Press release issued today by Ken Krayeske, the Green Party's 1st District congressional candidate:
Ken Krayeske, the Green Party nominee for the First Congressional District, seeks the support of the League of Women Voters to invite Democratic nominee John Larson, Republican nominee Ann Brickley and Socialist Action nominee Christopher J. Hutchinson to debate on issues of domestic and foreign importance. The proposal was presented formally on Wed., Sept. 8, about 9 a.m..
Mr. Krayeske proposes nine debates commencing the week of September 29, 2010. The debates will be conducted in a question and answer format and will be moderated by individuals selected by the League of Women Voters of Connecticut. The campaign has suggested various media co-hosts for the debates, and it encourages the League of Women Voters to also include TV, radio and web hosts for the events.
"An informed citizenry is a powerful citizenry," Krayeske said. "Let's do our best to develop a functioning democracy in the 1st District. How can we offer our fellow citizens anything less?"
Mr. Krayeske proposes that seven of the debates happen at high schools and colleges within the First Congressional District in order to educate students and reinforce to students the importance of voting in the elections. Mr. Krayeske further proposes that some of the debates feature questions from the students, and have students sitting on the question panels. This 2010 campaign, like all elections, is about the future of our country. What better way to insure the continuance of the republican form of democracy that we enjoy by bringing the election to the students?
One of Mr. Krayeske's goals on this campaign is to generate 99 percent voter participation and turnout on November 2, 2010. The best way to ensure this is to get young people involved, and to have debates as many places as possible.
Ken Krayeske for Congress suggests the following dates, locations and media hosts for the debates:
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 (Evening):
Location - Charter Oak Cultural Center
Media Host -The Hartford Courant
Monday, October 4, 2010 (Evening):
Location - The Warner Theater, Torrington, CT
Media Host - The Torrington Register Citizen or the Waterbury Republican
Thurday, October 7, 2010 (Afternoon):
Location - Bristol High School
Media Host - Bristol Today and CT-N
Wednesday, October 13, 2010 (Evening):
Location - Manchester Community College
Media Host - The Manchester Journal Inquirer
Friday, October 15, 2010 (Afternoon):
Location - Law & Government Academy, Hartford Public High School
Media Host - The Hartford News or the Hartford Inquirer or CT News Junkie
Tuesday, October 19, 2010 (Evening):
Location - Northwest Community College, Winsted, CT
Media Host - The Winsted Journal, WVIT 30
Thursday, October 21, 2010 (morning):
Location: Hall High School, West Hartford, CT
Media Host: The West Hartford News, Channel 8, WTNH
Monday, October 25, 2010 (morning)
Newington High School, Newington, CT
Media Host: The Glastonbury Citizen, Channel 3 WFSB
Wednesday, October 27, 2010 (Afternoon):
Location - Berlin High School
Media Host - Berlin Citizen, Fox 61 WTIC
Ken Krayeske for Congress has met or plans to meet all of the debate criteria requirements set forth by the League of Women Voters of Connecticut.
Mr. Krayeske invites the League of Women Voters to join the ACLU, along with the eminent Justices Stevens, Ginsburg and Souter in dissenting against the anti-democratic precedent set forth Arkansas Educational Television Commission v. Forbes, 523 U.S. 666 (1998). This Supreme Court decision allows television stations to discriminate and exclude candidates from televised debates who do not fit arbitrary criteria. As we have seen, the attempt to gain inclusion after being excluded from these debates in a post-9/11 world has serious civil rights consequences. It is the position of Ken Krayeske for Congress that the League of Women Voters needs to be on the correct side of this issue. It is hard to imagine that Susan B. Anthony would stand behind Arkanses Educational Television Commission v. Forbes, thus, Ken Krayeske for Congress asks the Connecticut League of Women Voters, and its Greater Hartford chapter, to work towards inclusive debates that comply with the spirit of the First Amendment.
FOOTNOTE
[included in submission to LWV]
Mr. Krayeske's long history as a journalist in Connecticut have made him a public figure in the state. There is public awareness of who he is and what his stances are.
In 2006, Steven Fournier, running as a write-in for the Connecticut Green Party in the First Congressional District received 43 votes. In 2008, Mr. Fournier petitioned his way onto the ballot as a Green, and received 7,123 votes, or 2.46 percent of the total. This year, it can be hoped that Mr. Krayeske's campaign will take a larger share of the vote total. The Green Party has continued to build itself as a statewide presence, and an in-district presence, and this year's nomination of Mr. Krayeske to the ballot represents continued growth for the Green Party.
In 2006, Mr. Krayeske ran Cliff Thornton's Green Party campaign for governor. A variety of factors conspired to prevent Mr. Thornton from entering into the televised debates. As part of the gubernatorial campaign, Mr. Krayeske organized active, vociferous protests, including one of almost 75 people in New London, against the exclusion of Mr. Thornton.
The Connecticut State Police Central Criminal Intelligence Unit took note of this protest, and even called Mr. Krayeske during the course of the campaign to discuss it. After the campaign was over, and Mr. Krayeske intimated that Gov. M. Jodi Rell's inaugural was worthy of protest, the state police placed Mr. Krayeske on a "persons of interest" watch list.
When he arrived at the parade on January 3, 2007 to photograph the governor, he was arrested by the Hartford police on spurious charges. After these charges were dropped by the prosecutor, Mr. Krayeske filed a civil rights lawsuit against various law enforcement agencies seeking redress for this false arrest. In the course of the litigation, it has become clear that Mr. Krayeske's protest and application of political pressure on Governor Rell during the campaign was a significant factor in the police monitoring him and the Green Party and the ultimate suppression of his civil rights on January 3, 2007 at the inaugural.
Mr. Krayeske considers himself aware of the ultimate consequences of exclusion from the debates, and hopes that the League of Women Voters has taken consideration of how debate exclusion can impact the civil rights of those affected by this speech suppression. This is an issue that impacts us all, and Mr. Krayeske hopes that the League of Women Voters will work with him to expand the amount of debate in this election.
*****
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
3 comments:
I hope this leftist freak takes some votes away from Larson by stealing the "leftist freak" vote (which is a considerable voting block in Connecticut).
6:35, you are right on point. Notice how "Bristol's debate" is being held at "Bristol High School" and being sponsored by Bristol Today. So apparently we no longer have Eastern and Central, and Steve will be sponsoring this debate. Very interesting...glad to see this nut job did his homework
Actually, I have not talked to Ken and haven't been asked to sponsor anything. I wouldn't do it, either. The Press might, but I certainly would not. I have to write about these things so I would not want to be in the position of sponsoring them, too.
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