Dave Chandler

"Project Vote Smart" for the 7th CD

All of the candidates for U.S. House in Colorado's 7th Congressional District were invited to participate in the 'Project Vote Smart' National Political Awareness Test. It is quite revealing to see which candidates did and did not cooperated with this highly respected, civic effort to help educate Colorado voters.

This is what 'Project Vote Smart' is all about:

Here at Project Vote Smart, Americans young and old volunteer their time, take no money from special interest groups, and have committed themselves to an extraordinary effort that, if successful, will provide their fellow citizens with the tools for a reemergence of political power not known for half a century. Their idea is one you may have thought of yourself. It is a deceptively simple concept but enormously difficult to achieve and would not be possible without the collaboration of citizens willing to lay their partisan differences aside for this one crucial task.

Picture this: thousands of citizens (conservative and liberal alike) working together, spending endless hours researching the backgrounds and records of thousands of political candidates and elected officials to discover their voting records, campaign contributions, public statements, biographical data (including their work history) and evaluations of them generated by over 100 competing special interest groups. Every election these volunteers test each candidate's willingness to provide citizens with their positions on the issues they will most likely face if elected through the National Political Awareness Test (NPAT).

This is what the National Political Awareness Test provides for voters:

The National Political Awareness Test is a key component of Project Vote Smart's Voter Self-Defense system. Major leaders of the media, major parties and Project Vote Smart repetitiously ask candidates one central question: "Are you willing to tell citizens your positions on the issues you will most likely face on their behalf?" The NPAT is administered to all candidates for presidential, congressional, gubernatorial, and state legislative offices.

The National Political Awareness Test (NPAT) asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item.

Here are the links to the replies from the candidates for Congress in the 7th district -- judge then for yourselves who will be a responsive and accountable representative for the people of Colorado in the United States House of Representatives ...

Dave Chandler

Ed Perlmutter

Rick O'Donnell

Roger McCarville

Taking a Stand for Peace in Arvada

This Saturday afternoon in Arvada, dedicated, patriotic citizens publicly rallied for peace ... and an end to the violence and war in Iraq. Dave Chandler, candidate for the U.S. House for Colorado's 7th district joined the gathering.

Dave is the one candidate running for Congress in the 7th district who supports a quick withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. If ending the war in Iraq is an important issue for you, have the courage to vote your convictions. We must end this war as soon as possible and bring our troops home -- where they belong.

Link: Soldiers Say Support the Troops by Bringing Them Home | ABC News

They are not pacifists.

They don't represent a political party, and you won't see them at an anti-war rally.

Most say they are proud Americans. They are proud to serve and wear the uniform of the U.S. military.

But they are against the war in Iraq, and they are speaking out about it.

Organizers say it's the first anti-war movement of its kind in the active military since the Vietnam conflict.

"An Appeal for Redress From the War in Iraq" is an Internet initiative to get active-duty military to send this message to political leaders:

As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq. Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come home.

It is a legal way for soldiers, Marines and sailors to protest the war. ...

... The response to the movement has been "amazing," one organizer said. The group had 65 messages to political leaders a few days days ago. Now the group has more than 10 times that number.

"If people want to support the troops, then they should support us coming home," said Marine Sgt. Liam Madden, one of the organizers of the movement.

He cites the absence of weapons of mass destruction and the lack of a link between Iraq and al Qaeda for his opposition to the war.

'Principle Before Politics' in Mile High Newspapers

In Colorado's 7th Congressional District, candidate for U.S. House, Dave Chandler, explains why a vote for him is a courageous choice for real, genuine change. Here is the guest column Dave wrote and that has been published this week in the local newspapers of Lakewood, Golden, Wheat Ridge and Arvada.

Also today, in a 'top-of-the-page' editorial (excerpt and link below), the Denver Post highlights a significant problem with the Perlmutter candidacy. Conflict of interest, the influence of lobbyists, the culture of corruption in the Congress -- will not be remedied by voting for 'politics as usual'. The best way to ensure that Perlmutter's personal conflict of interest does not create ethical problems is simply to vote for Dave Chandler ... just as Dave discusses in his guest column.

We can do better than what the Democrats and Republicans are offering. It is time to vote for 'Principle Before Politcs' and elect Dave Chandler to the U.S. House.

Mile High Newspapers

Principle Before Politics

Lou Dobbs, CNN news anchor, in a recent commentary wrote of Republicans and Democrats that “... neither party takes you and me seriously; in part because both are bought and paid for by corporate America and special interests. And neither party gives a damn about the middle class.”

