Kevin Zeese
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
political activist
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
who has been a leader in the drug policy reform
Drug policy reform
Drug policy reform, also known as drug law reform, is a term used to describe proposed changes to the way most governments respond to the socio-cultural influence on perception of psychoactive substance use...
and peace
Peace movement
A peace movement is a social movement that seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war , minimize inter-human violence in a particular place or type of situation, often linked to the goal of achieving world peace...
movements and in efforts to ensure a voter verified paper audit trail
Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail
Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail or Verified Paper Record is intended as an independent verification system for voting machines designed to allow voters to verify that their vote was cast correctly, to detect possible election fraud or malfunction, and to provide a means to audit the stored...
. He was on the ballot as the nominee of the Maryland Green Party
Maryland Green Party
The Maryland Green Party is the state party organization for Maryland of the Green Party of the United States.The Maryland Green Party qualified as a recognized political party on August 17, 2000, since that time the party has grown dramatically and as of June 30, 2007 there were 8,108 Greens in...
for a U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
seat during the 2006 election
Maryland United States Senate election, 2006
The 2006 United States Senate election in Maryland was held on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes, Maryland's longest serving United States Senator, decided to retire instead of seeking a sixth term. Democratic nominee Ben Cardin won the open...
, receiving 1.5% of the total vote.
Early life
Zeese was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1955. He grew up in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where he attended public schools. He received a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He graduated from the George Washington University Law School
The George Washington University Law School
The George Washington University Law School, commonly referred to as GW Law, is the law school of The George Washington University. It was founded in 1825 and is the oldest law school in Washington, D.C. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a charter member of the...
in 1980.
Career
Zeese began his advocacy career as Chief Counsel for National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) in 1980 and served as NORML's Executive Director from 1983 to 1986. During his time at NORML he helped stop the spraying of herbicides on marijuana in MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and the United States, and he became a leading advocate of the medical use of marijuana
Medical cannabis
Medical cannabis refers to the use of parts of the herb cannabis as a physician-recommended form of medicine or herbal therapy, or to synthetic forms of specific cannabinoids such as THC as a physician-recommended form of medicine...
.
He has since been involved in helping found such drug policy reform efforts as the Harm Reduction Coalition and the Drug Policy Foundation (later merged with other organizations into the Drug Policy Alliance
Drug Policy Alliance
The Drug Policy Alliance is a New York City-based non-profit organization, led by executive director Ethan Nadelmann, with the principal goal of ending the American "War on Drugs"...
), and he worked with Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke's "Mayor's Working Group on Drug Policy Reform", and the "Journey for Justice," a protest march on Washington. He worked to bring public attention to the death of Esequiel Hernandez Jr
Esequiel Hernández Jr
Esequiel Hernández Jr was an 18-year-old American high school student killed on May 20, 1997 by United States Marines in Redford, Texas, located approximately one mile from the United States–Mexico border...
, a high school student killed by Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
on the U.S.-Mexico border in Redford, Texas
Redford, Texas
Redford is a census-designated place in Presidio County, Texas, United States. The population was 132 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Redford is located at ....
. Zeese is currently president of Common Sense for Drug Policy an organization dedicated to reforming drug policy
Drug policy reform
Drug policy reform, also known as drug law reform, is a term used to describe proposed changes to the way most governments respond to the socio-cultural influence on perception of psychoactive substance use...
and expanding harm reduction.
Zeese was director of the Ralph Nader-connected group Democracy Rising
Democracy Rising
Democracy Rising was an organization founded in 2001 to oppose military actions of the United States against Iraq and, after the Iraq War, to promote an exit strategy to end the occupation of Iraq. It was a member of United for Peace and Justice. Its web site contained Ralph Nader's interactive...
, an organization which worked to prevent and then end the 2003 Iraq War. He currently directs the Campaign for Fresh Air and Clean Politics which includes as projects two efforts he founded TrueVoteMD and VoteTrustUSA, both of which work for a voter verified paper audit trail
Audit trail
Audit trail is a sequence of steps supported by proof documenting the real processing of a transaction flow through an organization, a process or a system.....
with electronic voting
Electronic voting
Electronic voting is a term encompassing several different types of voting, embracing both electronic means of casting a vote and electronic means of counting votes....
.
In October 2008 TrueVote.US encouraged an email letter writing campaign in response to a report the previous week finding Virginia was one of the least prepared states for Election Day problems such as long lines, broken machines and software malfunctions. However, the hundreds of emails crashed the system, making it more difficult to get out electronic absentee ballots. Zeese stated the purpose of the campaign was for "elections officials to know people are watching and for people to know they want adequate voting machines." In response to election officials request they call off the email campaign, Zeese did so saying "We made our point."
As reported by the Washington Post, Zeese has entered into the debate over the allegations of impropriety by Justice Department lawyers in opinions being used to justify the Bush Administration's "advanced interrogation techniques". Zeese has filed a formal request with the D.C. Office of Bar Counsel for the disbarment of the lawyers who wrote the memos used as justification for interrogation methods that many consider to be torture.
Zeese worked on the Maryland House of Delegates
Maryland House of Delegates
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...
2002 campaign of Green Party candidate Linda Schade and on the 2003 gubernatorial campaign of Green Party
Green Party (United States)
The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...
candidate Peter Camejo
Peter Camejo
Peter Miguel Camejo was an American author, activist and politician. In the 2004 United States presidential election, he was selected by independent candidate Ralph Nader as his vice-presidential running mate on a ticket which had the endorsement of the Reform Party.Camejo was a three-time Green...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He was the spokesman (press secretary) for Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
's 2004 presidential campaign.
