Support the Candidate Who Spent 40 Days in Jail
I'm asking you to support a candidate, Norman Solomon, who spent 40 days in jail. Usually, that's a bad thing. But in some cases, it's a good thing.
Nelson Mandela was arrested on August 5, 1962. He was released on February 10, 1990. Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, and he was elected President of South Africa in 1994.
Lech Walesa, the founder of Solidarnosc, was imprisoned in 1981 and 1982. Walesa won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and he was elected President of Poland in 1990.
Norman Solomon has spent only 40 days in jail, so don't expect him to be elected President any time soon. But Solomon can be elected to Congress, if we help.
For decades, Solomon has been a leader in the antiwar movement. He organized and led dozens of nonviolent protests and sit-ins against war and nuclear weapons.
If you've never been to a sit-in, think Occupy Wall Street, and Zuccotti Park.
It's very simple: You go, you sit down, and you get arrested. You put your body where your mouth is. You put your heart (and the rest of your anatomy) where your soul is. And then you to jail.
Norman Solomon is willing to go to jail to fight for what he believes in. Therefore, he should go to Congress, to fight for what we all believe in.
It's one thing to go to a public place, surrounded by like-minded people, and sound off. It's quite another to go to a sit-in, knowing full well that you won't be home that night – you'll be sharing a jail cell. That takes courage, and Norman Solomon has that courage.
You can tell a lot about where a man stands, from where he sits.
Aren't you tired of voting for people who might, just maybe, actually stand for something after they get elected? I am. But in Norman Solomon's case, you don't have to worry about that. For over 40 years, Norman Solomon has stood for something: Peace. And that's not going to change just because Norman Solomon gets elected to Congress.
Norman Solomon's primary election is two weeks from today. Let's show our support.
Courage,
Alan Grayson
