Dave Chandler's Speech to the Greep Party of Colorado
State Convention - June 22, 2002

Our freedoms as Americans are in danger. In danger from a political system corrupted by special interest money; in danger from an un-elected president who blatantly exploits national tragedy for his own crass political advantage.

In 1935, Sinclair Lewis wrote a fictional account of an America taken over by corporatism and fascism. That novel was titled "It Can't Happen Here". But the message, of course, for then, as it is for today is ­ IT CAN HAPPEN HERE!

We should pay attention to what James Madison, the Father of our Constitution, and fourth president of the United States, said:

"Since the general civilization of mankind, I believe that there are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."

Today, not so gradually and not so silently, the Bush regime is using tragedy as an appeal to patriotism to erode many civil rights that our Founders so diligently began crafting 226 years ago.

Since September 11, 2001, when mass murdering criminals struck our nation -- virtually all of the leaders of the political and journalistic establishment have readily accepted Bush and Cheney's claim that we must fight a "war" on terrorism.

Surely, nothing could have pleased the terrorists and enemies of freedom more than to see George, Jr. snap at their bait, go into full 'John Wayne' mode, and lead the country on a binge of jingoism and nationalism.

The murderers of September 11th and their accomplices should certainly be hunted down and brought to justice. And just as certainly an innovative approach utilizing the United Nations and the World Court could have brought together a GENUINE, worldwide coalition of nations and armed forces -- deputized to execute law and justice in a rational, diplomatic, and civilized manner.

But Bush and Cheney and their Democratic Party collaborators, saw too much political advantage in waging war ... they chose the easiest, most expedient path. Instead of bold leadership, they decided to wallow in the basest of human emotions -- calling up desires for raw vengeance and retribution. They draped themselves in Old Glory, shamelessly waved the bloody shirt, and declared war on an ever expanding 'axis of evil'.

Now, instead of a focused pursuit to arrest and prosecute criminals, Bush and Cheney, Daschle and Gephardt have elevated the murderers into "combatants" and plunged the world into a morass of chaos the likes of which haven't been seen since the 1930s.

Let's tell it like it really is ... the Bush-Cheney strategy has been a full and complete FAILURE. Look at the unspun record: Usama bin Laden is still free, the anthrax poisoner is still at large, twice India and Pakistan have gone to the brink of nuclear war, fear and lack of confidence are weakening our economy, we're stuck with hundreds of 'detainees' in Cuba that we don't know what to do with, there are almost daily attacks by the 'defeated' enemy in Afghanistan, American troops are more far-flung around the globe than at anytime since World War Two, the US has threatened war against Iraq, Syria, North Korea, Iran (and half a dozen other countries no doubt), and most tragically, we have beheld the horror of militarism and terrorism run amuck in Palestine and Israel.

It reminds one of what Pyrrhus said, "Another such victory and we are undone!" Yet the White House propaganda machine runs at top speed to convince Americans that this kind of record is some kind of success ... In fact it's almost impossible to imagine how things could get any worse!

It's time for some accountability! It is long past time for asking some hard questions of the nation's leaders. It is becoming very clear that we need bold representation in Congress that will challenge the simplistic answer that war is the solution to all of our international difficulties ... who will instead propose and support original and respectful policies. I will be that kind of representative.

It is now time for us to put aside the rhetoric and propaganda and understand that enemies of freedom and liberty and peace relish a world where 'diplomacy' is always equated with 'appeasement'' and where only 'might makes right''.

So, we need to reclaim the strength and inspiration of our Constitution and Bill of Rights. We need to categorically reject the notion that our founding documents are now, after 9/11, a weakness ... Or as 'liberal' Harvard law professor Lawrence Tribe argued, "The Constitution is not a suicide pact." What a cynical, scornful thing to say.

In the end, our ONLY strength and our ONLY bulwark against tyranny lies in our values and principles.

Indeed, there seems to be a sense of acceptance among the elite in Washington and in the nation's corporate newsrooms, that in the face of Bush and Cheney's syncopated drumbeat of terror alerts and 'inevitable' attacks, we must wrap ourselves more snugly in the flag and be willing to sacrifice civil liberties for security ... or else face defeat at the hands of our shadowy enemies.

But I believe that the Green Party and most Americans are beginning to have their fill of what I call "patriotic defeatism." I believe that the Green Party and most Americans are wise enough to understand Benjamin Franklin's warning that "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

We all know that our best defense is reliance upon our hearts and our heads ... as we were taught by Gandhi and Martin Luther King ... we will be unbeatable utilizing our liberty to resist the impulse to violence ... That is genuine courage and bravery.

Because of our dedication to the rights and the dignity of the average human being, I propose a positive agenda of empowerment and social justice.

While Bush and the Democrats plot more destruction and US hegemony around the planet -- to the exclusion of urgent domestic issues -- Greens in Congress would bring a new culture of grassroots democracy, a cleaner environment, and peace and prosperity for ourselves and our brothers and sisters around the world.

That is why I am running for Congress as a Green candidate in the new 7th Congressional District ... To offer voters a break from the tired-out old, corrupt politics as usual ... and to present a fresh, positive vision for the future.

Here are a some of the ideas and proposals that a Green candidate, free from the influence of special interest campaign contributions, can propose to the voters of the 7th district.

• An end to our corrupt political system by supporting national Public Finance of elections to make our government truly of, by, and for the people.
  
• An acknowledgement that the well being of our planet means healthful and alert minds and bodies for us and all creatures. Demanding that the Bush regime support an even stronger version of the Kyoto Treaty. Understanding that the days of cheap petroleum are coming to an end ... and that we must, therefore, free our imaginations and creativity to foster a new, clean, sustainable wind, solar, and hydrogen-based energy supply economy.
  
• A reaffirmation of the primacy of diplomacy -- over the easy way of war -- to resolve our conflicts and promote peace. And a dedication to basic human rights and freedoms. If I had been in Congress, I would have voted against the so-called Patriot Act; if I were in Congress I would oppose any further concentration of police power in the so-called Department of Homeland Security. Ask the Republican and Democratic candidates for this congressional seat how they would have voted .. and you will see the clear difference between them and myself.
  
• A commitment to the working poor and middle class Americans who have witnessed an increasingly plutocratic society that enriches the elite at their expense. I would propose a progressive flat tax ... with a substantial increase in the standard deduction -- so that the working poor and average families pay only a fair and equitable federal income tax. It is time for new ideas, and a new debate about a more equitable, simpler system of taxation that benefits most Americans and stops coddling the super wealthy.
  
• Finally, what I believe is the most critical issue confronting every person in Colorado and the seventh congressional district. We must create - and fund - a vitally necessary national single-payer health care system in this country that will fully bring real prosperity and health to ALL Americans.

Only Green candidates -- with their principled refusal to take special interest campaign contributions from Political Action Committees -- will be free to act as Congressional representatives, state representatives, commissioners, and governors in the best interests of the people as a whole.

That is why nominating and electing a candidate such as Dave Chandler for US Representative for Colorado's Seventh Congressional District is important for America and the Green Party.

I believe that much has changed in America since that sad day last September ... it certainly changed me. We can whip ourselves back and forth between fear and fierceness, creating more chaos and hatred on this planet. Or we can turn that terrible event into an opportunity to reassert our commitment to freedom, social justice, and human dignity. From the ashes of September 11th can arise a new life for this country, a new life energized by the principles espoused by the Green Party.

Let's offer the voters of this state that rebirth by making the Green Party of Colorado a new vigorous political movement that will be remembered for a dozen generations.

I would appreciate your support and your help as the Green Party candidate for the US House of Representatives in the Seventh Congressional District.