Peter Camejo Reveals his Keen Intellect, Iconoclasm, Steadfastness, and Passion in the Struggle for Humanity and Social Justice.

Independent 2004 Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader's running mate, Peter Camejo, gave this speech at San Francisco's Mission High School Auditorium July 16, 2004 before about 1,000 people.

Camejo makes a brief introduction thanking the audience, other speakers, and his staff.

He enthusiastically commends Michael Moore (who is not present) for having made the film, "Fahrenheit 9/11"-- principally because it exposes the ineptitude and deceptiveness of the George W. Bush Administration.

He jokes that Democratic presidential contender John Kerry is not "Bush-Lite", but "Bush-Smart": because Kerry's "I.Q. is the square of Bush's."

Camejo states that Truth emerges from the conflict of ideas, and he laments how some are silencing voices in this year's election.

"Who are we," he asks the crowd, "On the most crucial issue of this campaign, the War in Iraq? We are the overwhelming majority in the world.... People say that point of view should not be on the ballot and should not be heard! What a concept of democracy. What a conception of what free elections should be!"

He agrees with Nader who says we are losing our democracy, that Democrats and Republicans represent money not people.

"We have to fight for what other countries have. In America we do not have free elections. We have manipulated elections."

Camejo gives colorful examples about how the Nader/Camejo campaign is about overcoming illusions.

He talks about the waste of the Bush tax cuts and how resources could have been applied to making our country less dependent on oil.

He continues to say that the 1 trillion dollars that Saudi dictators have invested in the United States is money that was stolen from the people in the Middle East and should be returned. He says the money could be used to build schools and improve the people's lives-- ending the resentments that push them to terrorism.

"If Ralph Nader were elected President--you know that color thing?" Camejo says referring to the Homeland Security Advisory System signalling levels of terrorist threat, "It would go to bright Green!"

Camejo then speaks about The Patriot Act which he derides for outlawing the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. He says that even liberal Democrats with whom he can agree on many issues knew fully well what they were doing when they voted for the Patriot Act. He calls the Patriot Act a conspiracy of both the Democratic and Republican Parties to take away the liberty of the people.

"What they did was an illegal act."

Camejo says that the Nader campaign is advocating for crash programs in affordable housing, for women's rights (including the protection of a woman's right to choose), gay marriage, instant run-off voting and more.

With a touch of irony and humorous understatement, Camejo states that Bush is "a little" peculiar:

"When you have a president who walks around with a 2000 year old book, and believes the world was made in seven days, and dinosaurs never existed-- you've got a problem. You've got a president who thinks he is communicating with extra-terrestrials who are telling him to go to war.... Whenever you hear people talking about war and God in the same phrase-- that person needs help!"

Camejo says the goals of the "religious" political right have nothing to do with religion: they are about repealing the social advances our country has made and returning us to the past.

Camejo makes the case that he and Nader must run because the Democrats have not responsibly stood up against the goals of the Political Right. Both Kerry and Edwards, he says, voted for war and the Patriot Act.

Camejo deplores the fact that Democrats gave Bush 18 standing ovations following his State of the Union Address in January, 2004. "These are the people that tell us to shut up and not run because they are trying to get rid of Bush," he says. Camejo argues that the Democrats are not a true opposition party because they let Bush make the United States invade Iraq against all international laws.

Camejo points out a number of problems he has with John Kerry, especially Kerry's plans to lower corporate taxes.

He again mentions Michael Moore's popular documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11", recalling the scene of the Senate presided over by Al Gore at the beginning of the film. There, he says, even supposed progressive senators like Paul Wellstone and Barbara Boxer turned their backs on African Americans who were defrauded of their voting rights in the 2000 Presidential Election. "Not one [senator] stood up for free elections or rights of African Americans."

Camejo ends his speech explaining the mystery of why an overwhelming majority of the American people who say they are opposed to war are still planning to vote for Kerry and Edwards who support the war. He declares that the United States has only an illusion of free elections.

"There is a great crime being committed right now in this nation. That these two parties have formed a methodology so the people think they're making decisions, that they are having an election, when in fact this whole thing is contrived, manipulated, and paid for. If the Democratic Party believed in democracy in the last three and a half years (as Matt Gonzalez... pointed out) they have done nothing to end the spoiler system, they don't care if Republicans get elected, the one thing they are not going to permit is that third parties be allowed in America, and voices that are for peace and social justice be heard. They want to keep us out of the debates-- they want to keep us off the ballot-- the Democratic Party is running a massive operation to try to prevent Ralph Nader from being heard in America-- and for people to have the right to vote. And people say we're going to throw the election. Let me tell you something. Ralph Nader and I control two votes. My vote and his vote."

Camejo explains that the people should be free to vote for what they really believe in. He says that the Democratic Party's campaign to keep Ralph Nader off the ballot sends the message that the people aren't to be trusted making decisions. He says that the Democrats and the organizations that support them "tell us to shut up and go away," and that they are against the people's right to decide who they want to vote for.

Camejo notes that 12% of polled youth support Nader's campaign.

He then recalls how progressives outside the Democratic Party "fought the good fight" and won rights for African Americans, and stopped the Vietnam War by demonstating. Camejo says that John Kerry should be ashamed of a medal he received for killing a teenager defending his country from foreign aggressors. He asks why our media doesn't humanize the people that are killed.

Camejo then implores young persons to resist the pressures they now face to give up their ideals and opinions because people tell them to "learn how to get on your knees! Submit! Vote for War! Vote for the Patriot Act! Vote against the undocumented workers! Vote against working people! Vote against your own rights! Vote against democracy!" He says that the 60s generation desperately went into the Democratic Party and were betrayed, ending up with Bush and a Democratic Party far to the Right.

"It is time for us to declare our independence like Tom Jefferson and the founders of this nation did against tyranny! We are suffering under a tyranny! We have a two party dictatorship funded by money and controlled by money that is against the people!"

He continues to say that the majority of people will vote for Kerry against their wishes because we do not have free elections-- if we had run-off elections, Nader would win tens of millions of votes in the first round, possibly more votes than Kerry. Camejo states that most people vote for Kerry for only one reason-- they fear Bush.

To an auditorium of wild applause, Camejo declares that the people who plan to vote for Kerry don't agree with Kerry... "they agree with you and me."

Camejo finishes:

"Our job is to make the jail break and to liberate these people so that one day they will vote. Because the day 20 million, 30 million Americans vote for Ralph Nader or his equivalent we will become a free people, we will have the right to run America, we will establish democracy, we will have free elections, we will not allow money to control us, and we will turn to save the world from its self-destruction."

Camejo compares the Nader campaign to those of the abolitionists who did not compromise to eliminate slavery: "We want free elections or we never vote for you!"