23 Montg. County candidates respond to civil liberties & peace questionnaire

Peace Action Montgomery and the Montgomery County Civil Rights Coalition (MCCRC) have released the findings from their joint questionnaire for Congressional candidates. The questionnaire was sent to those seeking Federal office in Maryland’s 3rd, 6th, and 8th Congressional Districts, and to those running for Senate. All Democratic and Republican primary candidates were invited to participate in the survey, along with Green, Libertarian, and independent candidates. A total of 23 candidates responded to the survey; a candidate response table helps summarize their answers and links to the comments most respondents added.

Some interesting findings: Ninety percent of the candidates who responded to the questionnaire oppose drone attacks and 80% want to reduce military spending. All the responding candidates oppose government surveillance of First Amendment-protected activity, and 91% support legislation to prevent police abuses. Fifty-five percent of the candidates support reducing military aid to Israel until it stops illegal activities in the Occupied Territories.

MCCRC co-founder Thomas Nephew notes that “the questionnaire is intended to serve as a valuable voter education tool. Many of our members are quite politically active but don’t have access to the information they need to help them make decisions based on the issues that matter most to them.”

Topics covered by the questionnaire include drone attacks, the NSA, military spending, police practices, nuclear weapons, encryption, Israel/Palestine, surveillance of First Amendment protected activity, refugees, Guantanamo and indefinite detention, and programs to “counter violent extremism.”

Jean Athey of Peace Action Montgomery stated, “We strived to include questions that reflect actual legislation before Congress. We also incorporated economic factors into our questions, pointing out that many military and foreign policy programs are extraordinarily expensive and divert funding away from critical domestic needs.”

Nephew notes that one interesting finding from the questionnaires was that “civil rights and peace issues don’t seem to be partisan concerns, with both sides of the aisle supporting many of these positions.” For more analysis, visit the MCCRC web site article.

Peace Action Montgomery works for peace by building people power at the local level, in Montgomery County, MD and represents over 1,200 county residents. MCCRC is part of the Maryland Coalition for Justice and Police Accountability and has played a role in many local civil liberties and civil rights campaigns since its inception in December 2010.