“Thanks so much for your support this campaign season. Thanks to your efforts I was able to gather 9,067 votes for peace in the US Senate race. When I began in October of 2007 I did not realize how many friends I would make on the trail and how many people in Tennessee are in support of peace and real human priorities for Tennessee.” ~~ Chris Lugo

Lugo began his campaign last year in Jonesborough, Tennessee, “where hundreds of us gathered to call for an end to the production of depleted uranium weapons at the Aerojet facility in Irwin.” Lugo learned about the role that Aerojet plays in the production of depleted uranium and “how it has caused long- term health problems for our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Lugo criss-crossed Tennessee, traveling to Oak Ridge for the Stop the Bombs annual action to call for an end to the re-manufacturing of nuclear bombs and for the Department of Energy Hearings, where people spoke out in support of putting hundreds of people to work cleaning up the toxic legacy of sixty years of DOE activity in the area. He closed out the year at a conference sponsored by S.E.A.C. at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro on nuclear issues in this state, where foreign countries ship waste into Tennessee to incinerate, landfill and put into permanent temporary storage facilities.

Among his supporters were Democracy for East Tennessee and the Knoxville Greens, students at Heritage High School in Maryville, Tennessee, and Kevin Rowland. Lugo recognized the work people are doing in East Tennessee to promote peace and support a progressive agenda, especially members of the GLBT community.

Lugo acknowledged  the Nashville Peace and Justice Center and the Nashville Movement, movements that did not endorse him and they did not take a position on any candidate because of their non-profit status.

“Thanks also to the folks at Clarksville Online and the activists in the Clarksville area where almost ten percent of all troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan are stationed or shipped through, and their long struggle and transformation from Clarksville Freethinkers for Peace and Civil Liberties into their work with Clarksville Online and the Unitarian Church and their collective struggles for peace in the heart of a military town.” ~~ Chris Lugo

Lugo recognized the work that the Cumberland County Center for Peace and Justice are doing with communities in the plateau region around Monteagle, Sewanee, Tracy City and points beyond as well as the Farm in Summertown, Tennessee, and the efforts of the Peace Roots Alliance and their work, especially Liz Barger, Alan Graf, Judy Meeker and Albert Bates.

“I have seen a shift in Tennessee. In 2006 I think that there was much less tolerance for the message of peace and the environment. People seem to be more tolerant and more interested in the message. I think that perhaps this is the beginning of a real shift. I think it will be a long time coming, and perhaps it won’t come at all, but I definitely noticed a change. Everyone in Tennessee seemed to be more open minded, more willing to hear differing perspectives this year, more willing to consider alternatives.” ~~ Chris Lugo

Thanks to the Tennessee Alliance for Progress for all the work they are doing to promote a common message in Tennessee and Radio Free Nashville for promoting democracy on the airwaves. Thanks to Middle Tennessee Students for a Democratic Society for all their fantastic work.

But I would especially like to thank the Nashville Peace Coalition for all of their support and fantastic work for peace this year, especially organizing the fifth anniversary peace rally and the alternative presidential debate. It was so exciting meeting eight presidential candidates this year and having six of them attend our alternative debate. I can’t believe how much work everyone I have met across the state of Tennessee is doing on peace, the environment and other areas of social justice.

Now is the time to push the incoming administration to bring the troops home and it is the time to push hard. Maybe they will give us what we have been working for six years to end, or maybe they won’t. The jury is out. But I will leave you with this letter to consider for our President Elect.

Lugo urged people across the state to consider writing to President-Elect Obama;  Here is the text of that letter:

Dear President Elect Obama,

We are deeply moved to address you as our nation’s first African-American president and, we proudly note, the first president whose campaign began with a pledge to an anti-war rally. Your courageous speech in October 2002, provided the rationale momentum that led to victory in Iowa and other Democratic primaries, and we still applaud you for that stand.

We write amidst this exciting week to urge your immediate attention and opposition to the so-called Status of Forces Agreement on Iraq being prepared in secret negotiations by the outgoing Bush Administration. The current United Nations authorization ends December 31st, making it imperative that you take leadership even before being sworn in.

