On Tuesday, June 12th, Virginia will hold an open primary election. Virginians register to vote as individuals, not by party affiliation. EVERY voter in the 6th District may joyfully and proudly enter his or her local polling station on June 12th, and vote for change, for liberty, for the Constitution!
In the past, the Republican Party of Virginia has pushed the idea of a "loyalty oath," a "promise" by the voter to support the winner of the primary in the general election. This year, there is NO "loyalty oath." These "oaths" are designed to intimidate Republican voters, as much as they are to keep other voters away. Fortunately, the RPV rejected this tactic this year -- and we applaud the RPV for this in 2012!
BOTTOM LINE: This June 12th primary election is for EVERYONE -- Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians, Constitutionalists, Greens, and every Virginian who wants better representation in Congress starting in 2013!
Over the weekend, we held a "Meet and Greet" with Town Council candidate and author Kim Bishop in Strasburg -- and we met some great people! On Sunday, I gave a short speech in front of the District 5 Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, and I asked people to consider Thomas Jefferson's worry that a national bank was more dangerous to the republic than a standing army. I asked them to consider alternative peaceful and liberty-oriented uses for the imposing building -- a private city bank, apartments, museums, a gym or community park, or just tear it down and recycle the marble. Liberty and market-based monetary policy demands nothing less.
Later, we stood in pouring rain for hours with 4,300 other patriots at the Ron Paul rally in Philadelphia. Ron Paul shared his view that our nation is in a "pre-revolutionary" era. His optimism for our children and grandchildren, his love for this country, his faith in God's blessings of liberty and self-government for all of us were certainly a cup of cold water in the desert of our current debt-ridden statism.
In campaign news, we continue to gather endorsements and supporters everywhere we go. In an upcoming newsletter we'll feature some of these endorsers in more detail. On Wednesday, the JMU Debate Society (Dr. Mike Davis and others) sponsored a panel discussion on the duties of elected representatives (in lieu of a desired debate with Bob Goodlatte, something he continues to avoid), and it was successful and informative. Yesterday, we held a Meet and Greet in Harrisonburg, and afterwards stopped by the Harrisonburg Tea Party at Freedom Baptist Church to catch a True the Vote presentation. We were delighted to discover that our campaign again won the Tea Party straw poll with 71% of the votes cast. Members of Bob's own staff were present to vote, and we have reason to suspect that even his staff may be secretly supporting us!
You can listen to our latest radio ad here, and you may also wish to print out our "Me plus Three" cards for your wallet and for your friends! We have also enjoyed many recent letters to the editor published in papers all over the District. Thank you, and please keep it up! Your emails to your local paper, your calls to local radio, and your letters are some of the most powerful weapons in our arsenal -- so unleash your minds, your pens and your keypads!
By the way, we earned a neat mention in BusinessWeek Magazine! But there is bad news -- Bob Goodlatte and his cohorts rushed a vote on CISPA yesterday, and voted "yes" to this disastrous SOPA and PIPA follow-up. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act offers more unaccounatble and unwarranted government and corporate intrusion into our speech and communications. Totalitarian states hate freedom, and Washington D.C. bureaucrats fear the people's ability to watch them, to share information, to exercise our first amendment rights of free speech and freedom of association.
Dear friends, Bob Goodlatte has learned nothing in the past year of our constitutional challenge to his ten-term reign, and he must be defeated. We can and will do this through the primary election in 6 weeks. We are on the right side of both politics and history, we stand for liberty rain or shine, and we will prevail.
To pay for our "get out the vote" program of radio ads and our targeted voter mailings, we do need your financial support. If you can help us in this way, please mail a check Karen Kwiatkowski for Congress, 2 S. Main Street, Suite 408, Harrisonburg, VA 22802 or donate online here! If you've already given, or would prefer to eat or buy gas, we understand! Send a nice letter to the editor on our behalf instead! No matter what, join us and spread the word !
Call (540) 440-1776, or email campaign manager Lisa with your ideas and concerns. Tell everyone you know about the real possibilities for a new liberty in this country and a brighter future for our children and grandchildren!
In liberty, and in faith,
Karen