Category Archives: Letters

Letter to Senator Elizabeth Warren

The controversy over the Supreme Court’s recently exposed rough draft suggesting a majority decision  for reversing Roe v Wade gave added impetus to my contention that the way in which we can codify the right of a woman’s privacy and control over her reproductive decisions is by certifying as ratified the Equal Rights Amendment as Amendment number XXVIII to the US Constitution. It’s an opinion I’ve held and promoted throughout my public life; I am frankly flabbergasted that American women, particularly powerful, rich American professional politicians, have not seen fit to accomplish this in the  nearly 100 years since it was formally proposed in 1923.

This is a copy of a letter I sent to Senator Elizabeth Warren on the subject earlier in May. I will post her response when I receive it; or, better yet, notice of ratification and entry into the Constitution as  soon as I hear of it.

Dear Senator Elizabeth Warren:

Today I communicated with your office by email, but, as the system did not copy me, I was left with little confidence that it would reach you; so I am writing to your constituency address to increase the chances of actually getting through to you. You are in a unique position to push for the long-overdue certification of ERA as Amendment 28 as you appear to be well-aware of the stakes, for both women here in the US and worldwide, and for your Party in the November midterm elections.

Getting these rights entered into the Constitution will change all of the phony positioning of Justice Alito’s fatuous reasoning as the document that he references will no longer be the one written by 18th century men, but one improved by 20th century women, thus putting a hit on the specious concept of original intent and eliminating all rational basis for denying any woman one of her natural rights as a human being.  Force weasels and woolgatherers like Mitch McConnell and his ilk into the open so if they choose to oppose progress they will suffer defeat at the polls in November. This is a case you and others in the Congress can make, if you have the courage to act now.  Chain yourselves to the White House fences if need be . . .  that worked for your predecessors.

Sincerely, John Karl Fredrich                                                                                          Candidate for Congress,  CA #16

Thank You Voters !

Dear Good Friends & Fellow Citizens:

I want to take the opportunity at this time to thank all of you who have supported me and The Cause that I have pursued over the last 50 years of political action, but especially in the races for the House of Representatives and this year’s Presidential election as those contests were particularly focused on the issues of the nation’s misplaced priorities of military might and expanding economic advantage for those who are already privileged at the expense of those in real need. One central feature in that battle has been the fight against the hegemonic power of the two major political parties in the United States, the Democrats & Republicans. The central elite of both those groups are continually willing to sacrifice the many in exchange for power for the few, and while doing that demean the promise of equality and justice upon which the nation is predicated. I continue to maintain that unless we fix that, our current form of government from the Constitution of1787 will no longer obtain and a new manner of governing will be required of us. The essence of non-violent political struggle is the ballot box, and unless security of the vote can be protected and enhanced, and the cash spent by big economic syndicates and individuals can be limited, people will out of frustration give up in believing that non-violent engagement can change the world and will walk a different path. That would be a dangerous distraction from our real problems.

This is not rabble rousing or alarmist conjecture but a measured opinion based on calculating the gap between our present performance and the magnitude of need to change the way we do things. The national government must legislate in many areas; to improve authorization and appropriation procedures, to honor treaty arrangements, especially in regard to control of nuclear weapons and other genocidal armaments, and to bring to heel outright criminal behavior by the entrenched oligarchy which will entail joining the International Criminal Court so as to allow for US citizens to be arraigned there. The way in which corporate control has penetrated the media since the abandonment of the Equal Time and Fairness Doctrine has impoverished public discussion of all of these pressing issues and vitiated the public forum so that propaganda and infotainment flourish with little appeal to fact or reason. The AGYHOOYA battle cry was specifically designed to get in the face of the pharaonic press and challenge every citizen to rethink their facile assumptions. Truth of the matter is, I’m not very good at politics, a fact to which nine election losses adequately testifies. I can therefore say with unequivocal enthusiasm how much I truly appreciate those of you who have stood with me during my political campaigns. I thank you from the bottom of my heart . . .     and the top and the center as well for that matter . . .

