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BEEN HOLDING THIS CARD FOR AWHILE, but since the topic is incendiary, DISTRICT 54, Pinellas County, especially, please read the following from a Green Candidate (not on his web site - that's toned down). The Dems are going to support this guy since they don't have a dem in the race. Hold on to your hats - this is from a public supporter email that someone sent to me.

Dear friend,

I've asked my supporters to pass this message on to their email list of friends who live in my district. I've been endorsed by the Sierra Club and NOW. It's the first time either group has endorsed outside the major parties. The Democrats are supporting my campaign since they are not running a candidate in my race. You can see the other issues I'm running on at my website www.gratzol.com.

If you believe in these issues VOTE for me, and tell your friends to VOTE for me. Now is the time, and time is short.

These are the issues I believe in:

Grassroots Democracy. How do we create a structure that allows every person to have a say over the forces that affect her life? Only by creating a space where people have the time and energy to take action among, and with, like minded people. From this base can spring forms of association and government, which allows some control of events. It's at the local level that decisions affecting us all must be made, not from the top down.

Social Justice and Equal Opportunity. Just as all Nations must be the first recipient of wealth from their natural resources, so must each citizen receive the benefit of the economic wealth generated by their labor. It's absurd to deny a class of people opportunity based on who they marry, or how they speak, or their skin color. When all members of society are treated equally much of the friction which wastes money and lives will evaporate making the pie bigger. Everyone benefits.

Ecological Wisdom. The world is a finite system. There isn't a shoreline anywhere in the world that doesn't get Styrofoam cups washed up on it. Everyone knows this, those that don't care are whistling past the graveyard. There is a reason the uncaring ones are frightened by the ecologists. They know, they know they must change, and they are afraid. The Greens must show the way by example and by passing laws that focus on sustainability. It is the only system that can possibly work. There is much hope in this area.

Already new forms of accounting are valuing resources according to all their costs, ecological, social, and economical. Progress is being made.

Non-Violence. This is a hard concept at the state level. Herein is the ethical resistance to the death sentence. The state must maintain it's monopoly on violence, at the same time work to become less violent. There must always be a coercive force for the protection of person and property.

At the state level we can work to make that coercive force an expectation for peaceful conflict resolution, rather that threat of violence.

Decentralization. I believe less is more. I believe in a business model where the stakeholders make the decisions, and are directly responsible for the consequences of those decisions. I believe in bioregionalism. For a grassroots democracy to work the span of control must remain small. If all costs are factored into the equation it really doesn't make much sense to bring California oranges to Florida.

Community Based Economics and Economic Justice. I support small business. I believe that businesses, where the stake holders are directly involved in the decision making process, and receive the consequences of their decisions, should be encouraged. Almost by definition this support lends itself to Community Based Economics. A living wage is part of this program. (see the issue section of my website www.gratzol.com ) It's absurd that my friend Mike, a guy who works very hard 8 to 10 hours a day, except for the season when he works 10 to 12 hours per day can hardly keep his nose above water. If the minimum wage of 1968 were adjusted for inflation it would be worth 10.25 today.

Feminism and Gender Equity. We need to have equality (equal pay, equal work, no bias based on sex or preference). Till that is established the only thing to do is promote preferentially from within. Everyone who has hire/fire power needs to do that. Michael Moore said it best in his chapter Kill Whitey, from Stupid White Men. I believe what he said.

Respect for Diversity. Diversity starts at the global level, species extinction is wrong morally and economically stupid. Taxol, the drug worth billions, came from a Yew tree. We have a societal need to preserve diversity. By moral extension, diversity across life styles, race, and gender is essential for our country to maintain its lead in the world. For example, when a marketing task force is set up within a company the best companies select from the widest range of personnel. If we close out people from the leadership process we lose their unique expertise. So it's moral, and makes good business sense.

Personal and Global Responsibility. We each have a responsibility to live a careful life. I'm not sure that means we have to do without, just to do with care, and with the knowledge that many resources are not renewable, and that our children will do without, or do at much greater cost, if we don't use some sense. By the same token we must support global organizations, which have the same mindset, to carry out careful living all over the world.

Future Focus and Sustainability. Many of the decisions made by our legislature ARE NOT aimed at the seventh generation. I have an idea of where we need to be, towns and cities organized around public transit, bike to work jobs, challenging work that supports the individual without savaging nature. How to do that anytime soon in a legislature controlled by the Republicans is beyond me. Yet the work needs to begin. About as far as I can see is to slow down the rate of decay while we build the party. Then we can start shaping society into a sustainable future.

DOES BILL MCBRIDE THROW HIS SUPPORT BEHIND MR. GRATZOL, YES OR NO? Make no mistake, this came via email from Bill McBride's campaign. McBride's a presstitute for votes. He has no core values or beliefs.

Someone with more nerve than me should send this to TIM RUSSERT before the debate Tuesday along with the topic of this thread.