| Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz Counties, CA | November 7, 2000 Election |
 |
Candidacy based on voter inputBy E. Craig CoffinCandidate for United States Representative; District 17 |
This information is provided by the candidate | |
Challenging corporate domination by cultivating direct democracyCulrtivate direct democracy, by E.Craig Coffin Green Party Candidate for Congress, District 17, California
People have been wondering for some time now whether some kind of awakeningwould accompany the dawn of a new millennium. Take a look at Seattle, DC, Philly and LA. The massive demonstrations targeting the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the Republicrat machine have catalyzed and galvanized a vast array of organizations worldwide whose members recognize the urgency of ending the wanton social and environmental destruction wrought by the New World Order.
With over 90 national branches throughout the global village, the GreenParty has played a major role in organizing the demonstrations. As the party's candidate for the US Presidency, Ralph Nader has become the primary spokesperson for the movement. Like Nader, Green candidate for US Senate Medea Benjamin is not only an impressive spokesperson, she's a prime mover.
The movement is brought home by our 17th District Green Congressionalcandidacy. Based on extensive involvement with the people of the district and their organizations, our campaign challenges corporate domination by cultivating direct democracy.
Here are some of the themes and some of the more common complaints thathave arisen from our inclusionary process: Eliminate corporate funding of politics. Everyone recognizes the reckless corporate corruption of our political system. My son summed it up for a fifth-grade class assignment last year. Asked what his most important issue would be if he were running for President of the United States, he responded, "Big money in politics, because a politician's vote can be bought on any issue." Asked what his slogan would be, he imitated Tricky Dick Nixon, flashing the V for victory symbols with both hands and said, "I am not a crook." Sam Farr has been consistently rated as one of the top fund-raisers in Congress. His endless list of contributors reads like a roll call of the New World Order: American Bankers Association AT&T During this year's primary campaign, Farr refused to answer Joe Grossman's contention that he owns stock in the defense, oil and pharmaceutical industries. Base policy on need, not greed. Massive savings and incalculably enhanced efficiency would result if policy were determined in accordance with social and environmental needs, rather than corporate profit margins. A corollary to this principle is that all policy should originate with those who are most directly involved. For example, education policy should originate with students and teachers. Politicians, bureaucrats and financial contributors should take orders, not give them. Replace NAFTA, GATT, WTO, IMF, World Bank, etc., with democratic regulatory and mutual assistance institutions. The effects of the global concentration of private capital are horrifying. The trend must be reversed immediately. All local, regional and national environmental, labor, health and safety standards are moot as long as NAFTA's Trilateral Commission and GATT's WTO maintain the authority to override them. In order to get himself elected in this district, Sam Farr campaigned strongly against NAFTA. As soon as he was elected, he voted for NAFTA and went on to play an important role in developing GATT and the WTO. Replace militarism with feminism. Farr has supported the bombing of Iraq, the Balkans, Sudan and Afghanistan; the Marine invasion of Monterey ("Urban Warrior"), and exorbitant military budgets. Feminism strives to replace the politics of domination with the politics of cooperation. End hunger, homelessness and police abuse. The market determines who eats and who is sheltered. The market's victims are the most likely to suffer from police-state conditions. Promote universal health care. As Clinton assumed Presidential power, the Democrats promised us real commitment to reforming our healthcare system. Instead we got HMOs. Farr has received massive funding from the healthcare industry. Support workers' rights, including livable wages and card-check unionization. The Greens have consistently stood with labor, including the United Farm Workers, throughout the 17th District. Farr has not. A friend of the Hines family and a recipient of funding from Basic Foods, he refused to help the King City strikers. Oppose all forms of discrimination. The corporate paradigm discriminates against all but the wealthiest few. Racial and ethnic minorities, women and children tend to get the worst. Thousands of farm workers in the 17th District live under slave-labor conditions while a steady supply of funding flows through Farr's campaign coffers. His stock reply to the immigration question caters to xenophobia: "We have to beef up the border." Replace pesticides and genetically engineered food with organic farming. Methyl bromide and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) should have been banned years ago. Farr continues to vote for extended use of methyl bromide and he supports commercial patents for GMOs. For some audiences, he boasts of his support for agribusiness; for others, he offers token monies for "research." This is a prime example of Farr's style of "doggie biscuit" politics. Meanwhile, countless tons of assorted poisons are distributed across our district. Stop deforestation, support reforestation. Farr refuses to sign on with 86 co-sponsors to HR1396, the National Forest Protection and Restoration Act. The Green Press is an excellent source of related information. Contain the megalopolis. From his continued support for the proposed "developers' dam" in Carmel Valley on down, Farr has been a dependable ally to developers. San Jose is not in the 17th District. It should not be allowed to expand here. Clean up Ft. Ord safely. Farr has facilitated the Army's evasion of its legal responsibility for cleaning up toxic waste and unexploded ordnance at this dangerous Superfund site. Toxic burns are not acceptable. Legalize marijuana. We are overloading our legal system, oppressing a popular subculture and denying sick people an effective medicine. In Santa Cruz, as in Columbia, the "war on drugs" is a pretext for repression.