Zeese writes for CounterPunch
Counterpunch
Counterpunch can refer to:* Counterpunch , a punch in boxing* CounterPunch, a bi-weekly political newsletter* Counterpunch , a type of punch used in traditional typography* Punch-Counterpunch, a Transformers character...
. He has been published in USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
and The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
as well as on web outlets like Common Dreams, AlterNet
AlterNet
AlterNet, a project of the non-profit Independent Media Institute, is a progressive/liberal activist news service. Launched in 1998, AlterNet now claims a readership of over 3 million visitors per month .AlterNet publishes original content as well as journalism from a wide variety of other sources...
, Dissident Voice, The Raw Story
The Raw Story
The Raw Story is a progressive news, politics and weblog publication founded in 2004. Updated continuously, it is known primarily for its investigative reporting...
, LewRockwell.com
LewRockwell.com
LewRockwell.com is a 501 libertarian web magazine operated by Burton Blumert , Lew Rockwell , Eric Garris , and others associated with the Center for Libertarian Studies ; its motto is "anti-state, anti-war, pro-market"...
, and Z Magazine. He is the author of several books.
2006 U.S. Senate election
After months of campaigning, Zeese received the senate nomination of the Maryland Green PartyMaryland Green Party
The Maryland Green Party is the state party organization for Maryland of the Green Party of the United States.The Maryland Green Party qualified as a recognized political party on August 17, 2000, since that time the party has grown dramatically and as of June 30, 2007 there were 8,108 Greens in...
was also nominated by the Libertarian Party of Maryland
Libertarian Party of Maryland
The Libertarian Party of Maryland is the Maryland affiliate of the Libertarian Party. The state chair is Robert S. Johnston III.- External links:*...
in April 2006 and the Populist Party of Maryland
Populist Party of Maryland
The Populist Party of Maryland originated as a vehicle for ballot access for the 2004 Ralph Nader presidential campaign. Unlike such groups in other states, the PPMD organization has survived beyond 2004, laboring to field candidates for local political offices...
in June, the first time all three parties had nominated the same candidate. However, in early April 2006, the Maryland legislature passed SB 129, which held a candidate can be nominated by only a party with which he is registered. Therefore he ran on the Maryland Green Party ticket.
Zeese called his campaign the "Unity Campaign" and ran on a reform platform that advocated the withdrawal of U.S. troops and corporate interests from Iraq, economic justice and end to corporate welfare
Corporate welfare
Corporate welfare is a pejorative term describing a government's bestowal of money grants, tax breaks, or other special favorable treatment on corporations or selected corporations. The term compares corporate subsidies and welfare payments to the poor, and implies that corporations are much less...
(which he calls "big business socialism") and electronic voting reform. He also was a vocal critic of the "hawkish" Israel lobby in the United States
Israel lobby in the United States
The Israel lobby is a term used to describe the diverse coalition of those who, as individuals and as groups, seek and have sought to influence the foreign policy of the United States in support of Zionism, Israel or the specific policies of its government...
and the Israel's 2006 bombing campaign against Lebanon. He challenged incumbent U.S. congressman Ben Cardin, who has close ties to the Lobby, to break his silence on Israeli wrongdoing.
Zeese received the endorsement of several leading third party
Third party (United States)
The term third party is used in the United States for any and all political parties in the United States other than one of the two major parties . The term can also refer to independent politicians not affiliated with any party at all and to write-in candidates.The United States has had a...
figures including his former employer Ralph Nader http://www.examiner.com/a-315327~Nader_endorses_Zeese_for_Senate.html.
Zeese was included in the publicly televised final Senatorial debate on Friday, November 3, 2006. In it urged the audience to reject the major parties, saying: "Change has not come from status quo parties, it's come from the outside." Zeese finished third in the voting receiving 27,564 votes for 1.5% of the total vote.
External links
- Real Video from the Cato Institute featuring Kevin Zeese along with Alan Bock speaking on The Law and Politics of Medical Marijuana, March 27, 2001.
- Kevin Zeese, Mishandling Nader, Dissident Voice, November 2004.
- Kevin Zeese, http://www.antiwar.com/orig/zeese.php?articleid=6054A Pretext for War; An interview with James Bamford, Antiwar.comAntiwar.comAntiwar.com is a website devoted to opposing aggressive war, imperialism, and assaults on freedom associated with both. The editors describe their politics as libertarian. Their stated motiviation is, "to show how the imperialistic tendencies of the American government lead to a loss of civil...
, May 24, 2005. - Kevin Zeeze, They're Staying in Iraq, Antiwar.comAntiwar.comAntiwar.com is a website devoted to opposing aggressive war, imperialism, and assaults on freedom associated with both. The editors describe their politics as libertarian. Their stated motiviation is, "to show how the imperialistic tendencies of the American government lead to a loss of civil...
, April 22, 2006. - Zeese for U.S. Senate 2006 campaign website
- Kevin Zeese on MySpace
- Kevin Zeese, The Real Cost of the Bailout, CounterPunchCounterpunchCounterpunch can refer to:* Counterpunch , a punch in boxing* CounterPunch, a bi-weekly political newsletter* Counterpunch , a type of punch used in traditional typography* Punch-Counterpunch, a Transformers character...
, November 26, 2008.