Letter: Responding to political censorship

Responding to political censorship

Christina Tobin
Chicago, IL

Dear Editor:

On Thursday, my organization, Free & Equal Elections Foundation, issued a statement on a recent executive order signed by President Obama; the order gives the executive branch control over the nation’s political communications, including the Internet.

The vested powers in the bill go beyond that of a terrorist attack or national emergency. The order has been criticized by civil liberties advocates as being an overreach of power.

The Free & Equal Elections Foundation believes that numerous executive orders and legislation are signed into law due to the influence of money in politics today. While we do not take a position on legislation, we do believe these decisions are substantially influenced by corporations and special interests.

Democrats and Republicans often argue over minor details while the party leadership themselves have sold out to corporate and special interests. Our Constitution never mentions political parties or executive orders and a lack of transparency continues to keep independent ideas from being discussed.

I want to inspire independent candidates to run for office and train them how to recruit volunteers, raise money and run winning campaigns. My goal is to replace politicians controlled by special interests and corporations and give the power back to the people.

In April 2009, Tobin founded the Free & Equal Elections Foundation; a coalition of political parties, independent citizens and civic organizations that promote free and equal elections in the United States. The foundation’s services include legal assistance to defeat the difficult ballot access laws created by the two-party system and coordinating nationwide ballot initiatives, referendums and recall efforts. It has become a major source of financial backing for efforts to improve ballot access and other election laws.