For Immediate Release
Thursday June 10, 2004

Press Release - The Right to Dissent
Thursday, June 10, 2004--

     Dr. David Sanders, candidate for the office of U.S. Representative for the 4th Congressional District of the State of Indiana, appeared at a press conference at 9:30 AM Thursday, June 10, 2004 at the Tippecanoe County Democratic Headquarters, 320 Main Street in Lafayette. 
     Dr. Sanders asserted, "The right to dissent from the government's actions is fundamental to American life. This right is under assault from the right-wing in this country."
     After sharing a joke that illustrated how the right to dissent distinguishes the United States from totalitarian regimes, Dr. Sanders addressed the recent comments of Republican Congressmen including the Honorable Steve Buyer in which they attacked Democratic Congressman for criticism of the conduct of the war in Iraq.
     "Congressman Buyer began his comments in a typical fashion-quoting himself. He explicitly made the connection between the tragedy of September 11, 2001and the war in Iraq, even though Iraq had nothing to do with the September 11 attack. He stated that members of Congress should not act as generals. This is the comment of the Army lawyer [Congressman Buyer] who a month later was telling the generals that they should use nuclear weapons in Afghanistan. "
    "Most disturbing were the comments by Congressman Burgess that suggestions that a new strategy was necessary in Iraq were "basically. . .giving aid and comfort to the enemy. This phrase is from Article III, Section 3 of the United States Constitution and defines treason."
     "The man who is afraid of losing his job at the Visteon plan in Bedford, Indiana and who thinks that the money being spent in Iraq could better be spent at home is not a traitor. The woman in Indianapolis who is concerned about her son serving in Iraq being a target for terrorists is not a traitror. The veteran from Danville who knows the horror of war and deplores the lack of justification for the war and the lack of preparation for its aftermath is not a traitor. The woman from Martinsville who is worried about whether her teenage son will have to face a draft is not a traitor. The West Lafayette university student who questions whether our actions in Iraq are making Americans safer is not a traitor."
     A graduate of Yale University and the University of California at Berkeley, Dr. Sanders conducted research at UCSF and the Whitehead Institute (affiliated with M.I.T.) before joining the Department of Biological Sciences at Purdue University where he is now an Associate Professor. David Sanders has been married to his wife, Miriam, for 17 years, and their three boys attend the West Lafayette public schools.
     An electronic version of a current photograph of Dr. Sanders is available upon request through the contact address above. http://sandersforcongress.org.

Dr. Sanders connection with Purdue University is mentioned for identification purposes only and does not imply University endorsement.