Singer: Have you signed some sort of pledge or are you just trying to lead by example to show the differences between your personal ethics and the ethics of Congressman Pombo?

Filson: I come out of an environment where trust is very, very important. I have been responsible for people's lives. I am currently that as an airline pilot, but back in the days with the Navy, responsible for people's lives in very, very difficult situations. When you come out of an environment like that, you develop character and you develop an understanding of how it's very, very important to be honest, straight forward and not, so called, put your hand in the cookie jar. I just don't come out of that environment.

Titles don't mean much to me. I've had various titles as I've come along the way. It's not the power trip. It's actually being able to be in a position to do a great job for the district, for the people of the 11th district. That's what I'm all about. Mr. Pombo comes out of a different environment entirely and he's succumbed to those temptations.

Singer: You brought up your work for the airlines, for United if I'm not mistaken. United and other airlines have has a lot of trouble in recent years because of the rising gas prices, as have the regular citizens and voters in the 11th district. Can you talk about some policies you'd like to see undertaken and you'd push in Congress to ease the burden for both the airlines and the consumers?

Filson: Certainly for the consumer, we're talking about gasoline. Conservation would be the first thing that we need to hit the ground running with in the next new Congress in 2007.

We had an opportunity with the Republican majority and Richard Pombo voted against the CAFE standards in 2001. Those standards would have gone into effect next year in 2007. And now that we're over $3 a gallon for gas, it would have helped us immeasurably. We would be able to not even have the debate about the artic refuge or offshore drilling because we just flat out would not need it. We still don't need it. But we really have to start down the path of conservation quickly. That would be my first step.

Singer: Speaking of conservation, there is a conservationist former Republican Congressman running against Congressman Pombo in the primary. Can  you talk about the degree to which the environment and conservation will play in the race?

Filson: Richard Pombo is just out of step with his own voters here in the 11th district. Over 65 percent of the population here has been polled to be in favor of keeping the Endangered Species Act, which Richard Pombo just took apart, to keep it the way it was.

Mr. Pombo sides with builders and developers too much in the extreme. The bulk and the majority of people in this district care about the environment, they care about the quality of water, the quality of air. They all use the foothills of the Sierras go up in the beautiful mountains of the Sierra Nevadas here. And they care very much about the environment and he's just completely out of step with his own voters.

Singer: Another big issue in the Central Valley these days, as well as inside the Beltway, is immigration. I know that there are a lot of foreign workers, some of whom are undocumented in your area. What would you do in Congress? How might you vote on immigration issues?

Filson: Immigration is really the collision of two valid desires by people. Number one, Americans do not like us or others to go around the law, to sidestep the law. On the other hand, those illegal immigrants and those immigrants that are legal are coming to this country for the same reason that our ancestors did. They're coming here for a better life. So it's the deil in the details of how we work out the differences of those two great and valid concerns.

I think border security is important, but not to the level of a Berlin Wall. I think that goes against the grain of us of we as Americans, our sense of justice. But by the same token I'd like this dark underground economy to come out into the light. When you have over 11 million people as illegal immigrants hidden in the economy, not paying taxes, not paying Social Security, with criminal records that we may or may not know about. I think we need to stop that.

A path to legitimacy, to allow them to pay a fine, if necessary. I think restitution would be in order, because they did break the law. But then give them a path if they want to have citizenship down the road. They'd have to work for it, they'd have to pay a small fine, as I said, but if they don't want to go through those steps, I'd just as soon have them head back to where they came from. And it isn't necessarily Mexico. Mexico is not the only source of illegal immigration.

Singer: Let's shift gears a little bit and talk about Iraq. America is still mired in a war there, as well as in Afghanistan. Reports this past week of the worst anti-American riots since the war began. The Taliban seems to be gaining a strong foothold in the rural regions. Looking at Iraq, the report out of Haditha detailing allegations of misconduct by Marines seems to be stirring up even more anti-American sentiment - if that's possible. What would you like to see done in those two countries and what would you do in Congress to improve the situation or perhaps extricate America from those countries, or one of those countries?

Filson: I think everybody wants to end this quickly as possible. A solution that complies with our promises, our commitments and maintains our security, because it really comes down to our security with world terrorism being what it is.

