A message to Congresswoman Barbara Lee

By Peter Miguel Camejo

A letter in support of Barbara Lee's courageous vote in defense of the constitution

From:

Peter Miguel Camejo, Green Party candidate for Governor
Donna J. Warren, Green Party candidate for Lt. Governor

We honor you for your courage to defend the Constitution of the United States.

It took a lot of personal courage and dedication to cast the only vote in defense of the separation of powers. The founders of our nation sought to create checks and balances. They established a difficult course to amend the Constitution as a way to assure the rule of law and prevent a rush to judgment that could alter the rights of the people.

For many decades the right to declare war, that was granted solely to Congress by the Constitution (Article I, Section 8), has, in fact, been violated. Those who wish to alter the Constitution have not had the courage to go before the American people with a proposed amendment. Instead, unconstitutional power has simply been used by the executive branch.

This disregard for basic democratic principles has taken many forms throughout our history, including the open violation of the Fifteenth Amendment for 90 years, denying African Americans and others the right to vote.

Those who take these actions violate the true will of the American people, who in their overwhelming majority defend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They do so by obfuscating the issues involved. Your action defending the Constitution establishes the framework for an effective policy to end terrorism far better than the current rush to war and the curtailment of democratic rights.

As Green Party candidates for state office in California we congratulate your principled stance for the rule of law. Your re-election to Congress will be a referendum in defense of the Constitution and the right to dissent. The two of us want you to win # and to win big, to send a message to the world. There is a deep and profound commitment in America to democracy, the right to dissent, and respect for the Constitution. We pledge to help mobilize Greens, and voters from all parties, to help back your re-election.