“Change” is a popular slogan in this election. But the truth is that neither of the two big party candidates will effect much change if elected because their campaigns have shown that they are eager, willing participants in a corrupt process. They raise hundreds of thousands of dollars from special interests to spend on negative advertising -- they will hardly turn and bite the hand that feeds them should they gain office.

The consequences of this system is that representatives give preferential consideration to the wishes of big donors, at the expense of working and middle class Americans. If they want big money for their campaigns, they have to listen to the corporate and special interest lobbyists first.

Yes, we need fundamental change.

“Change” is also a challenge for voters. Many citizens lament the current campaign finance system that amounts to “legalized bribery”. But voters feel compelled by party loyalty or a sense of powerlessness to pick ‘politics as usual’. The challenge is to take a courageous stand and vote for a candidate who is truly independent and does not take any special interest money.

I only take contributions of $500 or less from individuals.

Imagine if a candidate like me who “walks the talk” on contributions is elected to the U.S. Congress? A political earthquake would rattle through Washington that might finally motivate some real, genuine reform.

Where candidates stand on the Iraq war illustrates how special interest money influences positions.

I advocate for what I believe is right, I am not concerned about money with party loyalty strings attached or favors from defense contractors, nor must I spin my words so as not to offend certain special interests.

In my opinion, U.S. troops in Iraq should be quickly withdrawn and brought home; we should close all permanent bases in Iraq; and there should be an international conference convened -- with all parties at the table -- to negotiate a plan for peace.

My position is clear -- no theoretical strategies or weasel words. If the war in Iraq is an important issue for you, these are your choices: Rick O’Donnell’s plan for sending more troops; Ed Perlmutter’s ambiguous “redeployment”; or Dave Chandler’s commitment to getting American troops home where they belong.

Please go to my campaign web site, www.DaveChandler.us and see how I stand on the issues of the day. Agree or disagree with my positions, you can know this: they were arrived at based on principle and what I have heard from residents of the 7th district -- big money from campaign contributors will not have had any influence.

What a difference from what we have become accustomed, uh?

---

Link: EDITORIAL: Perlmutter Must Build a D.C. Firewall | Denver Post

... Let us raise in advance a flag of caution for 7th Congressional District candidate Ed Perlmutter. His wife is the Denver manager for a top Washington lobbying firm, making it incumbent upon Perlmutter to erect a fearsome firewall should he win election.

The risks of conflict are hardly theoretical. In 2005, Congress approved $750 million for projects favored by lobbyists whose relatives were involved with the bills, according to USA Today. The newspaper reported that registered lobbying groups employed 30 family members last year to influence spending bills that their relatives with ties to House and Senate appropriations committees oversaw or helped write. ...

Chandler in 'The Metropolitan'

Colorado 7th Congressional District candidate for the U.S. House, Dave Chandler, is a graduate of Metropolitan State College of Denver. Dave is featured in this week's edition of the campus student newspaper, The Metropolitan.

Link: Divided District Up for Grabs | Geof Wollerman/The Metropolitan/MetOnline

Dave Chandler ran as the Green Party candidate for Colorado’s 7th Congressional District in 2002. The 1992 Metro graduate had previously been unaffiliated with any party.

Aside from being environmentally oriented, the Green Party focuses on eliminating private money from elections, ending the war in Iraq and working to limit corruption caused by special-interest lobbyists. “You Can Vote to Stop the ‘Culture of Corruption’” reads the title of one of Chandler’s blogs. On his blog Chandler also points to North Korea’s recent nuclear test as evidence of the Bush administration’s foreign policy failures.

Regarding federal education dollars in higher education, Chandler calls it “still primarily a state government responsibility,” because he favors “decentralization of decision-making and local control.” Despite this, Chandler supports an increase in federal tuition assistance, particularly grants.

“Over-reliance on student loans is a curse for most graduates,” Chandler said. “Grants or zero-interest loans would be the main way I would like to see Colorado college students helped in the future.”

On the topic of illegal immigration, Chandler said in an email, “Let’s be very blunt about this. ‘Illegal’ immigrants don’t come here to have less or the same of what they left. They come here to participate in our rapacious consumption.” He pointed out that the U.S. population is soon to exceed 300 million and that “our planet simply cannot sustain an increasing population with the consumptive behavior we have in the U.S. … That is why illegal and/or unrestricted legal immigration is bad for America and the world.”

