I grew up in Hartford, Connecticut, and graduated from Colgate in 1962 and the University of Chicago Law School in 1965. I served for almost a year as Legislative Assistant to a Congressman in Washington, D.C., where I became a strong opponent of the Vietnam War. I became an officer and a gentleman in Navy JAG one day ahead of being drafted into the Army and beign sent to Vietnam. I was first stationed with the marines at Camp Pendleton, CA, where I represented Marines opposed to the Vietnam War, then with the Navy on Guam, Mariana Islands in the So. Pacific, where I did the same in the region, including Vietnam. In 1969, I was released from active duty, and after an interlude climbing a peak in the Himalayas, I returned to California, where I have practiced law for almost 40 years. I married Dana Lenahan in 1969, and we had identical twin daughters in 1972. She died in 2003. For the past five years I have been reducing my law practice, and working as a filmmaker (eight documentary films, including my latest, posted on YouTube in September, 2008, entitled "John McCain Not Qualified for Presidency", which was seen by many thousands if not millions. Some who saw it commented that I was a "socialist", a "communist", or my favorite, a "socialist fascist". My comment to these posters after the election: "Where you gonna move to now?"
I have been active in Malibu politics for the past decade, and I served as Vice Chair o f the Parks and Recreation Commission, and later on I served on Malibu's Planning Commission.
I have worked for the Obama campaign for the past 18 months, and have done position papers for him on the Wall Street speculation that caused the runup of
crude oil prices in the first seven months of last year, the need to raid gasoline taxes to support alternate energy development in the future (along with
tax credits), and the problems with the bailout. I have also been an organizer for
MoveOn.org in Malibu for the past 4+ years, and organized demonstrations against the
Iraq War and urging Bush's impeachment throughout much of 2007 and into 2008 held at PCH and Webb Way every Tuesday evening. We gt thousands of honks of support from motorists passing by, and a few raised middle fingers from guys in Hummers heading for the Valley to watch
Fox News. My girlfriend Joan Yang, whom I met at a Kerry for President function I had at my Malibu house in 2004, and I will be at the Obama
Inauguration later this month.
If I am chosen as a delegate, I will be available to attend the Democratic State Convention in April.
Edward E. (Ted) Vaill