But we need a new strategy, a new direction in Iraq fast because the Bush administration is a failed strategy. It was a mistake to go in there. We know that now. What I would propose is that we force, in every way possible, the three factions within Iraq to get to the negotiating table, take responsibility for their future, because quite frankly we as Americans have limited patience when it comes to expending of American lives and limbs.

I would advocate an exit strategy as soon as possible. I would urge and fight for the fact that our bases are not permanent, should not be permanent and convey that strong message to the Iraqis. Too the Sunnis, the Shiites and the Kurds, that now get to the table, take responsibility for your future so that we can leave and bring our men and women home.

Singer: While we're talking about the issue of national security, let's talk a little bit specifically about the domestic wiretapping program and the data collection on the phone calls of tens of millions of Americans without warrants. Do you see the current balance the Bush administration has set between national security and Americans' privacy, Americans' civil liberties as sufficient or would you like to the balance tilt a little more in one or the other direction?

Filson: I think the balance has gone too far. This administration is based on cynicism and pessimism, but mostly it's based on fear. They've created distrust among each other, they've created distrust within neighborhoods, and they've done so without really increasing our security against terrorism.

Had they followed the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission and instituted many of those from hiring enough border men to securing our ports adequately, we would be more secure. Rather, they go down a road in which they want to basically snoop and spy on our own people. Again, that smacks of anti-American attitudes. Americans do not like spying on ourselves. I think the balance has gone too far.

Singer: Let's move to a final area or topic and that is the primary campaign. You seem to have garnered quite a bit of support from Congressmen in the region as well as the establishment in DC whereas your competitor, Jerry McNerney, seems to be getting support from local Democratic clubs as well as the state Democratic Party. What do you think is the cause of this kind of split in the grassroots? And additionally, what does it mean for your primary campaign?

Filson: Well I'm always confused by statement that I usually hear from the McNerney folks, the split in the grassroots. Quite frankly, all of our volunteers, all of our staff are from within the district. I know that many of the volunteers and the folks that are helping Jerry McNerney's campaign out actually come from well outside of the district.

I'm not sure why we get labeled with this outside help. Yes, state Senator Mike Machado has endorsed us and former state Senator Patrick Johnson has endorsed us, and those are well within the district. Very proud of those endorsements. And then if you include the Sacramento Bee, the Modesto Bee, which are Valley newspapers. Our campaign headquarters is in Tracy. We are in the Valley, and I don't really get the sense that Jerry McNerney has his grassroots within the district. If anything, he has them more outside that we do.

Unions have also endorsed us. We've had great monetary support and also voluntary support. We're getting structural help for using union facilities for our phone calls and for helping us out walking neighborhoods, and they all are from within the district. We have a very good grassroots basis ourselves.

Singer: Can you talk a little bit more about also what you'll be doing in the next week [I get confused here about what week we're in - I'm not so good with time these days, to tell you the truth] leading into election day for the primary.

Filson: It's a classic campaign in terms of voter contact. We're continuing to knock on hundreds and hundreds of doors and receiving very, very positive feedback for full support. We see the numbers putting us in a good position. But basically getting our good supporters out to vote on election day. That's usually what happens in the final days of an election, and we're no different than other campaigns.

Singer: Final question. If there's one message that you'd like to send out to readers of the progressive blogosphere, the netroots, what would that message be?

Filson: the blogosphere and the netroots is the new wave. It's the new democracy. And in a sense, it's the old democracy. It's really the town hall. It's how we started. And in a sense what's old from the 16 and 1700s when we started and formed up our democracy within this country and when we used to go down to the town square and all talk, we're now doing it on the net. And we basically are able to bypass the corporate media channels with television and all of those things that have displaced that community town hall meeting. And it's wonderful to see that evolution taking place.

I think that we have the fact that our campaign has been a positive campaign, unlike our opponents who have started a negative campaign against us. And I think through the netroots and through the internet we have had a great experience on keeping that message positive and it's an incredibly joyous thing for me to watch the development and the evolution of this great new forum for democracy.

Singer: Terrific. Well thank you so much for your time and good luck in your campaign.

Filson: Thank you Jonathan.

[THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.]