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.
Write-in supporter
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,
Notes from Les
