I am surprised by the actions of the Adams State University Veterans Club to invite Sal Pace (D) and Scott Tipton (R) to the debate at Adams State University (ASU) and ignore my candidacy for Colorado’s third congressional district as an Independent. I am a former military spouse and was a part of being a significant other to a man who was enlisted before the attacks of 9/11 and went to war shortly thereafter. I can speak to some of the human repercussions of war, as well as the blatant need for care for our soldiers after they come back from war. Of all of the people who are on the federal payroll, it is our troops that deserve to be protected – before, during, and after being a part of war.
Cory Diss President of the ASU Vets Club said that I was not invited because, “It would be unfair to invite a candidate who is currently not on the ballot,” “and would open the door for other write-in candidates to ask the same question” (Salzman, J. “Independent Candidate Snubbed From Debate”, Huffington Post. August 1, 2012).
I am not a write-in candidate, I am in the middle of being approved to be on the ballot in November, and I will not find out until the end of the month. No other unaffiliated candidate is going through this process as we speak. It is unfair to automatically disqualify me, and not invite me to participate in part of the conversation. Since my candidacy represents over 90,000 registered Independent voters (98,924 (D)/126,141(R)), it would be nice to be acknowledged as going through the process to give voters a choice in November. It would also be appreciated to be a part of a very important conversation about our foreign policy, our national defense and security, and our enlisted service-members and veterans.
Here is a group of students who represent veterans who have sworn an oath to protect and defend The Constitution of the United States of America, and my platform (in print and online for everyone to read in detail) is dedicated to the Constitutionality of the issues and problems being discussed. By limiting and narrowing their focus to just the Republican and the Democrat – this silences many people who would like to have representation in not only Washington, D.C., but right here in our own third congressional district.
I represent a group of people who are dissatisfied with what both political parties are doing about these important issues; and being a woman who has had a husband in war is an entirely different perspective than what either Pace or Tipton will ever be able to speak to.
Sincerely,
Tisha T. Casida
