Long-time St. Lawrence County cancer activist Donald Hassig of Lisbon and Colton plans to continue his campaign against chemical pollutants and public health, but now as the designated candidate of the Green Party for the 21st Congressional District.

The longtime political activist sought the Green Party nomination to run against incumbent Bill Owens, Democrat of Plattsburgh, and the Republican candidate, Matt Doheny of Watertown.

Hassig released a statement Monday:

Having received the designation of the Green Party as its candidate in the 2012 21st Congressional District of New York race, I am now prepared to mount a strong campaign focusing upon creating government and corporate accountability in the matters of chemical exposures and public health. This is a perfect time to move forward on such a front. The Occupy Movement has established a national mindset that calls into question the bad behaviors of government and corporations. Everyone is feeling the harm of far too much sickness among Americans.

I believe that the first step toward creating accountability is establishing an open, public dialogue between activists and government scientists on the subject of chemical exposures and health. This can be accomplished in my Green Party campaign. The paramount strategy of the Love the Earth Mother Protect the Earth Mother Change Everything Campaign will be to repeatedly call upon Congressman William Owens to debate the matter of chemical exposure and public health with the added feature of having Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists in attendance at the debate. The truth will be revealed when government officials, government scientists and environmental activists discuss these matters in public.

Motivating the national government and corporations to begin using scientific knowledge to its fullest effect in protecting public health will flow naturally from government and corporate accountability. There is much to be gained by striving for this. The difference between following the old paradigm of placing corporate business at the highest priority and setting out upon the new path of using scientific knowledge to protect public health is the difference between darkness and light, between sickness and good health.

A bright new future is right before us. All it will take to grasp this moment is the people deciding to stand up and demand accountability now.

Donald L. Hassig