A growing list of individuals, religious and civic organizations are asking candidates seeking to woo their votes to commit to positions on military and nuclear weapons issues

Contact: Bob Bender

DAMP

Plainfield, NJ

908/755-5846

Plainfield, NJ, March 8, 2000-A growing list of individuals, as well as religious and civic organizations are asking candidates seeking to woo their votes to commit to positions on military and nuclear weapons issues. To address voters’ concerns, a grassroots coalition in New Jersey’s hotly contested Seventh Congressional District has scheduled a candidates forum for May 13 in Plainfield.

The group, Debating American Military Policy (DAMP), has issued open letters of invitation to each registered candidate from a field that thus far includes seven Republicans and five Democrats. Organizers are planning to present key issues so candidates can state their platforms and take questions from the audience.

The Seventh Congressional District includes more than 45 towns in parts of four counties. It is one of the few House seats that does not have an incumbent seeking reelection because Bob Franks is chasing the Senate seat left vacant by Frank Lautenberg’s retirement.

"Fierce competition for a vacant seat and involved constituents should make for a lively forum," said DAMP organizer Robert L. Bender, a member of the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County. Another sponsoring group, the First Unitarian Society of Plainfield, has agreed to host the event. Chapters of other groups in the district, ranging from the League of Women Voters to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), have joined DAMP’s call for candidates to take clear stands on military and nuclear weapons issues.

Members of DAMP have formulated three questions to present to the candidates:

In making decisions about military intervention outside its borders, should the United States rely primarily on authorization by broad international consensus including United Nations decision making?
Should the United States maintain nuclear weapons capacity, with its associated costs?
Should the United States maintain military capacity at a level premised on winning two simultaneous major regional conflicts without allies?

"We believe American military policy should be part of the public debate and the democratic process," said Bender. "This forum is one vehicle to enable candidates and voters to connect."

The internet is another vehicle for DAMP. The group has established a web presence at http://www.damp.org with background information about military issues, links to both military and peace-oriented web sites, and general information about the candidates.

--30--