Dig beneath the label

The Nov. 24 article on Kshama Sawant was a good one of interest to anyone paying attention to Pugetopolis. Nice location, too: after the obituaries, beneath Huckleberries, and to the left (naturally) of Doug Clark’s continued dialogue with his truck. On page B6, it could have been missed but for the five-alarm headline: “Socialist set to seize Seattle.”

“Occupy,” under the circumstances of Sawant’s background, would have been cute. “Seize” was not justified by the text, so I assume it was assigned as alliteration and not to culminate in a cross-state crusade to curb Eastern Washington’s most polarizing political philosophy.

Locally, I’ve been labeled socialist from time to time – out of humor, malice and ignorance – but if I lived in Seattle, I’d be very excited about having a socialist councilwoman. I hope Sawant is able to transcend stereotypes and seize the community-building elements of socialism for her constituents. Surely, this story will someday rate a Spokesman-Review reporter.

Party-wise, I’m not a socialist. For my next alternative to Tweedledee/Tweedledum, money, violence and business as usual, I’m looking to another revival of the Green Party.

Rusty Nelson

Rockford