[GNC] Petition to speak, and other matters

[DvEngland at aol.com]

Thanks for your timely e-mails.  As soon as I receive Matt's e-mail address, 
I'll send him my petition.  I expect to be in Milwaukee Wednesday evening, so 
perhaps there is time for some of us to sign a petition there, if we know 
where to find it.

Another matter: you realize by now that your Massachusetts delegates are 
committed to you by rule to vote for you as long as you running.  Also, that we 
are, by state party rule, obliged to vote as you instruct us if you are 
eliminated.  This rule was intended to give a candidate leverage to negotiate with 
other candidates either for a vice-presidential spot, or for concessions on 
campaign-related matters.  The candidate would be able to give assurance that they 
could deliver the delegate votes being bargained for.  Some of our delegates 
are chaffing under this rule, but it's the rule we voted ourselves to and most, 
I think, will abide by it.  (There's no penalty if they don't.)  

So, you have my vote until you release me.  However, there is one exception.  
Our State Committee specifically voted not to include a no candidate option 
on our primary ballot.  We felt it was a slap in the face to candidates who 
were offering themselves as potential nominees and presenting platforms on issues 
affecting the country to have to debate -- in fourms like the Harvard debate 
-- whether to we should be running a candidate at all!  We wanted to focus 
voters' attention on our candidates and their issues, rather than this largely 
internal strategy issue.  As recently as May, our state convention informally 
affirmed this position.

Therefore, if you instruct me to vote for the no candidate option, I must 
refuse, and I hope you will then release my obligation to you.  Massachusetts 
intends to run a candidate, and hopes it will be a candidate with national reach. 
 Otherwise, we seriously jeprodize our ballot status, which is the principal 
political asset we have that differentiates us from all other third parties 
except the Libertarians. 

I hope you understand our position here, and that we can only go so far with 
you.  It is an honor for me to represent someone who has done so much to raise 
the consciousness of Americans to the environmental issues facing us and I 
look forward to working with you in Milwaukee.

Dave England
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