Sincerely, John Karl Fredrich                                                                                May Grace, Peace & Love                                                                                              be with you always, JKF                  — 30 —

 

The Biggest Loser

Now that it’s pretty clear that Joe Biden has garnered the Electoral College vote, and also won the popular vote with the greatest tally ever, over 80 million votes to the Republican candidate’s 74 million,  I can safely say that I lost this Presidential election by more than 150,000,000 votes. In fact, I can find no reports that I received any votes at all ! 

What does that mean for the greater picture about the direction of the country and the welfare of its people ? The pandemic rages on, as do wars from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Durand Line, and it doesn’t look good for my central platform planks; less military spending, more health care and housing, women’s rights and voting rights, higher taxes on the plutocrats and corporations, and clear votes in Congress on all the issues of our day put forward in clean bills so the people know where their representatives stand. The lack of regulation of money in elections and the routine denial of the principles of one person/one vote and equal protection under the law mean that our invalid democracy that denies the majority its right to govern and the minorities their claims to equal justice will continue unabated. In short, an awful lot has been heaped on the plate of President-elect Joseph Robert Biden and the administration that he will direct and the Congress and the nation that he will attempt to lead. Deeply divided, critically under-informed, and in some cases clinically depressed, the American public needs both reassurance and action if it is once again to become a force for national and global improvement, ‘an Earth restored’ to use the Society of Friend’s stated goal.

It has been a month now since the polls closed across the nation in one of the most fateful elections in United States history. There are still two Senate seats in Georgia to be determined, and the Electoral College will not certify its decision until December 14th. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump continues to cry foul and fraud in what has to be one of the most transparent swindles in American history by preying upon the credulity of his more benighted supporters to send him money in his struggle to overturn what impartial observers call a free and fair election. Some accounts have him already taking in over $200M with only the vaguest restrictions over for what the funds can be used. We can only hope that that is his final gift/grift to the country.

Imagine my surprise then when after the election and catching up on reading the pile of magazines at my disposal I read some articles in The New Yorker that I felt beautifully examined the troubled conflicts and thwarted promise of our national experiment with creating a new form of government. For those of you trying to run your classes over the internet, they are worth a read for no other reason as to inform the context for your teaching of United States history. The first two were in the November 2 issue and the last in the November 23 issue:  from The Critics section, book reviews written by Philip Deloria and Maya Jasanoff , the first on a new book about Tecumseh, the great American Indian political leader who fought against white incursions into Indian country in the early 19th century, and the second reviewing a number of literary approaches to the blinkered understanding of Britain’s imperial past. The article from the issue dated November 23, 2020, is by Andrew Marantz on The Anti-Coup, “How civil resistance works and wins”. It beautifully summarizes the inclination that direct action is taking and will need to continue along if we are ever to have real democracy in the United States. I do not personally envision any way that the United States can continue without an Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution and also an amendment voiding The Electoral College and establishing election of the President directly by a majority of the nation’s voters. The end of the American empire will need to be prefaced by the elimination of those Constitutional artifices that reflect the pro-slavery and  patriarchal, chauvinistic prejudices of its authors. Just muddling along is not going to cut it since government that is not responsive to the imperatives for human survival cannot in itself survive.

4th July Greetings from HQ

Dear Friends and Fellow Citizens:

The very strong impression growing in these parts is that, true to Mister Trump’s prediction in 2016, we will “get tired of winning”. It appears that just being able to live and breathe has surpassed ‘winning’ as a felt need. This does not bode well for either The Incumbent or the Trumpublican Party as they do appear to be fully embracing a death spiral. Perhaps only the habitual political malpractice that the Democratic Party has become so skilled at over recent years is in a unique position to save them; that, and, of course, the failure of Congress to pass adequate laws for the protection of voting and vote counting across the nation. What remains to be done for the core of the Trump Crime Family enterprises is an examination by the voters of his tax history and some of the many ‘books’ he keeps in order to tract his cash flow and tax avoidance schemes. Therein is where we see the failure of many who voted for this chancer and bounder, and the compliant courts and paid media: namely, the demand to scrutinize the numbers and fulfill their citizenry duty of due diligence before giving an obvious fake the keys to the kingdom. I am attaching a copy of my tax return from 2019 so that voters can check out my stats and avoid the same mistake. (It will be found as a link in the next post above as soon as it is loaded.) Once again let’s reaffirm our commitment to freedom & justice.

