Ridgefield resident R. Myles Dickason attempts to get Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez to address an important issue
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and may not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com
I am an emergency physician who served in Gaza in August, 2024. For over one year, I have repeatedly requested a 15 minute, in person meeting with Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez to share my firsthand experience of the humanitarian catastrophe paid for by Southwest Washington’s tax dollars. I have attended her fundraisers and made requests by email, video, and in person — I even offered to fly to Washington, DC to meet with her there. Despite my multiple requests her campaign has explicitly and repeatedly refused to meet with me.
This matters. Our Southwest Washington tax dollars, approved by Rep. Gluesenkamp-Perez as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, are being used to fund the starvation of children. Even the Israeli physician organization B’Tselem has described the actions of the Israeli state and military as genocide. Rep. Gluesenkamp-Perez’s votes to send $17.9 billion dollars of American tax-payer money to a foreign government are troubling enough; however, it is even more disturbing when we understand that she has accepted over $190,000 from the pro-Israeli lobbying group American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Indeed, AIPAC is the number one largest donor to her campaign!
As constituents of Rep. Gluesenkamp-Perez’s district we deserve transparency, moral leadership, and votes aligned with the funding priorities of Southwest Washingtonians—schools for our children, jobs for our workers, and infrastructure to support economic growth. If the congresswoman will not reject money from foreign interests and stop funding foreign militaries that starve children to death, then those of us who believe in decency, justice, and domestic economic priorities should reconsider supporting her campaign — financially and at the ballot box. I urge her to take this moment to lead, to stand against genocide, and to ensure our tax dollars are invested locally—where they belong.
Sincerely,
R. Myles Dickason, MD
Ridgefield/Clark County
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