Here are a few reasons to support the Green Party's 17th DistrictCongressional candidacy: 1. It feels good. 2. We can broaden and strengthen the political impact of Ralph Nader's Presidential candidacy. 3. We can force discussion of issues which otherwise might be ignored or glossed over. 4. The Green Party's ballot status is a vehicle for the self-empowerment of any individual or organization who chooses to associate with us. Until 1996, Democrats here on the Central Coast were able to assume re-election, no matter how Republican they acted. As the Green Party's state senate candidate in 1996, I helped an especially unpopular Democrat lose, despite his party's overwhelming advantage in registration numbers, the expenditure of millions of Democrat dollars, and all the political pressure a deeply entrenched political machine could apply. The Democrats must learn to listen to the Greens, or risk being replaced. 5. We might actually win a Green Party seat in the US Congress! Imagine what we could accomplish with all the international media attention such a surprise would attract! 6. We must dismantle the New World Order, corporate Congressmember by corporate Congressmember. Let's get Farr out. Send a Coffin to Congress. _________________________________________________________________________ Culrtivate direct democracy, by E.Craig Coffin Green Party Candidate for Congress, District 17, California
People have been wondering for some time now whether some kind of awakeningwould accompany the dawn of a new millennium. Take a look at Seattle, DC, Philly and LA. The massive demonstrations targeting the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the Republicrat machine have catalyzed and galvanized a vast array of organizations worldwide whose members recognize the urgency of ending the wanton social and environmental destruction wrought by the New World Order.
With over 90 national branches throughout the global village, the GreenParty has played a major role in organizing the demonstrations. As the party's candidate for the US Presidency, Ralph Nader has become the primary spokesperson for the movement. Like Nader, Green candidate for US Senate Medea Benjamin is not only an impressive spokesperson, she's a prime mover.
The movement is brought home by our 17th District Green Congressionalcandidacy. Based on extensive involvement with the people of the district and their organizations, our campaign challenges corporate domination by cultivating direct democracy.
