Chris's Bio:

At the age of 18 I enlisted in the United States Air Force to serve my country. I raised my hand to serve then, now I'm raising it again. 

I want to do my part to ensure that everyone has a shot at the things that the military provided me: healthcare, housing, a living wage, a chance to determine their future.

The race for Congress in Eastern Washington is not about voting for someone with an R or D behind their name.   This race is about electing someone whose values reflect your values and the values of all of the hardworking people of Eastern Washington.

I have seen first hand in Dayton how investing in alternative energy can revive a small town.  I have witnessed in our rural communities how quality health care can improve someone’s economic security.  As we move through these extraordinary times together it is time that we have a Representative who has the right experience for now and the right vision for the future.  

It has been said that to be good you must do the right thing at the right time for the right reasons.  The values represented by the Armitage for Congress campaign reflect the need for the right leader with the right experience at this exact time.  We can provide health care, economic and national security and take care of our farmers. It is not hard, we just need the right Representative in Congress who isn't afraid to fight for the future our families and communities deserve. 

As someone who took part in yesterday's protest, I experienced a range of emotions and saw things I never expected to see in my community. These issues are not easy to talk about, and are not black and white. But if we don't have these uncomfortable conversations, we will never see any improvement.

The first amendment does not have a bedtime. People are protesting because they feel like they are powerless to change the system that seeks obedience over justice.

We have a police state that has gotten a free pass to take lives, especially black lives, for simply existing in our country. Our constitution guarantees a fair trial by a jury of our peers. Law enforcement officers are not judges or a jury. Neither are they to be our executioners. But for too long, some have taken it upon themselves to target and terrorize communities across the country. Again, most often, those communities are majority black.

These protesters are seeking rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights that for too long have been denied to black Americans. Rights such as being "secure in person and property," the right to due process, and even the rights to free speech and to peaceably assemble. And we won't see this system stop oppressing until the system itself is changed.

Certain people are trying to distract from the real issues and point to the rioting and looting as a way to discredit the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Which is the very goal for some. All sides are not wrong here. Systemic and individual police brutality are wrong. Speaking up for the murdered innocent is right.

In some cities across America, depending on the color of a man's skin, he may not be free even to walk the street in peace. So we cannot lose sight of what we are fighting for. And that cause is the same as that of our forebears, liberty and justice for all, a free and just society for all Americans regardless of skin color.

Violence on the streets are symptoms of larger societal issues. We're seeing differing reports of which groups were in attendance yesterday, but we are spending too much time finger pointing and not enough time focusing on the real issues.

Our elected leaders are supposed to listen to us and our frustrations, and work to solve these issues, not pass the blame onto people they disagree with.

"If you make peaceful revolution impossible, then you make violent revolution inevitable" -JFK

Fighting for working people!

NOT A MOMENT, IT'S A MOVEMENT!