Just as lawmakers ignored the coming crisis in Louisiana, and our failing infrastructure, they are ignoring changes in climate which will bring increased frequency and severity of storms like Katrina. Adding to incompetance and neglect, Katrina made longstanding class and racial divides visible to all and highlights the need for a change in the direction of our country. If ever there were a moment to 'throw the bums out', this is it.

A majority of Americans -- some polls show up to 60% -- believe the Iraq War was wrong and want the U.S. to start withdrawing our soldiers. Only 35% of Maryland voters think the war in Iraq is worth it. Yet the U.S. Senate voted 99-0 for continuing to fund the occupation and is not even considering an exit strategy. Shouldn't there be at least one Senator that represents the view of a majority of Americans on this critical issue?

The same is true on other important issues: Americans want a government of 'we the people' yet we have a government dominated by wealthy interests. 'Big Business Socialism' is disguised in the rhetoric of 'free market.' Americans want an economy that creates prosperity for all – yet we have crippling trade deficits, skyrocketing federal spending, and mushrooming international trade defecits. On the personal level median income is diminishing, poverty is increasing, retirements are insecure and the U.S. has the largest rich-poor divide since the 1920s. Neither major party is willing to face up to these issues because doing so is against the interests of the monied elite who fund their campaigns. Confidence in Maryland's democracy is threatened by paperless electronic voting that does not provide a paper record for open, transparent and independent vote counts. Two-thirds of Marylanders favor ending the failed war on drugs and putting in place treatment not incarceration, yet the two major parties continue to spend $50 billion annually on the failed drug war. These issues need to be debated -- people want choices – but they will not be debated by candidates from the two corporate-dominated parties.

This campaign will seek support from voters across the political spectrum whose views are not represented by the two major parties. Third party campaigns are often marginalized and ignored but this is not going to be your typical third party campaign. This campaign will be a Unity Campaign that brings together multiple third parties.

Why a “Unity Campaign” and not one party? Each of the parties represent values that are important:

The Populist Party stands for economic fairness for working families and recognizes how the U.S. has rigged our tax laws, finance system and corporate welfare to help the wealthiest while shrinking the middle class and undermining those whose work makes our country great.

The Libertarian Party emphasizes the central value of liberty – freedom – which is under attack in the United States with laws like the Patriot Act, eminent domain and a government that intrudes into private life. We need to consider the question of liberty in every action the government takes because it is our basic freedoms that unleash the creativity, entrepreneurship and greatness of Americans.

The Green Party's ten key values are a common sense outline of where our country needs to go. These values include: grassroots democracy, social justice, ecological wisdom, non-violence, decentralization, community-based economics, feminism, diversity, responsibility and future focus.

Many Democrats and Republicans are disenchanted with the direction of their parties' leadership. As a result the United States is going in more wrong directions at once than ever in my lifetime. Many Democrats and Republicans recognize that their parties represent the interests of big business donors, and are thirsting for a new approach to politics. I plan to provide voters with that new approach.

Maryland is ready for an independent alternative to the two major parties – a candidate for Senate who is free to serve the people of Maryland without divided loyalties or conflict of interest. Statewide, the fastest growing group of registered voters are independents and non-major party voters, who now make up 15.4% of the electorate.
According to a Baltimore City Paper article about the Unity campaign, since the presidential election of 2004, the number of voters who do not affiliate with either party was up by 6,517. During that time, the Maryland Republican Party gained 4,648 new members and the Democratic Party lost 450 members. Please join me in supporting Unity and Democracy.

We must end the corruption of our government. Senator John McCain said the electoral system “is nothing less than an elaborate influence-peddling scheme in which both parties conspire to stay in office by selling the country to the highest bidder.” This is, in reality, such open corruption that all political commentators and most voters know it. If you know both parties are selling the country to the highest bidder we have a choice – remain silent, be complicit and join the conspiracy by our inaction (or worse) – or challenge the system.

I've decided to challenge the system. I am grateful to all those Marylanders who will join me.

Kevin Zeese U.S. Senate Campaign Committee

Nathan Bahn
Co-Chair, Montgomery Greens
Rockville, MD

Bill Barry
Baltimore City Green Party|
Baltimore, MD

Michael Cornell
Co-Chair, Maryland Green Party
Howard County, MD

Chris Driscoll
Chair, Populist Party of Maryland
Baltimore, MD

Kay Dellinger
Coalition Against Global Exploitation, Baltimore Pledge of Resistance,
Populist Party of Maryland Central Committee
Baltimore, MD

Pat Elder
Co-founder DC Anti-War Network
Iraq Pledge of Resistance
Bethesda, MD

Tomas Estrada-Palma

Libertarian Party of Anne Arundel

Annapolis, MD

Kristin Famula
TrueVoteMD
Severna Park, MD

Robert Ferraro
Eyes Of Paint Branch, TrueVoteMD
Colesville, MD

Lorenzo Gaztanaga
Baltimore Libertarian Party
Baltimore, MD

Susan Gaztanaga
Baltimore Libertarian Party
Baltimore, MD

Saul Iversion
TrueVoteMD
Howard County, MD

Joseph Klockner
Klockner & Company
Takoma Park, MD

Barry Kissin
Attorney
Democratic Candidate for Congress (6th District)
Frederick, MD

Ken Lerch
National Association of Letter Carriers
President, Local 3825
Rockville, MD

Jay Levy
Takoma Park City for Peace
Takoma Park, MD

Robert Lanza
Democracy for Maryland
Takoma Park, MD

Sheldon H. Laskin
Baltimore County Green Party
Baltimore, MD 21209

Mike Livingston
Montgomery County Green Party
Silver Spring, MD

John Low
Principal, Banning+Low
Kensington, MD

James Madigan
Correctional Lieutenant, Maryland Reception Center
Baltimore County Green Party
Parkville, MD

Douglas McNeil
Baltimore Libertarian Party
Baltimore, MD

Dick Ochs
Populist Party State Central Committee Member
Chair Green Party, Committee on Democratic Reform of Party Processes
Baltimore, MD

Anne Polansky
Energy and Environmental Consultant
Takoma Park, MD

Linda Schade
TrueVoteMD
Montgomery County Green Party
Takoma Park, MD

Joseph Schroeder
Populist Party of Maryland Central Committee, Treasurer
Baltimore, MD

Mounzer Sleiman
Vice President, National Council for Arab Americans
Poolesville, MD

Eileen Scott
Co-Chair Maryland Green Party
Silver Spring, MD

Eric Sterling
President, Criminal Justice Policy Foundation
Counsel, U.S. House of Representative, Committee on the Judiciary, 1979-89
Chevy Chase, MD

Robert Tufts
Anne Arundel Green Party
Churchton, MD

Pam Rasmussen
Montgomery County Coalition for Alternatives to War
Gaithersburg, MD

Virginia Rodino
Steering Committee, United for Peace and Justice
Baltimore, MD

Whitney Trettien
Co-chair, Frederick Green Party
Frederick, MD

Yvonne Wall
Montgomery County Coalition for Alternatives to War
Montgomery County, MD

Bahram Zandi
Montgomery County Green Party
Gaithersburg, MD

Organizations listed are for identification purposes only and does not mean the organization is involved in the campaign in any way.