Street market economy. Enron Corp and Univ. of Calif. employees and retirees must be cery grateful their Social Security system invested in Enron stock.
A mature patriotism is actively concerned about the public health of families, citizens and the planet. It strengthens public health laws that control and remove toxins and pollutants from the air, water, and land.
A mature patriotism protects and restores the web of life that 6.1 billion humans have greatly jeopardized.
A mature patriotism supports the CERES—Coalition for Environmentally Responsible--Principles [formerly the Valdez Principles]. These principles include

a. Protection of the Biosphere

b. Sustainable Use of Natural Resources

c. Reduction and Disposal of Wastes

d. Energy Conservation

e. Risk Reduction

f. Safe Products and Services

g. Environmental Restoration

h. Informing the Public

i. Management Commitment

j. Audits and Reports

A mature patriotism is concerned about energy stewardship based on conservation and alternatece energey research and developement. This emphases will lead to less expensive soar electric power and fuel cells. Decreasing petroleum-based energy use, raising fuel efficiency standards for vehicles, promoting, on an interim basis, new cleaner natural gas power plants is far better for our children's health and national security than building new, extremely costly and hightly toxic nuclear power plants.
A mature patriotism is very concerned that many of the initiatives of the World Bank, World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund, NAFTA, etc. have not been effective or helpful in promoting the common good for either people or the environment. These governmental and multinational controlled organizations for globalization must be thoroughly reviewed by congress. Also, all Fast Track trade legislation should be put on hold until these agencies have policies in plave that support the common good.
A mature patriotism opposes militarization of Space and wasteful, redundant and ineffective weapon systems.
A mature patriotism is about international peace building, nation building, and draining the pools of extreme poverty.
A mature patriotism also includes universal women's rights, universal education for children and youth, world-wide family planning and the end of child labor and sweatshops.

Notice

This sketch of my views for A Mature National Patriotism/Leadership/Vision is meant to be suggestive and to engage the citizens of the 52^nd congregation district/county of San Diego in a dialogue. I certainly don’t have all the answers. I do believe 9/11, the recent energy crisis, etc could have been averted if Republican leadership had over the past 20 years been more visionary and less shortsighted. Thoughtful additions to this list should be email to me peter@mkforcongress.org.

They should not be longer than 15 lines. No attachments, but web site addresses for additional information related to your comments is always helpful.

You can find my work website is at http://members.aol.com/petereco There are a number of resources there that relate to my work as Director of Environmental Ministries of Southern California and express my viewpoints. Professionally, I am a clergyperson with an educational, environmental, and public policy portfolio.