Field of Play – The End of Q2

As those competing in the Presidential election size up the field of play for the November 3rd contest they view an arena of competition unlike any in history. Comparisons to 1860 and 1932 are appropriate because the emergencies the country is facing are similar to those of disunion that would challenge Lincoln and complete economic meltdown that would confront Roosevelt. In addition, the Congress and the White House will have to agree substantively on any number of issues in order to correct the overly aggressive and reactionary actions of the executive and judicial branches. Those facts are the basis for my contention that there needs to be clear discussion of all options and actual votes in Congress to determine what policies and actions are supported by majorities, and those that do have majority support should be instituted into law and action. Health care for all and women’s rights are at the top of my list. The entire package of economic and legal apparatus that insure entrenched racism and income inequality require federal attention in order to rebuild society along just and sustainable models.

This requires increasing taxes on both the very wealthy and corporations, reducing militarism, and articulating a clear and coherent social contract.

 To leave that matter unsaid and not debated in the four months until we all vote would be a grave mistake. That’s grave, as in dead and buried, which is where the country is headed unless we get our house in order.

Letter to Voters – The Challenges We Face

Dear Friends and Fellow Citizens,

One year ago today on Kauai’s North Shore and later that day in Santa Clara Valley, California, I officially began my campaign for President of the United States. After being unable to qualify for the March 3rd California primary, things did not look too promising; but since then, dozens of candidates have become discouraged, quit the field and now of the remaining few who have not suspended their campaigns, John Karl Fredrich sees that The Time Has Come. The question is, between the coronavirus pandemic and world economic collapse are things bad enough to make Fredrich the best possible choice in order to Build The New America? I believe that the program I propose answers that question in and of itself

  • Smash Plutocracy
  • Destroy Political Cartels & Money Bundling Syndicates
  • Create  Majority Rule  & Representative Government as the Base for Real American Democracy

The foundation of the program to save our government, our people and our planet is fourfold:

  1. Establish Equal Rights and a viable Social Contract for all; that include The Equal Rights Amendment for Women & National Health Care.
  1. Eliminate The Electoral College and Gerrymandered Congressional Districts; National supervision of elections with verifiable paper ballots & audits.
  1. Renunciation of first strike with nuclear weapons and the end of Executive Branch wars and secret government and un-auditable military budgets.
  1. Developing with Congress the asset and resource management and budgeting approach that will get these jobs done.

To create the dynamic for success our fight must be focused on the enemies of poverty and ignorance since sticking with ways that have proven to be so far unsuccessful hurts our efforts to achieve economic security, good public health, and a sense of personal well-being.The Preamble to the Constitution spells out the purpose quite clearly and succinctly:

     “. . . to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice,
insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common
defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the
Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, . . . “

 There is nothing in the text supporting factions, party strife, money bundling, influence peddling and manipulation. The key issue of whether or not popular government in these United States can be salvaged from the depredations of corporations and political factions has been excluded from full discussion over what specifically must be done to institute government that actually works; in other words, the conditions necessary for the proper functioning of our government’s structures to do those things The Preamble mandates. Political parties, mass media, money and the purchase of power have combined with some of the most venial, reprehensible officials and fearful, critically under-informed voters in American history to commandeer what was once, hopefully, a peoples’ republic. Rather than recount that ignominious tale, let’s look to a prescription for healing and a plan for repair.