96-year-old liberal icon Ken Hechler files for WV U.S. Senate seat (to protest mountaintop removal)

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

Former Congressman and W.Va. Secretary of State Ken Hechler served in the Truman White House and was the only member of Congress to march with Martin Luther King.

He's the author of "The Bridge at Remagen" later made into a classic WWII film) and was one of the guys the U.S. military picked to grill Himmler following the defeat of Nazi Germany.

He's spent his last decade campaigning against mountaintop removal - even got himself arrested along with Daryl Hannah and Dr. James Hansen at a protest last year.

In short, he's always fought the good fight. The guy's a legend in W.Va., second only to Senator Byrd.

Here he is with his close friend Granny D in 2001.



Here's a great PBS film, "Pursuit of Justice," detailing his life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH4z3gNCXPs

and here's his website

http://www.kenhechler.us/kenhechler/

So he's filed for the primary - not realisticly expecting to win, but to give progressives in our state an option to vote against Don Blankenship's buddy, rightwing "Democrat", and Zell Miller-impersonator, Joe Manchin III. Hopefully, Hechler forces Manchin to go to the left (there's plenty of room)


As a proud W.Va. liberal, I say, "Go, Ken, go!"
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Some excerpts from the Daily Mail:
"I don't want to make it a campaign against Gov. Manchin," Hechler said Wednesday morning, speaking on the phone from New York, where he is doing a series of public lectures.

"I want to make it about mountaintop removal. A vote for me is not a vote for Ken Hechler -- it's tantamount to a vote against mountaintop removal."
<...>
"I'm running for the environmentalists who are opposed to mountaintop removal," he said. "It's a way to put it on the ballot. I'm trying to give an opportunity for all those people in the state to show there is strength in our numbers."

"I'll have an opportunity then to articulate this in the general election," Hechler said. "I'm not ineligible to take office, but I don't expect that to happen. I just want to mobilize people to take a stand on this issue."



http://www.dailymail.com/News/201007210382

[druidity33]

1. sounds like a cool guy.

Not expecting to win, but wanting this one issue to be out in the open...

K&R

[catgirl]

2. Beautiful n/t

[MadAnne]

3. Isn't he just the greatest? n/t

[Sebastian Doyle]

4. How sad is it when the only worthy candidate for the office

is a man who is even older than the guy who just died (after being the longest serving Senator in history)? :evilfrown: