DUDE, REIN-O!

Authors note:  before I begin this post, I would like to call your attention to two valuable websites that I have used to analyze candidates and their positions, to assist myself in making the correct decisions on my ballot.  They are www.votesmart.org and www.ontheissues.org.

For those of you, like myself, who have become increasingly frustated by both of the major presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, I’m here to tell you that you have other options.  There are at least 3 options for president on every state ballot (including a record-setting 16 on the colorado ballot).

The first obvious choice for a major third party in this election is the Libertarian Party. However, after doing some research on their platform and their candidate, I find that my disagreements with them outweight my agreements, especially with their candidate, Bob Barr. (he clashes with his own party by supporting increased defense funding and is hard on drug crimes, as two examples).  I should add, however, that I support the election of a Libertarian to any State position, because the selling point of their platform is the decentralization of the federal government and increased power to the states (one philosophy that I take pride in for living in Colorado).

The second most prominent choice for a third party is the United States Green Party.  Many people would likely recognize this party as the party of two-time candidate Ralph Nader.  However, this year they have nominated former Democrat Cynthia McKinney as their candidate (coincidentally, Nader is still running as an independent.)

To some, the Green Party platform may seem very similar to the Democratic Party, especially on issues such as abortion, civil rights, gun control, health care, and business regulation.  However, one sharp difference is that, much like the Libertarian party, the Greens favor decentralization of the government from the federal toward the local levels.  It has become very clear to me after watching the presidential debates, is that both the Republicans and the Democrats favor a large and authoritarian federal government. This is something I personally cannot tolerate.

Some of her positions that I agree with are as follows:

• Reform the electoral system.  I think that the electoral college system is not fair nor effective  (for example, should I think that my vote for anyone other than Obama will make a difference in the City and County of Denver, where I am registered?).  It may have made sense in ‘the dark ages’, but now we have all the methods available to conduct an nationwide popular vote for president (the ‘American Idol’ voting system is proof of that).
• End the war in Iraq now.  McKinney’s specific point for her leaving the Democratic party was their support for the war.
• Abolish the death penalty.  This is another testament to an authoritarian government in which citizens are kept in line by fear.
• Repeal the patriot act.  (see ‘death penalty’ above)
• Legalize marijuana and end the war on drugs.  If you don’t know where I stand on this issue, you haven’t spent much time with me in the mountains.
• Create a path for immigrants to earn citizenship.  Furthermore, unless we as a society adjust our self-centered vision of our continent and understand that “America” consists of over two dozen counties, the majority of them being Hispanic, then the caucasian minority on this continent is doomed to extinction.

Frankly, the only major issue that I disagree with her is on gun control.  She holds a typical liberal stance against guns.  However, I find that issue irrelevant so long as the laws concerning guns in Colorado are always maintained by the State Government, where they belong.

On a personal level, there are a number of things that make McKinney unique and interesting.  One is that she was the first black woman to be elected to the Georgia State House.  An achievement like that in the “Deep South” is nothing but extraordinary.

During her terms in the U. S. House, she has been on the forefront of uncovering the truth behind all the secrets kept in the Bush Administration.   She was among the first to question the legitimacy of the 9/11 Report.  She has also pushed for the release of the full report behind the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Most recently, she has criticized the federal government’s response to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

As evidence to her courage and bravery when confronting those in power, her website has a great video of her questioning of Donald Rumsfield and the rest of the DOD executive staff.

All things considered, Cynthia McKinney is a great American Patriot.  However, there is one more  achievement that is truly deserving of praise.  In December of 2006, she proposed a bill to impeach President George W. Bush.  Her charge is that the Bush Administration falsified the information to justify the invasion of Iraq, a very serious charge, indeed!  The impeachment may have been successful, considering the change in congressional majority to the Democrats after the 2006 election.  However, the Democratic leadership dismissed the possibility immediately, causing her to finally choose to leave the party.  We can only imagine how our world would be different, had her bill been successful.

So, when you go to the polls, if you truly think that ‘your vote counts’, by all means you should probably vote for Obama or McCain, because it is obvious that one of them will win this election.  However, if you are disgruntled and dissatisfied with the current electoral system, I urge you to vote for a third party.  It may not make a difference today, but only by increasing third-party votes in each and every election, will our children have a realistic option other than a Democrat or a Republican in the future.

Obama mocks McCain in Nevada stops

“And if they tell you that, ‘Well, we’re not sure where he stands on guns.’ I want you to say, ‘He believes in the Second Amendment.’ If they tell you, ‘Well, he’s going to raise your taxes,’ you say, ‘No, he’s not, he’s going lower them.’ You are my ambassadors. You guys are the ones who can make the case.”

