Todd Erickson
Todd Erickson served in the United States Army National Guard in Litchfield, MN from 1975 to 1980 as a Radio Operator. Todd joined Veterans for Peace Chapter 27 shortly after the 1991 Gulf War and presently serves as Vice President. Todd has been a telecommunications worker for about 25 years and has served in labor leadership positions since 1990 with the Communications Workers of America Local 7200, Minneapolis.
In the late1980s, Todd learned from direct testimony from Central America political refugees about the negative effects that US Foreign Policies had on poor working families in places like El Salvador and Guatemala. Todd's labor leadership background encouraged him to focus on economic justice issues, human rights, and world peace.
Todd was one of thirteen VFP #27 members from Minnesota who traveled to Fort Benning, GA in 1993 to participate with 200 people in the first annual vigil to protest the actions of the US Army School of the Americas — also called the School of Assasins.
Todd helped with efforts to organize that event by contacting other Veterans for Peace chapters in order to encourage involvement and coordination of acivities. This annual vigil is in its 11th year and attacts over 10,000 people on an yearly basis.
Todd has studied global trade issues since 1988. In 1992, Todd traveled with a labor delegation to Mexico and Guatemala to learn how corporate-led trade policies affect working families. He has taken several trips since.
Todd is a critic of US military and trade policies and believes it is less about advancing economic justice, democracy, and human rights in the world and more about global domination, control of resources, and cheap labor/lax environmental standards for large transnational corporations and wealthy interests.
Todd talks about the importance of 1) addressing ways to reduce terrorism and militarization in the world; 2) knowing the history of US wars and its support for "low intensity conflict"/terrorism tactics; 3) developing critical analysis skills in judging actions of our government, transnational corporations, and the corporate-led mainstream mass media; 4) being actively engaged in one's civic responsibility in pressuring elected government leaders and representatives of the media; 5) being loyal to the principles of democracy, the US Constitution and the US Bill of Rights instead of blindly following government leaders; 6) utilizing alternative media sources as resources for news and as a vehicle to communicate and educate others; 7) protecting a US citizens' right to dissent in order to petition our Government for a redress of grievances; and 8) joining with organizations to work for the changes you want to see in this world.
Todd L. Erickson
NE Minneapolis, MN
todd9500@msn.com