As of May, 2003, I have decided to no longer run for this office. I am maintaining the website for several reasons, not the least of which is that the effort expended in developing the ideas was clearly worthy, and the work produced should therefore be preserved. My further reasons for no longer seeking elective office can be found in this essay - Saving America from Ourselves.
from the 2004 Presidential Campaign of Joel A. Wendt
Something that came with an e-mail during the early days of the war.
author unknown
"-> You probably missed it in the rush of news last week,
> but there was actually a report that someone in
> Pakistan had published in a newspaper an offer of a
> reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.
>
> So an Australian dentist wrote the following to let
> everyone know what an American is, so they would know
> when they found one.
>
> An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish,
> German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American
> may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian,
> Chinese, Japanese, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or
> Arab, or Pakistani, or Afghan. An American may also
> be a Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, or
> one of the many other tribes known as native
> Americans.
>
> An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or
> Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims
> in America than in Afghanistan. The only difference is
> that in America they are free to worship as each of
> them chooses. An American is also free to believe in
> no religion. For that he will answer only to God, not
> to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak
> for the government and for God.
>
> An American is from the most prosperous land in the
> history of the world. The root of that prosperity can
> be found in the Declaration of Independence,which
> recognizes the God given right of each man and woman
> to the pursuit of happiness.
>
> An American is generous. Americans have helped out
> just about every other nation in the world in their
> time of need. When Afghanistan was overrun by the
> Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and
> supplies to enable the people to win back their
> country. As of the morning of September 11, Americans
> had given more than any other nation to the poor in
> Afghanistan .
>
> Americans welcome the best, the best products, the
> best books, the best music, the best food, the best
> athletes. But they also welcome the least. The
> national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty,
> welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse
> of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed.
> These in fact are the people who built America. Some
> of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of
> September 11, earning a better life for their
> families. I've been told that the World Trade Center
> victims were from at least 30 other countries,
> cultures, and first languages, including those that
> aided and abetted the terrorists.
>
> So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler
> did. So did General Tojo, and Stalin, and Mao
> Tse-Tung, and every bloodthirsty tyrant in the history
> of the world. But, in doing so you would just be
> killing yourself . Because Americans are not
> particular people from a particular place.
>
> They are the embodiment of the human spirit of
> freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit,
> everywhere, is an American.
>
>
> Pass this around the World."