The proposed agreement is a transparent attempt to circumvent Congress and formally bind your Administration to a war and occupation that far exceeds your stated commitment to a 16 month withdrawal of our combat troops. As your own website specifically states, any agreement should include a commitment to begin withdrawing our troops and avoiding any permanent bases. We also believe that thousands of Iraqi detainees should be treated according to human rights norms, or released in the absence of charges or evidence. You also have committed to a role for Congress in affirming any agreement.

Already the Bush administration and Pentagon are threatening “consequences” if the Iraqi parliament fails to endorse this pact.

We believe instead that you should signal your intention to abide by your pledge and work with the Congress immediately to formulate an agreement consistent with your pledge to end this war as rapidly as possible. We propose that you include the withdrawal of all American forces, including trainers and advisers caught in a sectarian crossfire, as recommended by all peace and justice organizations as well as such Washington think tanks as the Center for American Progress.

In place of this counterinsurgency war. we recommend an immediate diplomatic surge, including talks with Iran, as the only alternative to the continuing quagmire in Iraq which now costs our taxpayers some ten billion dollars per month, puts lives needlessly at risk, and stains our national honor.

We realize you will be hearing from all sorts of advocates for prolonging the occupation by one means or another. We urge you to keep the faith with the voices of those who put you on the road to the presidency, by implementing your pledge to end the war in 2009.

Neilson has been described as the Jon Stewart of folk music. He has won numerous awards including the 2007 South Florida folk festival and was a finalist at the 2008 Plowshares and 2006 Kerrville Folk festivals.

The fundraiser will take place at the home of Eric and Beth Lewis 7978 Highway 100 in Nashville and starts at 6:00 PM with a potluck. The musical performance starts at 7:00 PM.

Christopher and John are running campaigns which focus on ending the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as advocating single-payer healthcare, environmental sustainability, developing alternative energy, electoral reform, and fair trade among other issues.

Tickets for this event are $10. For further information contact Christopher Lugo, 593-0304 or or John Miglietta at 364-7150 or .

The League of Women voters has scheduled a debate between Democrat Harold Ford Jr. and Republican Bob Corker on October 28th in candidate Chris Lugo’s home town of Nashville. The Green Party of Tennessee has been fielding candidates for office since 1996. The National Green Party has been in existence for almost three decades and has elected officials in over 250 positions nationally and is running hundreds of candidates this year. In Tennessee, the Green Party is fielding candidates in two Congressional races as well as the Gubenatorial and Senate races.

“The voters deserve a chance to hear from the candidates. This public forum is an opportunity for Vanderbilt University and CBS News as well as the League of Women Voters to live up to the promise of the Constitution of the United States. We cannot have fair elections if the candidates are excluded. ”

Unlike Corker or Ford, Green Party of Tennessee Candidate Chris Lugo represents a clear distinction for Tennessee Voters. Chris Lugo supports and immediate withdrawal of armed forces from Iraq and supports other liberal issues which the Democratic Party of Tennessee has abandoned, such as Civil Rights for Gays and Lesbians. Additionally, Lugo has not resorted to immigrant bashing or fear mongering as part of his campaign this season. “I stand fully behind the rights of immigrants. I believe they deserve the dignity and respect that they have earned as persons who have come to this country to work and to live the American dream.”

Other issues which the Democrats and Republicans have avoided this campaign season, such as protection of First Amendment Rights and Universal Health Care are part of Lugo’s platform. Chris Lugo is the only candidate running for office in the Senate campaign who supports implementing universal health care to address the needs of Tennessee’s 600,000 uninsured, including over 300,000 who were kicked off of Tenncare this year.

“I will debate Harold Ford Jr on Meet the Press. I will debate Harold Ford Jr. and Bob Corker in Chattanooga. I will debate them in Nashville. I am ready to show that there is a choice for voters in Tennessee this election season. Americans are tired of the war in Iraq. They want a quick and speedy end to the war. Tennesseans want health care, they want a clean environment, they want a politician who will address the environmental crisis of global warming. Tennesseans want a candidate who will look to the future, and will provide real solutions to the problems we are facing.”

Contact: Chris Lugo for US Senate
9 Music Sq So #164
Nashville, TN 37230

www.chris4senate.com
615-593-0304

My opponents are also well qualified in this campaign. I do not intend to run a smear campaign or engage in any form of dirty or dishonest platforming. I believe my own platform stands on its own and represents a clear distinction between my values and the values of my fellow candidates. I am ready to campaign across the state of Tennessee talking about peace. But the message of progressive politics cannot happen without your support so I am writing to you today to ask for both your personal and financial support this election season.

I am proud of my service on the board of the Nashville Peace and Justice center, as well as my continuing work as a contributing editor to the Tennessee Independent Media Center as well as my longstanding work to end the war with the Nashville Peace Coalition, without whose support I would not have considered this campaign. I am also proud of my own work with the Green Party of Tennessee as well as the work of so many others who have helped to sustain and grow this party since its inception in 1996. I understand the important public trust the Green Party has placed in me by nominating me as their candidate as well as the trust the peace community has placed in the message of my campaign.

I pledge to be an honorable candidate and to run my campaign with truthfulness and compassion, understanding that it is my mission to serve the people of Tennessee and that the best way to do this is by promoting the progressive values which the peace movement and the Green Party stand for.

I am asking for your help today. You may contribute to my campaign by sending your contributions to Chris Lugo for Senate, 9 Music Sq So #164, Nashville, TN 37203 or by visiting my web site at http://www.chris4senate.com/ and making your commitment there.

Also I would like to invite you to join the Vote for Peace listserv to keep you updated about the Chris Lugo for US Senate campaign in Tennessee.

To sign up for vote for peace go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/voteforpeace

Please feel free to contact me at 615-593-0304 to share your concerns or request a speaking engagement or meeting with your group or other groups and once again, thank you in advance for your support this election season.

Sincerely,

Chris Lugo
Green Party of Tennessee
Candidate for US Senate
email:
phone: 615-593-0304
web: http://www.chris4senate.com/

Click here to view the embedded video.

There is a growing threat to worker’s right to organize in this country which must be addressed in a positive context if the right to organize is to be maintained. We must act in ways which preserve the rights of workers and strengthen our unions. There are currently three cases pending at the Bush-appointed National Labor Relations Board which will have a significant impact on workers’ right to form and join unions in this country. The three cases are: Oakwood Healthcare Inc. (UAW), Golden Crest Healthcare Center (USW) and Croft Metals, Inc.

These cases deal with the roles of supervisors in nursing, health care and manufacturing facilities. A broad interpretation of who is a “supervisor” could allow employers to strip hundreds of thousands of workers of their right to union protection. The impact is likely to be particularly dramatic in the health care industry, in construction, and in other skilled occupations where it is common for higher skilled workers to direct the work of lower skilled employees.

On Wednesday, July 12th I participated in a mid-day rally in Nashville to support the rights of supervisors to belong to a Union. Over one hundred people participated in this rally because they are concerned about the future of this country and the health of our economy. In order to preserve this right we must support the rights of all workers, including those classified as supervisors. Unlike other employees, supervisors do not have protected rights under the National Labor Relations Act to form and join unions, and employers often try to classify workers as supervisors in order to deny them the right to union representation.

The effects of a bad decision by the NLRB would be devastating to average Americans and would hurt our strength and effectiveness both locally and in the global economy. Skilled workers are especially vulnerable in this situation of losing their union representation. For example, registered nurses who tell nurse’s aides to perform certain tasks for particular patients and journeymen/building trades workers who direct other workers on a crew are in real danger of being falsely categorized as management under a new interpretation of the law.

Big business would like nothing more than to strip these workers of their rights, and employer groups ranging from the Chamber of Commerce to the American Hospital Association have filed briefs with the Board urging them to adopt a broad interpretation that would allow employers to reclassify many employees as supervisors, in effect shrinking or wiping out existing bargaining units, and stripping federal protection for the freedom to organize for hundreds of thousands of nonunion workers.

Working class people in this country and union members will not stand by and let the Labor Board clear the way for opportunistic employers to strip away their rights without a real fight. Workers deserve to be heard on the this issue, which is why thousands of union members have asked their members of Congress to appeal to the Labor Board for an opportunity to provide oral arguments. I support the rights of workers to organize and I believe preserving this rights of workers keeps America strong.

Chris Lugo
Green Party of Tennessee
Candidate for US Senate

Vote For Peace in 2006!
http://www.chris4senate.com/