Marsden for Congress

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Les Marsden for US Congress

Dear Friends -

Please DO feel free to write in "Les Marsden" for your Congressional Representative in the 19th District on November 2. Your vote WILL matter and most important: your vote WILL count.

Yes, You Can.

The following Letter-to-the-Editor recently appeared in the Fresno Bee:

Write-in supporter

Posted at 12:32 AM on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010

On election day in November, I will be writing in the name of Les Marsden for the 19th Congressional seat. All political persuasions should do the same.

I cannot accept the fraud and dishonesty on either side of the aisle and the now-proven claim on the Democratic Party ballot that Mr. Marsden's opponent, Loraine Goodwin, listed herself as an "attorney," when she is not. Such fraud should never be rewarded.

Raymond F. Ensher

Fresno

First, thank you, Ray - I greatly appreciate your sentiment and your kind endorsement. I've been contacted by many people since the June 8th primary with the same message as that so well-put by Ray. Following the mind-boggling June 8th primary, I announced I would not run a write-in campaign for the Congressional 19th District general election. That has not changed.

I do (however) view a write-in campaign as the opportunity for people to demonstrate their lack of faith in the ballot-designated candidates; an opportunity to give people the option of voting for someone other than the lesser of two evils. And unfortunately - thanks to our very own "Alvin Greene"-like situation in the 19th District, we're stuck with two terrible options: a Republican already modeling himself after Radanovich and a Democrat who narrowly won the ballot endorsement through unethical deceit.

Well, now you have another option. Due to repeated requests, I will file paperwork and gather signatures to qualify as a designated (and thereby officially-counted) write-in candidate for Congress in the November 2 election. If I didn't, your write-in vote of my name wouldn't be counted, wouldn't matter. And that's not right by me.

No, my name will not appear on the ballot; you'll have to remember to write it in. No: I will NOT run a campaign as a write-in candidate - I'm far too realistic for that. However: I DO want you to have the opportunity (like Ray Ensher) for something other than holding your nose and voting for one of two unacceptable candidates....or to simply NOT vote for anyone for the Congress.

I want your write-in vote for me to matter. We deserve far more than what the primary ballot handed us; I humbly offer myself as a third option.

Thank you All for your indulgence, support and friendship. And thank you, Ray - for convincing me to take this step with your Bee letter.

Below, please find a little more on just why there's been so much demand for someone other than the two ballot candidates who'll be listed on November 2. And why it is that neither of the ballot candidates is worthy of serving YOU - why they represent everything that's wrong with those clamoring for political office today.

Campaign Update From July 2010 - with new amendations:

As I write, Loraine Goodwin is under investigation by at least two County District Attorneys and the Secretary of State. As I noted to the media and the Secretary of State in the weeks before the election, Goodwin did not provide legitimate proof of her ballot-designation claim of being an "Attorney." That term is a very specifically-connoted one and illegitimate claims are not only unethical and deceptive, but to hold oneself out as one when not legally qualified to do so is actually a misdemeanor:

BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE SECTION 6125-6133

6125.  No person shall practice law in California unless the person is an active member
of the State Bar.

6126.  (a) Any person advertising or holding himself or herself out
as practicing or entitled to practice law or otherwise practicing law
who is not an active member of the State Bar, or otherwise
authorized pursuant to statute or court rule to practice law in this
state at the time of doing so, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable
by up to one year in a county jail or by a fine of up to one thousand
dollars ($1,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment. Upon a
second or subsequent conviction, the person shall be confined in a
county jail for not less than 90 days, except in an unusual case
where the interests of justice would be served by imposition of a
lesser sentence or a fine. If the court imposes only a fine or a
sentence of less than 90 days for a second or subsequent conviction
under this subdivision, the court shall state the reasons for its
sentencing choice on the record.

