John Leland Granacki, Jr.
111 S.E. "G" Street
Grants Pass, Oregon 97526

Dear friends and neighbors:

It is my dubious honor to inform you that I have been drafted by the Socialist Party of Oregon to run for Congress. In the election of November 5, I shall be a ballot candidate for the position of United States Representative in Congressional District 4.

To be perfectly honest, I don't especially savor the idea of being a Congressman. Oh sure, the pay is good, and there are tremendous opportunities to use the office to effect positive change--in our local communities, throughout the state, across this country, and around the world. On the other hand, Washington D.C. is a long way from home, the hours will be long, the brainwork incredibly taxing, opportunities to go outdoors and enjoy nature are virtually nil, and the sacrifices to be made by my loved ones cannot be measured. Nevertheless, times are difficult and we need the best possible leadership to pull us through. I have been called to supply that leadership.

As many of you may be aware, the Socialists have tried to nominate me for public office before. It has been a standing policy of mine to say I will do it, provided that a better candidate cannot be found. Then I have labored long and hard to find a more aptly suited candidate, and to convince that person that he or she would indeed be the ideal choice for the job. This time was no exception; I tried to find a better representative for you, but I had no luck. Alas, I have to admit it: I'm your man.

Unlike my opponents in both the Democratic and Republican parties, I will not accept any contributions from corporations, nor will I accept any money offered by special interest groups. Once elected, I will not solicit nor will I be receptive to any advice (or "clarification") from special interest groups, nor from the lobbyists they employ. If a bill before congress is so complex that I cannot understand it, then I figure it was probably written by a team of lawyers with the deliberate intent of preventing me and my congressional colleagues from understanding it, and I shall deal with it appropropriately (with a little help from my shredder...) If a bill involves specialized areas of knowledge which are beyond my education, experience, and ability to elucidate, then I will seek out experts and lay persons within my own constituency, ordinary citizens like (and perhaps including) yourself, and we shall go over it together with the proverbial fine-toothed comb until we understand what it really means.

My positions are clear and absolute. Read my platform. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me. In principle, the incumbent and I appear to agree on almost everything. In practice, however, the differences are of critical importance. His record on environmental issues, for instance, is nowhere near so pristine as he might have you believe, and his record of accepting campaign contributions from large corporations and other special interests is scandalous. Another truly major difference between the two of us is that I don't believe in killing people. I'm like you. I believe that war is wrong. Period. I have no problem with national defense, but defense and retribution are entirely seperate matters, and I will have no part of the latter; such matters are best addressed in the International Criminal Court. When Bush came to congress after 9-11 asking for emergency war powers, unlike the incumbent I would have said "Absolutely not!" When Bush and his cronies came up with the grossly mis-titled "Patriot Act," stripping away many of our constitutionally guaranteed freedoms under the shallow pretext of protecting us from terrorists, I would have fought very hard against it, and never allowed it to come to a vote without first having it read in it's entirity into the record. DeFazio voted for it without even knowing (or apparently caring) what it said! As Benjamin Franklin said, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." And they certainly don't deserve a seat in congress!

The fundamental differences between myself and the other candidates: 1) I am 100% honest--you may not always agree with or even understand my position, but I'll always let you know what it is; 2)My vote is not for sale--if anyone tries to buy my vote, I'll place them under citizen's arrest and have them charged with Treason; 3) I believe in peace and the sanctity of human life above all else; and 4) not only am I more compassionate than my opponents, but I'm also a lot smarter.

Above all else, I have solidly progressive values and concerns, tempered by an abiding respect for our constitutional freedom to be safe and secure against the excesses of government intrusion. I am a Democratic Socialist--not a Social Democrat, and certainly not a Communist--I believe that we are all entitled to reap and enjoy the fruits of our labor, whether physical or mental. As a businessman, I respect the entrepreneurial spirit which helped make our country great, and I believe in rewarding it--but I also recognize that capital, in and of itself, performs no labor of any sort, and when "employed" to serve its own nebulous ends it is not entitled to earn a wage. I possess a deep understanding of national and global issues, above the board and behind the scenes, and I will not allow the demagogues of greed and corruption to enslave our civilization or destroy our planet. I cannot be bought at any price. The Earth is our Mother and we, not the trans-national corporations, are her children--the opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court notwithstanding, a corporation has no fundamental human rights, and if our courts cannot interpret the law any better than this, then we need legislative remedies to make the point more clear--Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness are for natural persons, and of far greater importance than enormous profits for a select few.

If elected, I shall faithfully perform the duties of this office to the best of my considerable abilities. By all that I hold sacred and dear, I resolve to be the best Congressman this District has ever known.

Sincerely yours,

John Leland Granacki, Jr.
Candidate for U.S. Representative
Oregon's 4th Congressional District

Click Here for the John Granacki for Congress Website