News Advisory
June 25, 2004
Stephenson ends bid for Washington Secretary of State
Former candidate to work with national elections watchdog group
SEATTLE - Democrat Andy Stephenson ended his bid today to become Washington State’s 15th Secretary of State. Stephenson’s campaign focused on the Secretary of State’s responsibilities as the state’s chief elections officer. His message centered around three critical needs to ensure accurate elections for Washington State voters. He called for a voter-verified paper ballot as the official record of all elections; he called for robust and transparent auditing of all machine counts and election processes; he advocated moving toward publicly-owned, open-source software for all election administration uses.
Excerpt from "Stand Up Next to a Mountain", by William Rivers Pitt http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/050305B.shtml
Those familiar with the fight against electronic touch-screen voting machines will know the name Andy Stephenson. Andy has spent the last several years traveling from hoot to holler and back to hoot again, trying to inform people of the dangers these machines pose to the fundamental principles of participatory democracy. He even ran for Secretary of State in Washington using this issue as the basis of his platform.
A few weeks ago, Andy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, one of the more dangerous varieties of the disease. His doctors told him he needed a Whipple procedure to get at the tumor, and only a few hospitals in America can perform this complicated procedure with the required competence. To compound the problem, Andy shares the plight of millions of others in our disgusting for-profit health care system and does not have health insurance.
A friend with connections was able to get him a slot at Johns Hopkins, one of the premier medical facilities in America that specializes in Whipple procedures. Johns Hopkins, however, required a $25,000 down-payment before they would let Andy onto an operating table. Furthermore, they required the payment immediately, and wanted another $25,000 once the surgery was done. Andy and his friends spiraled into despair as they faced this seemingly insurmountable obstacle.
And then, something remarkable happened. Friends of Andy posted the details of his plight on a few Left-leaning websites. Left-wing talk-show hosts Mike Malloy and Thom Hartmann filled their listeners in on the situation. Donations for Andy started to come in, and then pour in, and then flood in. People without jobs, and themselves without health insurance, raided their piggy banks.
Within 100 hours, Andy Stephenson had the $25,000 down-payment he needed to save his life. It came as nickels, as dimes, as dollar bills, but it came.
The moral? That which unites the Left is far, far greater than that which divides them. Yes, there are seemingly insurmountable obstacles standing in the way. Yes, frustration and despair are rampant. Yet when the righteousness, passion and strength of the Left are combined, they can stand up next to a mountain and chop it down with the edge of their hand.
Remember that.
(Don't worry, "Mr. Stephenson," we'll remember!!!)