PRESS RELEASE

December 30, 2001
Houston, Texas
John WorldPeace
tel. 713-784-7618
fax. 713-784-9063
cell. 713-560-2694

WorldPeace files as the Democratic Candidate for Governor of Texas

On Monday, December 31, 2001, I, John WorldPeace, Attorney at Law, will file as the Democratic candidate for governor of Texas.

On January 1, 2001, I declared my candidacy as a Democrat for governor of Texas. Over the last 12 months I have campaigned without a break, mainly using automated telephone dialers. During 2001, I have made over 20 million telephone calls statewide. I have fought for recognition with the press. I have fought virtually the entire Democratic Party elite over their self-destructive endorsement of the corrupt Republican turncoat Tony Sanchez. But despite this, the basis of my campaign for governor has not changed. My faith in God has not wavered. My commitment to equality and justice for all the citizens of Texas has remained in place. My belief that things can be better than they are still drives my campaign. My determination to reduce the corruption in Texas by elected officials who sell out the majority of citizens for various special interests has not diminished.

Fourteen years ago, I changed my name to John WorldPeace in an effort to make the world a little better. I believed that by changing my name when people read my name, heard my name, saw my name or spoke my name they would have to consider WorldPeace for a moment. I believed that if I did nothing else to make the world a better place, changing my name to WorldPeace would be something positive.

People ask me what my expectations are with regard to WorldPeace. I tell them that I believe that the world can in fact become more peaceful but that I have no real expectations. Many people hate peace and they hate the thought of peace. Being an advocate for peace is not what many people think it is. Only I know what it is like to be a target and the butt of stupid jokes about WorldPeace. Only I know how many times that people think they know me and quickly find out they don't know anything about me at all. I have no regrets. I have no expectations. All that matters to me is at the end of my life, I will be able to say I tried to make things a little more peaceful.

I believe that people everywhere in every city, state and nation want to believe that an elected official can rise above the corruption and the money and maintain his or her morality and ethics while acknowledging God and holding firm to the secular constitutional principles that are the law of this state and the nation. I know that the people have been endlessly betrayed by elected officials who have sold out their morality and good intentions for money, who have embarrassed themselves and their constituents with their immoral behavior and their unethical practices. I know that few elected officials have determined to be an example to the children who so desperately need guidance and direction from their seniors. I know that few are those who can stand up against the will of their political peers when the truth is being ignored and corrupted. In all these things, politicians have continued to disappoint and betray those who elected them to office.

I am not a perfect man. I have lived for 53 years and I have personally dealt with the trials and temptations that face each and every human being every day. And I have through my practice of law vicariously dealt with the problems of others. I have been divorced, I have struggled with the demands of money and children and parents and friends. I have daily made choices which have to some degree rippled through those close to me and through out the world. I have made mistakes; some of which I was able to correct and some which can never be undone.

I have tried to live as an example to my children because I know that they see through all my words to who I really am. Instead of demanding that they not smoke or drink or live an intemperate life, I have tried to live the example that I desired they follow. Yet I have not judged or condemned them for their choices. I have attempted to show them the foundation of peace and happiness while at the same time teaching them to stand firm when it is important to do so. I have insisted that they learn skills that would make them self sufficient which they are. I accept that they are each unique human beings and they have their own destinies and they will have to account for their choices in life as I will have to account for mine.

I have spent my life relating to people of all walks of life based on who they are as opposed to how much money or education they have or what kind of job they have or where they live or how righteous or sinful others have determined them to be. Outside his or her individual facades, I more than anything else consider how a person treats others. I do not respect kings and presidents based solely on their office and I do not judge the poor and sick based on their plight.

I do not think that I can make a perfect world. But I believe that I can make it a little better. I believe the world society can be more peaceful, sane and just. I think the level of violence can be reduced and yet I am not a pacifist even as I advocate peace. Sometimes wars are necessary, sometimes crimes deserve the death penalty, sometimes one has to fight. I believe that at each moment the level of peace and WorldPeace in society is affected by the number of positive or negative acts being performed at that moment. I believe that the level of peace in the world is increased every time someone reaches out to help somebody even if that help is just an encouraging word.

I believe that capitalism has proven itself to be the most workable economic model despite the fact that under its influence the planet has been poisoned and scarred. I believe that just laws will ultimately stop the wholesale destruction of the earth for the sake of profits. I believe in capitalism but I do not believe in capitalism to the point that the last tree is cut from the planet or the last fish is fished from the sea. 

