Cross posted from DownWithTyranny!
Darrell Issa, representative for CA 49th district, is one of the richest men in Congress according to Ballotpedia. He is an asshat according to Salon.com, as well as a bit of a criminal according to Crooks and Liars, having been indicted twice for auto theft. Which is a bit ironic considering he made his money with a car alarm, the Viper, which actually has Issa’s own voice saying “Please step away from the car”. I have personally set that alarm off a few times. DownWithTyranny calls him a “career criminal” and has been documenting this for over a decade.
Doug Applegate, the newest supporter of 90for90 is challenging Issa for that 49th Congressional district seat. Though, more correctly I should say, Douglas (Doug) Applegate, attorney in private practice and Certified Judge Advocate Under the U.C.M.J., the United States Court of Military Appeals, Colonel in the United States Marine Corp Reserves, retired after 32 years active and reserve duty including a combat tour in Ramadi, Baghdad & Fallujah.
Now, I know that some people might go “ooh” at his title and service, thinking this might just be the Congressperson we need, especially for foreign affairs. I believe in unicorns and fairy dust though so I gave a bit of an “Ah...military and a lawyer? That can’t be good”.
Didn’t really matter because anyone is better than Issa. Well, maybe not anyone, there is someone running as an Independent who is a bit of a whack-a-doodle. Don’t think we want him either
I started to do a little digging on Mr. Applegate and was surprised at what I found. For one thing, he is a lawyer for the people. (You know, us.) He’s been involved in some landmark cases including representing Gitmo detainees. In the end I think not only is he way better than Issa, but that he is also quite the progressive.
You can check out his Facebook page and Twitter here to see what he feels is important enough to repost. He grew up in a middle class, blue collar family and he’d like to work to save the middle class. He wants gender pay and health care equality and thinks “the U.S. mandatory sentencing & incarceration rates are immoral, racist and socially destructive. “ Take a full look at his issue statements here.
Most surprising to me was his stance on war. He’s concerned that Congress won’t ask the right questions of the Joint Chiefs of Staff about another war. His questions?
1.How many young American sons & daughters [and perhaps grandsons & grand daughters as well] would deploy to fight another asymmetrical insurgency war? [at a minimum requiring 20 to 25 counterinsurgents for every 1000 residents in an AO; i.e. more than 600,000 soldiers & Marines for an Iraqi population of 34 million]
2.How long will this asymmetrical insurgency war last? [protracted, defined by the Joint Chiefs as twenty more years of combat after the 1968 Tet offensive in Vietnam]
3.At what cost? [over $5-6 trillion, conservatively]
He answers his own questions with this:
In the Middle East, the answers will end not with a declaration of a strategic mission accomplished, but instead in a declaration of bankruptcy for the Nation.
And I’m pretty sure the nation he is talking about is not one in the Middle East, but the one we live in. His answer to the issue of gun rights is so good you really have to read it yourself, but here’s a taste “...the NRA's myth of a good guy with a gun...”
Doug Applegate has raised about $50,000 so far but we all know that Issa has about eleventy million, so let’s help Doug raise some money. You can donate here. Even though this is a red leaning district, Obama actually won it in 2008 and there is every reason to believe Doug Applegate can win in 2016. Let’s help him!
Tracy B Ann — everything I write, including, but not limited to, my name, belongs solely to me.