The Democrats haven't done any better. They nominated a right-wing fundamentalist who has voted in the Republican primary every year but one -- and has said he would have run as a Republican this year if they didn't already have five people running in their primary. That person, Jim Hogan, has also refused to campaign for the office (or do any interviews), and has not stated his position on any issues -- claiming he will let "god" do the campaigning for him.
Fortunately, they aren't the only two candidates running for that office. The gentleman pictured is Kenneth Kendrick, and he is the Green Party candidate running for Agriculture Commissioner. Mr. Kendrick is the whistleblower who exposed the unsafe conditions at the peanut processing plants in Texas. He did that because he values the safety of individual Texans over corporate profits. We could use a lot more politicians in office with the moral stature of Mr. Kendrick, and I urge everyone to avoid the major party candidates running for this office and vote for Kenneth Kendrick in November.
My friend Perry, who has an excellent blog called Brains and Eggs, interviewed Mr. Kendrick recently. Here is part of that interview which he published recently on his blog:
What motivated you to run for this office?
After getting some notoriety as a whistleblower against PCA, I hit the lecture circuit of a sort; speaking to students at universities and conferences about the experience. Nine people died from salmonella poisoning across the country, and 700 were made ill. The Texas Department of Agriculture, under Commissioner Todd Staples, had certified the Plainview plant for organic processing three separate times even though they were not registered with the Department of State Health Services. They had no license to operate, yet were certified for safety!
Three years after my reporting it, Texas still had done nothing to investigate my claims of poor health practices by the company. I made up my mind that no person -- no child, no adult -- should ever have to suffer or die because of corporate ineptitude or greed.
Just yesterday, it was reported that the nationwide cyclospora outbreak includes more than half of the reported cases in Texas! We still have tremendous food safety problems in Texas and nothing has been done, nor likely will be done if the Republican or Democrat is elected.
What are your top issues and your plans for addressing them?
1) We want food safety and GMO labeling, working in conjunction with the DSHS, to make Texas the safest place in the United States to buy food and food products, increasing our economic viability. There is no harm in consumers having all the information possible when buying food. This will require the Texas Department of Agriculture to be restructured to have more inspectors on the ground, and a direct connection with other agencies as a top priority when safety issues outside the Department are noted.
2) Safe water and more aggressive conservation methods, along with the use of renewable energy. Fracking is not the answer given our state's water shortages. Too many rural towns already have warnings that their water does not meet minimum standards to drink. Wichita Falls is already recycling waste water. In West Texas there are lots of wind generators already, and room for plenty more. Texas is becoming a leader in renewable energy, and we must continue to do more. Less water used for fracking and electricity generation means more water for Texas farms and cities.
3) Holding corporations accountable. As I have said many times, we the people are fined and arrested when we break the law, but corporations are just told to get into compliance, as has been shown with 355 unlicensed facilities that broke the law. Instead of just a compliance warning, these companies should have at least been fined... just like people.
4) There are virtually no fines that have been handed out to pest control companies (and they fall under the Department of Agriculture) that break the law. We have regulations in place, but no enforcement.
5) And legal protection for whistleblowers who report in good faith those who break the law!
What sets you apart from your opponents?
My Democratic opponent Jim Hogan -- well, if anyone knew anything about where he stands I could respond, but I do not see much of anything out there. I guess taking no position on anything is good enough to get you the Democratic nomination?
No website? No Facebook page? He refuses to give interviews for the most part and runs away from Democrats and the Texas Democratic Party like it's the plague. What sets me apart from a blank slate? I feel comfortable letting the voters decide that one.
My Republican opponent, Sid Miller, helped cut $64 million from Planned Parenthood and sponsored the sonogram bill. And the Agriculture Commissioner has what to do with this? Here's a quote from his website: "An avid rancher and hunter, Sid Miller believes in the Constitutional right to bear arms". Does the Agriculture Commissioner get a vote on gun legislation? I don't think so. Let's stick to the issue relevant to the office! I am the only candidate in the race for Agriculture Commissioner talking about the issues relevant to agriculture in Texas... that is, if you don't count my Libertarian opponent, Rocky Palmquist, taking over Kinky Friedman's advocacy for marijuana legalization. But you won't find that on his website, since all it says is 'coming soon'.
In keeping with the tenets of the Green Party, I have taken zero donations from corporations (such as Monsanto). My campaign is true grassroots, for the people. I owe no one.
What's the best way for people wanting to help your campaign to get in touch?
I have FB page, web page and a direct #.
https://www.facebook.com/kendrickforAgCommish
www.kendrickfortexas.com
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