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Elections 2002 are over!
This
NPA Candidate received 1,762 votes in District 22 (Broward and Palm Beach Co.) |
As
Orin Opperman once said (11/8/2002 email titled "Keep your chin up"):
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Dear Juan:
I ran
in 2000 as a Write-In Candidate
in the 22nd
District.
Got one vote.
That was tough as I had to travel eight hours round trip to campaign. The
one vote meant a lot to me. I couldn't vote for myself as I didn't live in
the 22nd District. I didn't want to put my money into the campaign, as I
knew that I couldn't win. When the incumbent has a million bucks it is hard
to win.
As an "no party affiliation" candidate what you did is extraordinary,
normally only close acquaintances and relatives vote for NPAs.
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In
Memory of the Valiant Xuna for Congress Political
Campaign.
| For
years to come, this website will remain -pretty much- the same way as it
appeared in 2002. No changes will be made whatsoever, other
than this "front cover" page (HOME), and the last page -or "back
cover"- with links to some of my other websites.
Time will tell whether there was substance in my positionings, or if
instead I was just another charlatan. |
I
tried to make the "Great State" greater, and so the Nation.
Reached out as far as I could, and did stretched quite thin. Our democracy is not as perfect as youngsters are being told in school
it is. We have a diverse society, yet, we espouse an entrenched two-party
political system. For the campaigns of those non-party affiliated candidates
(NPAs) be able
to prosper is hardship. It is quite an unleveled/biased arena out there
.
Just
as you would do for any other capable candidate, please support NPAs when their ideas are
worth your attention.
| I have good memories of
the political campaign. I will enjoy recalling those proud moments
-when I was collecting signatures or campaigning- and fellow citizens
reached out to me, eager to shake my hand. Many encouraged me not to
give it up, to fight for justice and pluralism, and
against all odds. So I did! |
| I take with me some sour memories as
well. Like that lady at the PUBLIX parking lot -Lighthouse Point- who said to me:
"I would only
help -put on
the ballot- those political aspirants who speak English natively"
(vernacularly). Or the Harley Davidson's motorcyclist in a
bar -at Hollywood Beach-who yelled at me: "Go to your Hispanic country of
origin, and run for Congress over there". |
Indeed, there is a lot of bigotry in every
country, and the American political system reflects that well. I read somewhere
that 27% of Americans are foreign born, yet that group represents
less than 3% of our Congress. Similarly, Hispanics might be
14% of the population and growing, yet they add up to less than 4% in Congress. Atheists
and Agnostics perhaps 10% of the American society, but practically
unseen in high offices. That is under representation!!!!.
I am in all of those three groups above, the
negative bias you feel when campaigning is tremendous!
On the other hand, you have other groups that
have THEIR own agenda to push and are over represented in
Government. For instance, the Jewish ethnic group in America
represents not quite 2% of the citizenry, but they score more than 6% of
our Congressional seats. I hope not to offend many of my friends who
happened to be in that group. The point I am trying to make here is that, the
USA needs
more fair representation. It is far from being Utopia, no
question!
Fair to say that my old congressional
district (FL 22, in Broward and Palm Beach counties) is a Jewish enclave
in Florida. This ethnic group is very active in the USA -politically
speaking- and they tend to select candidates
who are of their faith. Many of whom, sad to say, are oblivious to the injustice being
carried out against the minorities of the "Sacred Lands"
(ironically, Arabs would soon become the demographic majority over there).
Trying to make the Character
of Israel a "Theocratic Jewish Society" would
only represent those of their mainstream
faith. That is undemocratic and unjust!
Injustice breeds violence, and
they are paying a very high prize -and all of us too- for a goal, which -no
question in my mind- is doomed
to failure at the long term, not matter what!
My thanks, and my salute to:
- the Florida's Press Corps for not
having labeled me anti-anything,
- the Jewish Anti-Defamation League
( www.ADL.org ) for never bothering
me. After all I espouse no resentment nor hate
towards any group, ethnic or religious.
- the Religious Right, who often do
preemptive strikes to destroy the campaigns of capable candidates not
espousing their extreme religious beliefs. This Atheist has not felt any
impact from them, if they did something ... missed my radar screen.
Juan Xuna
You can
write to me at Xuna@MSN.com
Excerpts from
NEW TIMES www.newtimesbpb.com
Written
by Award Winning Journalist BOB NORMAN
in his
article The Xuna Xone on October 3, 2002:
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"You might not know
Juan Xuna from Xanadu, but he should be your
next congressman" |
| "He panders to no one and serves as a
tool for no special interests, which is one
reason he stands a snowball's chance in Boynton
Beach of winning" |
| " So enter with
me, if you dare, the Xuna Xone, where political
decency lives and common sense and logic doom
campaigns to obscurity" |
| "He quit
his job as a software executive in January to
run for office and spent 75 days in parking lots
and beaches gathering the 2165 signatures he
needed to qualify as a candidate" |
| "
September 11, as he sees it, made it clear that
we need to foster better relations in the Middle
East, primarily by ending what he calls
"total support" of Israel. He believes
that, if there is ever to be peace in the
region, Israel must become a true democracy --
rather than a theocratic state. OK,
that alone will cause him big problems. You lose
the Jewish vote, you suffer." |
| "He's
not coming from any religious slant, mind you.
In fact, he's brave enough to openly run as an
atheist (bye bye, Christians). He is calling to
tighten immigration standards (liberals,
farewell). And he's stumping to end the embargo
on Castro (hasta la vista, Cubanos). He
believes strongly in the development of
alternative and renewable energy sources. He
supports steep oil and gas taxes to discourage
consumption and believes in extensive national
conservation and energy policies to free us from
our dependence on the Arabs, help the world
toward a path of peace, and clean up the
environment (so much for an endorsement from big
business)." |
| ""Since
we are unable to get peace in the Middle East,
[Bush] is trying to distract Americans to show
that we are doing something," Xuna says.
"Saddam Hussein is a danger to society, but
going into a war with Iraq is extremely
dangerous -- not only to our soldiers but to a
lot of people in the Middle East. We have to
clean up our act in the Middle East and not jump
into a war." |
| "He's
the only local politician out there making that
stand. And that's why he has my vote in
November. If you oppose this war, he should get
yours too" |
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newtimesbpb.com |
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