I am pro business and I am pro union. As an attorney, I believe that an adversarial system works best in manifesting the American genius to compromise. I believe that the only time that that genius has failed tragically was during the Civil War when the business of slavery was legalized even as the desperation of humanity cried out to God and man for freedom and justice. I believe that we must protect the environment but not at the expense of high unemployment. I believe that environmentalists must have a voice in the political process in order to reach a fair and just compromise on capitalistic issues.

I believe that we are a long way from manifesting a just and equal society where all people have an equal opportunity to pursue their happiness. I believe that women must be given equal rights with men and that until that happens society will continue to be dominated by the innate male aggressiveness that is many times detrimental to the common good. I believe that only when the aggressiveness of man is tempered by the nurturing which is woman will society, either state or national or global, achieve its potential.

I believe that Blacks and Hispanics and Indians have been and continue to be disenfranchised. I believe that we must once and for all acknowledge our past of legalizing slavery and we must acknowledge the genocide we committed against the Native Americans. I do not believe in reparations for these past acts of our forefathers nor the rewriting of history, but I believe that we must cleanse ourselves by acknowledging our past wrongs. I do not believe that we can move forward and achieve our potential without this acknowledgment.

I am a practical man who believes that things generally work best when they conform to human nature. It is good to aspire to high morals and ethics and a concern for one's fellow human beings and yet the nature of human beings is self preservation. Communism does not work because people work best when they are rewarded for their individual efforts. So laws need to be passed which allow people to pursue their happiness as long as they do not intentionally victimize their neighbors.

I believe that we must preserve the planet for our children. I believe we must understand that we are trustees of the planet for future generations and we have no right to leave our children a cesspool when we inherited a garden of Eden.

I believe that we must educate our children so that they can become productive in society. I believe that it is a crime to take charge of children for 12 years of their lives and at the end of that time graduate them in ignorance of the world and without the ability to become a productive member of society. We cannot hand children diplomas and tell them those diplomas are worthless after they have entrusted 12 years of their lives to us. I intend to give teachers an across the board $2,500 raise.

I believe that we live in a nation under God. I believe that having "In God we Trust" on our coins is fitting and proper. I do not believe this motto on our coinage establishes religion as is prohibited by the Constitution. I believe that a moment of silence to acknowledge God is appropriate in our schools. I believe that until we individually and as a society acknowledge a higher power, we will continue to exist in an overly chaotic and disharmonious society. I believe that when we become confused in this reality such that we believe that this reality is the ultimate reality we lose our way and peace and harmony become more difficult to achieve. 

I am running for the office of governor of Texas. I am not running for priest, minister or rabbi. I believe that as governor I am mandated to support the secular law such that all the citizens of Texas are assured equal opportunity and justice. It is not my mandate to enforce religious tenets; in fact, it is illegal for me to promote any particular religion.

As governor of all the people, it is my mandate to insure the Constitutional rights of all the people and to sign legislation that benefits the majority of citizens and to veto legislation that benefits the minority of citizens at the expense of the majority. 

I believe that a governor is accountable to the people and I believe that the governor should keep the people informed of what is going on in the state. I intend to use the Internet to daily inform the citizens of this state about important happening around the state. I intend to make as much of the public records of the state accessible from personal computers as is possible so that people do not have to travel to Austin and elsewhere to search the public data bases. I believe that over time this will make government more responsive and more efficient and less costly.

As governor, I intend to continue to use my personal web page to correct any misinformation that is disseminated by the public media. I also intend to set up interactive programs which will allow me to easily ask questions and receive feedback regarding all manners of government business and policies.

I believe as John WorldPeace, I will be able to naturally draw business from all over the world to Texas. I believe that as John WorldPeace I will be considered an unofficial ambassador to all the nations in the world. 

The above is my general philosophy of how I perceive my job and mandate as governor of Texas. For the details of any particular issue or program, I maintain a web page at www.johnworldpeace.com. I believe that virtually anything one wants to know about John WorldPeace and my plan for Texas can be found there.

It is time for Texans to turn their backs on the corruption that has been eating away at this state for many decades. It is time for Texans to demand more from its leaders and particularly from its governor. It is time to make Texas a model for what a determined and dedicated people can accomplish. It is time for Texans to lead the world in the third millennium. It is time to elect John WorldPeace as governor of Texas.

John WorldPeace
The next governor of Texas 

December 30, 2001