“I support only legal, regulated immigration with a path to citizenship,” Chandler said. “My ‘bigger picture’ priority is to raise awareness of our worldwide overpopulation crisis and encourage the U.S. and the rest of the planet’s nations to once again make this an issue to be seriously confronted.”

Chandler hopes to see Colorado become a “leader in research and development of alternative and sustainable energy resources. Through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden and private enterprise, (he) would like to see poor and working people around the globe begin to have better and greater access to clean, sustainable energy sources through technology developed in Colorado.”

A BBC news report today, puts new emphasis on Dave's reference in the above article on human population and our consumption of natural resources.

Link: Global Ecosystems 'Face Collapse' | BBC

Current global consumption levels could result in a large-scale ecosystem collapse by the middle of the century, environmental group WWF has warned.

The group's biannual Living Planet Report said the natural world was being degraded "at a rate unprecedented in human history". ...

... It warned that if demand continued at the current rate, two planets would be needed to meet global demand by 2050.

The biodiversity loss was a result of resources being consumed faster than the planet could replace them, the authors said. ...

... The nations that were shown to have the largest "ecological footprints" were the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Finland. ...

... The Ecological Footprint measured the amount of biologically productive land and water to meet the demand for food, timber, shelter, and absorb the pollution from human activity.

The report concluded that the global footprint exceeded the earth's biocapacity by 25% in 2003, which meant that the Earth could no longer keep up with the demands being placed upon it.

The findings echo a study published earlier this month that said the world went into "ecological debt" on 9 October this year.

Support The Troops!

If elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Colorado's 7th district, Dave Chandler will listen to active duty service members who know what is really going on in Iraq.

Link: Active Troops Ask Congress to End Iraqi Occupation | CNN.com

Sixty five active duty service members are officially asking Congress to end the war in Iraq -- the first time active troops have done so since U.S. invasion began in 2003.

Three of the service members will hold a press conference Wednesday explaining their decision to send "Appeals for Redress" under the Military Whistleblower Protection Act to their members of Congress. Under the act, National Guard and Reservists can send communications about any subject to their member of Congress without punishment.

7th CD Debate Broadcast This Afternnon

Dave Chandler, candidate for U.S. House for the 7th Congressional District, appears this afternoon in a rebroadcast of Colorado Decides.

Channel 12 KBDI-TV

Sunday, October 22
2:30pm

You can also view the debate here: Streaming VIDEO from Channel 4

The program is also scheduled to air on Wednesday, October 25 at 9:00 pm on Channel 12 KBDI-TV.

Chandler Stands for American Values

Dave Chandler, candidate for U.S. House in the 7th CD, today called upon all other contenders for this office to repudiate the "Military Commissions Act" and reject endorsements from representatives that voted for it.

"Unless you believe that the central government of the United States is infallible, never makes a mistake, then rejecting habeas corpus in this legislation is a terrible violation of one of the great principles upon which this nation was founded," said Chandler. "Imagine that a human being held by the U.S. government at Guantanamo or some other secret prison is completely innocent -- how horrible is it that there is no way for this injustice to be remedied because Bush has thrown habeas corpus into the trash."

Chandler pointed out that the Declaration of Independence says, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

"The magnificence of the American Revolution was an insistence that there were values and principles that applied to all human beings on this Earth," explained Chandler. "The founders of our country understood that there couldn't be infallible kings or governments. It was the concept of universal human rights and that all people are equal before the law that made American democracy unique and special."

"And now Bush, radical Republicans and enabling Democrats have thrown those lofty principles in the garbage for reasons of crass, fearmongering politics."

Chandler said that Democrat Ed Perlmutter especially should renounce the endorsement he received from Colorado U.S. Senator Ken Salazar. "Salazar voted for this monstrous legislation. Perlmutter is a lawyer and Salazar is a former Colorado attorney general -- they both should know better."

"Of course, Republican O'Donnell should announce his rejection of this law. In no way is an all-knowing, all-powerful central government a 'conservative' value."

Chandler said that he reaffirms his commitment to the Constitution and the values articulated in the Declaration of Independence. "My candidacy is all about Principle Before Politics. To paraphrase Benjamin Franklins's famous quotation, I have never let Bush fearmongering persuade me that we should put temporary safety over the liberty and freedom that has made this such a great nation."

Vote for freedom and democracy! Vote for Principle Before Politics!