Aside from potential criminal investigation, Loraine Goodwin's completely false ballot claim DID affect the outcome of the election. She loudly and abrasively insisted during the primary that she was entitled to refer to herself as "Attorney" and attacked any and all who questioned her credentials. Her continued insistence and belligerence were accompanied by threats but never truth nor explanation. The only conceivable reason? She was either intentionally lying about her credentials or (perhaps worse) didn't even comprehend basic law - and as noted above, the requirement for using the title "Attorney" is about as basic as it gets. But now that she's been caught, she has scrubbed her website of all references to being an "Attorney." Fortunately, Mariposa County District Attorney Bob Brown and our campaign (among others) long-ago archived, documented and saved her false claims. As well as countless instances of things she either wrote or said publicly about me that are clearly libelous and slanderous, by textbook definition of the (actual) law. As interpreted to me by (actual) attorneys.

As I repeatedly noted, and as I absolutely required of anyone associated with my campaign, Marsden For Congress would be an entirely, unquestionably ethical campaign. I believe in honor, dignity and respect for the democratic process. Likewise, I believe a battle fought on unethical, deceitful or potentially criminal grounds is a battle lost, no matter the outcome.

That's why (as so many of you have written) I can hold my head high. Unlike my opponent, I told the truth. Unlike my opponent, I did not invent extraordinary fantasies. And - as I so often said regarding my opponent: the more she lied about me, the more I would tell the truth about her.

Please stay tuned. I will keep you informed of the progress of this process with whatever information I can ethically disclose.

And as ever: thank you for your support, trust and friendship.

Sincerely,

Last Updated (Monday, 23 August 2010 18:22)

I'm Les Marsden - welcome to my website. I'm proud to be the sole Democrat exclusively endorsed by the California Democratic Party for Congress in California's 19th District.

I'm also humbled to be endorsed by the California Teachers Association, the National Education Association Fund (NEA), the California Labor Federation, the Teamsters and all the Central Labor Councils covering the entire Central California region that includes the 19th district and beyond. I am gratified that so many working people see in me the one representative who will excel in meeting the needs of our region.

Please click on the "Printable Signs" link to the left - you'll receive information about where in this district you may obtain our actual yard signs, large sign, bumper stickers and more. And of course, you can just download and print signs and our campaign logo directly from the website.

I'm uniquely qualified to represent YOU in Congress: I was born in this district, I was raised in this district. I graduated from California State University, Fresno and after an international career, returned a decade ago to this district and my roots. I am the only candidate who can say that.

This district's large Armenian-American population would finally have in me a full-blooded Armenian-American in Congress. Someone who knows all about being an ethnic minority. Isn't it about time we were able to say that?

I would be honored to serve as your Representative in the United States Congress from California's 19th District. But I have to confide something right at the outset: I'm not running to be the Republican Party's representative, or the Democratic Party's representative: I'm running to represent YOU. YOUR representative. Yes, I'm a proud, life-long Democrat, but I will have no hesitation putting the needs of the people of the 19th District first. Your needs, your interests.

When the Founders established the functions and structure of Congress in Article I of the United States Constitution, they made a wise distinction between the House and Senate: each House Representative is responsible for a specific and unique district while Senators represent an entire state. As such, I believe House members must be the direct voice of the people of their distinct district. Responsive to them, answerable to them. But since 1995, this District has been ill-represented by a man who has not always listened, nor always acted upon the wishes of the people. And all too often, the man sitting in the 19th's Congressional seat was not representing us, but a small group of Washington insiders.

There's a certain irony to the pictures used in our rotating banners above: me in Yosemite; me in a Madera vineyard and at a Catheys Valley ranch: I was actually there. I went to those places. Why have we never seen my primary opponent Loraine Goodwin traveling throughout the District as I have - meeting with the voters of ALL the counties, all the towns, speaking to the voters and most important: listening to the voters? It's because I truly care about and love this district and the people who call it home. And unlike the incumbent, I don't plan to move to Washington to be little-seen thereafter here, in the district he's supposed to represent - in my case: you won't be able to keep me away. I know who I'll be serving in Washington: you. And the only way to remember that is to do as I intend: spend every spare moment right here, home. I live here - and still will live here, even while representing you in Washington.

That's why I'm running and why I ask for your vote. Thank you for visiting. Please take a look around. And don't hesitate to write me if you have any questions: I want you to tell me what's on your mind. Because - just as our Founders intended - I believe with all my heart that your voice must be heard, respected and represented.

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