Month 10, Day 26: And The Pig Got Up And Slowly Walked Away…

The Hudson, NH chapter of the Chamber of Commerce has broken away from the US Chamber. That inspired me to write the following letter to the current president of our local CoC, here in Medford, Massachusetts.

Mr. Rick Caraviello
President
Medford Chamber of Commerce
One Shipyard Way
Medford, MA 02155

Dear Mr. Caraviello,

I am a Medford resident, and a self-employed music teacher.

I write to urge the Medford Chamber of Commerce to follow the lead of the Chamber in Hudson, New Hampshire, and formally renounce its association with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Why?

There are two reasons, one of immediate importance and the other of longer-term relevance. The first is, of course, the role played by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in funding anonymous attack advertisements all over the country during this election season. Whatever your political affiliation, we should be able to agree that the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision has opened the door to a tidal wave of slanderous and mendacious messaging — and that this is corrosive to the orderly functioning of our democracy. An organization that will never be held accountable for the content of an advertisement is an organization that is free to lie. The U.S. CoC’s acceptance of foreign funding is inimical to the United States’ traditions of electoral independence, and should by itself be a reason for Medford’s Chamber to renounce its affiliation with the national organization.

But there’s another reason. The U.S. Chamber has been a relentless advocate against meaningful action on climate change. For years the Chamber has funded misleading ad campaigns aimed at impugning the veracity of scientific specialists; for years the Chamber has been a major obstacle in the path towards energy independence and a future free of greenhouse gas emissions. Despite what Tom Donohue and the Chamber’s spokespeople say, the science on climate change is completely settled: it’s happening, humans are causing it, and we have to change our ways if we are to survive as a species.

Medford has built a reputation as one of Massachusetts’ most environmentally conscious cities, and I’m deeply proud to live here. For the Medford Chamber of Commerce to be affiliated in any way with the unscrupulous behavior of the U.S. Chamber is an embarrassment to our city; when I’m doing business with members of the Medford CoC, I will advocate strongly that they move to dissociate from the U.S. Chamber.

Thank you for your attention.

Yours Sincerely,

Warren Senders