Vote to Renew Our Republic!

Chandler for Congress!

Link: Court Told It Lacks Power in Detainee Cases | Washington Post

Moving quickly to implement the bill signed by President Bush this week that authorizes military trials of enemy combatants, the administration has formally notified the U.S. District Court here that it no longer has jurisdiction to consider hundreds of habeas corpus petitions filed by inmates at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.

In a notice dated Wednesday, the Justice Department listed 196 pending habeas cases, some of which cover groups of detainees. The new Military Commissions Act (MCA), it said, provides that "no court, justice, or judge" can consider those petitions or other actions related to treatment or imprisonment filed by anyone designated as an enemy combatant, now or in the future.

Beyond those already imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay or elsewhere, the law applies to all non-U.S. citizens, including permanent U.S. residents. ...

... Habeas corpus, a Latin term meaning "you have the body," is one of the oldest principles of English and American law. It requires the government to show a legal basis for holding a prisoner. A series of unresolved federal court cases brought against the administration over the last several years by lawyers representing the detainees had left the question in limbo. ...

... A number of legal scholars and members of Congress, including Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), have said that the habeas provision of the new law violates a clause of the Constitution that says the right to challenge detention "shall not be suspended" except in cases of "rebellion or invasion." Historically, the Constitution has been interpreted to apply equally to citizens and noncitizens under U.S. jurisdiction.

Link: U.S. Jailed Man Once Tortured by Taliban | Associated Press

Abdul Rahim insists he's an apolitical student who fled a strict father. But he's fallen into a black hole in the war on terror in which first the Taliban and then the United States imprisoned him as an enemy of the state.

Arrested by the Taliban in Afghanistan in January 2000, Rahim says al-Qaida leaders burned him with cigarettes, smashed his right hand, deprived him of sleep, nearly drowned him and hanged him from the ceiling until he "confessed" to spying for the United States.

U.S. forces took the young Kurd from Syria into custody in January 2002 after the Taliban fled his prison. Accusing him of being an al-Qaida terrorist, U.S. interrogators deprived him of sleep, threatened him with police dogs and kept him in stress positions for hours, he says. He's been held ever since as an enemy combatant.

Rahim's story is one of several emerging from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay as defense lawyers make bids to free their clients while the Bush administration tries to use a new law to lock them out of federal courts.

CENSORED! But Dave Kept His Promise.

The Jefferson County League of Women Voters played censor Wednesday evening at a Colorado 7th Congressional District candidates 'forum'.

The League was HYPOCRITICAL, violating their own values in order to perpetuate the political duopoly that has led to the culture of corruption that dominates in Washington, D.C. these days. The Jeffco League of Women Voters stifled any voice that had not raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from special interests. We can be very clear now about the League in Jefferson County -- they are not non-partisan -- they are enablers for big money, 'horse race' politics.

Photos:
1. The entrance to the "forum" at the Denver West Marriott.
2. The door closes ... to free speech for all the candidates on the November ballot.
3. Legal, qualified candidate for U.S. House in the 7th CD, Dave Chandler, let his principled stand be known -- as he promised.

Colorado Decides - 7th CD

Dave Chandler, candidate for U.S. House for the 7th Congressional District, appears tonight in a rebroadcast of Colorado Decides.

Channel 12 KBDI-TV

Wednesday, October 18
9:00pm

The Only Pro-Peace Candidate

There is only one candidate for Congress in Colorado's 7th district that supports the speedy withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq: Dave Chandler.

Enough is enough.

As of today, 2,766 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq.
As of today, non-mortal U.S. casualties in Iraq are 44,779.

On this 16th day of October, 56 U.S. and UK troops have been killed in Iraq, putting this month on track to be one of the deadliest for the occupying forces.

(Iraq Coalition Casualty Count)

Civilian Iraqi deaths caused by the attack, invasion and occupation of Iraq by the U.S. and Britain are in the hundreds of thousands.

Dave has signed the "No More War Candidates Voters Pledge" ... if you support and end to this immoral occupation and war, you should sign, too.

Give Peace a Vote

Take a Stand by Signing the Voters Pledge!

What if millions decided to vote their conscience and said 'No More War Candidates'?

The Voters Pledge makes visible a powerful political force, the peace vote, a force that politicians cannot continue to ignore. It sends a clear message to the hawkish minority leading both major parties that we, the people, demand to end the occupation of Iraq and to end unprovoked attacks on other nations.