Here are some of the themes and some of the more common complaints thathave arisen from our inclusionary process: Eliminate corporate funding of politics. Everyone recognizes the reckless corporate corruption of our political system. My son summed it up for a fifth-grade class assignment last year. Asked what his most important issue would be if he were running for President of the United States, he responded, "Big money in politics, because a politician's vote can be bought on any issue." Asked what his slogan would be, he imitated Tricky Dick Nixon, flashing the V for victory symbols with both hands and said, "I am not a crook." Sam Farr has been consistently rated as one of the top fund-raisers in Congress. His endless list of contributors reads like a roll call of the New World Order: American Bankers Association AT&T During this year's primary campaign, Farr refused to answer Joe Grossman's contention that he owns stock in the defense, oil and pharmaceutical industries. Base policy on need, not greed. Massive savings and incalculably enhanced efficiency would result if policy were determined in accordance with social and environmental needs, rather than corporate profit margins. A corollary to this principle is that all policy should originate with those who are most directly involved. For example, education policy should originate with students and teachers. Politicians, bureaucrats and financial contributors should take orders, not give them. Replace NAFTA, GATT, WTO, IMF, World Bank, etc., with democratic regulatory and mutual assistance institutions. The effects of the global concentration of private capital are horrifying. The trend must be reversed immediately. All local, regional and national environmental, labor, health and safety standards are moot as long as NAFTA's Trilateral Commission and GATT's WTO maintain the authority to override them. In order to get himself elected in this district, Sam Farr campaigned strongly against NAFTA. As soon as he was elected, he voted for NAFTA and went on to play an important role in developing GATT and the WTO. Replace militarism with feminism. Farr has supported the bombing of Iraq, the Balkans, Sudan and Afghanistan; the Marine invasion of Monterey ("Urban Warrior"), and exorbitant military budgets. Feminism strives to replace the politics of domination with the politics of cooperation. End hunger, homelessness and police abuse. The market determines who eats and who is sheltered. The market's victims are the most likely to suffer from police-state conditions. Promote universal health care. As Clinton assumed Presidential power, the Democrats promised us real commitment to reforming our healthcare system. Instead we got HMOs. Farr has received massive funding from the healthcare industry. Support workers' rights, including livable wages and card-check unionization. The Greens have consistently stood with labor, including the United Farm Workers, throughout the 17th District. Farr has not. A friend of the Hines family and a recipient of funding from Basic Foods, he refused to help the King City strikers. Oppose all forms of discrimination. The corporate paradigm discriminates against all but the wealthiest few. Racial and ethnic minorities, women and children tend to get the worst. Thousands of farm workers in the 17th District live under slave-labor conditions while a steady supply of funding flows through Farr's campaign coffers. His stock reply to the immigration question caters to xenophobia: "We have to beef up the border." Replace pesticides and genetically engineered food with organic farming. Methyl bromide and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) should have been banned years ago. Farr continues to vote for extended use of methyl bromide and he supports commercial patents for GMOs. For some audiences, he boasts of his support for agribusiness; for others, he offers token monies for "research." This is a prime example of Farr's style of "doggie biscuit" politics. Meanwhile, countless tons of assorted poisons are distributed across our district. Stop deforestation, support reforestation. Farr refuses to sign on with 86 co-sponsors to HR1396, the National Forest Protection and Restoration Act. The Green Press is an excellent source of related information. Contain the megalopolis. From his continued support for the proposed "developers' dam" in Carmel Valley on down, Farr has been a dependable ally to developers. San Jose is not in the 17th District. It should not be allowed to expand here. Clean up Ft. Ord safely. Farr has facilitated the Army's evasion of its legal responsibility for cleaning up toxic waste and unexploded ordnance at this dangerous Superfund site. Toxic burns are not acceptable. Legalize marijuana. We are overloading our legal system, oppressing a popular subculture and denying sick people an effective medicine. In Santa Cruz, as in Columbia, the "war on drugs" is a pretext for repression.
Here are a few reasons to support the Green Party's 17th DistrictCongressional candidacy: 1. It feels good. 2. We can broaden and strengthen the political impact of Ralph Nader's Presidential candidacy. 3. We can force discussion of issues which otherwise might be ignored or glossed over. 4. The Green Party's ballot status is a vehicle for the self-empowerment of any individual or organization who chooses to associate with us. Until 1996, Democrats here on the Central Coast were able to assume re-election, no matter how Republican they acted. As the Green Party's state senate candidate in 1996, I helped an especially unpopular Democrat lose, despite his party's overwhelming advantage in registration numbers, the expenditure of millions of Democrat dollars, and all the political pressure a deeply entrenched political machine could apply. The Democrats must learn to listen to the Greens, or risk being replaced. 5. We might actually win a Green Party seat in the US Congress! Imagine what we could accomplish with all the international media attention such a surprise would attract! 6. We must dismantle the New World Order, corporate Congressmember by corporate Congressmember. Let's get Farr out. Send a Coffin to Congress. _________________________________________________________________________ |
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