This quote sums up the problems with Obama’s campaign. There is an old man on my job who seems like a down-home, Tennessee raised, red-blooded conservative. A few weeks ago, he barged into our office and said “You better get yourself a large dry box, put all your guns in it, and buy it in the ground, because when Obama gets elected, he’s going to take them all away from you.”

He most likely has no clue what Obama’s stance on gun control is. I can’t say I do either.  According to this article, his supporters are supposed to say “He believes in the Second Amendment.’ But what does that mean, and why must his supports be in the faces of the uninformed? Why can’t both candidates just come on TV with a commercial that simply describes one single issue and where he stands on it, instead of all the confusing attack ads?

The only source of information I have on the election is the talking heads on the Sirius radio cable news channels, and my friend the liberal intellectual from Calumet City.  Most people don’t have such friends in the know, so we all rely on the news media to explain the play-by-play of this scripted entertainment show.  Yes, scripted…the election for the President of the USA is anything but a reality show.  The media are quick to tell us every single little nuance in the campaigns, and why that will affect OUR vote.

On one side, the republicans have written a tale of the All American boy, who who went to war and almost died on behalf of the Stars and Stripes.  Just like George Washington…what a hero.  We should all rally behind him and bask in his glow. Their Vice President pick reminds me of my mother, and your mother, and everybodys mother!  Who wouldn’t vote for her?  She’s going to take care of you.  Her speeches are witty…remember: girls are always smarter than the boys.  In fact, you could probably break down every punchline and attribute it to crack team of late night talk show writers.  She comes off as the ultimate smart girl and the ultimate smart ass.  Oh did we mention her baby has Downs Syndrome?  Did you hear it from the 5th talking head on FOX News?  Lets get a close up picture of the baby.  How cute.  (What the hell is a newborn baby doing in a massively loud concert auditorium full of 50,000 people?)  Now lets get a picture of the 72-year old POW war hero with the cute baby.  Careful, he can’t move his arms very far because he got the shit beat out of him by the Viet Cong for five years.  Country First.

On the other side, the Democrats have bought out the full committee.  You’re not just getting the smooth talking young idealist, and keenly witty, yet sometimes outspoken wife.  They’ve got two kids too.  They’re not handicapped.  Just little black girls with braided pigtails.  You can’t get much cuter than that.  Experience?  Who needs it, when you have the 42nd President in your corner?    He was the favorite President of our times, we should be ecstatic at the chance to have him right behind the young President.  He’s brought his wife, the Power Senator, and the Senate Majority.  You get the package deal.  Vote for us, give us ultimate power and we’ll fix what’s wrong with this damn country.  Even good ol’ Ted Kennedy is on board this ship.  Vote for us, we can erase everything Bush did.  It will be like the last eight years never happened.  United We Stand.

Speaking of authoritarian power, what the hell is going on in the Soviet Union?  Yes, the Soviet Union. We never defeated those guys, they just lurked away for a while.  Where is Reagan with his cowboy hat?  All I can find are a bunch of college girls with Cowboy hats at the RNC.

The media heads have us sucked in.  The Russian president is it out shooting siberian tigers and blaming another People’s War on the election in America.  Better vote for the war hero.  Where is Patton when we need him?

Lets not forget about the hurricanes.  They all have cute names, too. just like all the pretty children of the candidates.  Here’s Hanna, and Ike.  They’re coming.  They’ve stopped for a drink in Cuba.  We don’t know what their plan is, but we’ll keep you updated.  In between all the politics.

Wait!  Put it all on hold.  Here come the New Yawk Football Giants.  Politics?  What are they?  How is my fantasy team doing?

Okay, now good ol’ Mayor Guiliani has me thinking.  He’s pointed out that Obama cast an awful lot of ‘present’ votes while in the Illinois legislature.  That is neither a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’.  One thing I feel that a president must be strong in  is his firm decision making.  Bush has been pretty good at that.  While I may not have always agreed with his decisions, he has not been a ‘flip-flopper’.   But to not make a decision at all?  That is a trait that we cannot have in a president.

Rudy’s speech is good, but he’s taking a few cheap shots, like “Obama thinks that Sara Palin’s hometown isn’t ‘cosmopolitan” enough.  Please…the ‘celebrity’ attack is played out.  You’re better than that, Mr. Mayor.  Finish up your speech because we miss seeing your face on the jumbotron at Yankee Stadium.

Barack Obama makes me feel unworthy.  He tells me that I am selfish, spoiled, and lazy.  One could easily be upset at such accusations, but I have come to the realization that he has got me dead on.  Our current generation thrives more on materialism and less on work ethic.  We have taken America for granted.

Obama’s speech last night echoed John F. Kennedy when he said “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”  Obama’s campaign slogan is “Change”, but we cannot hope for change simply by casting a ballot, and sitting back and waiting for the government to do all the work.  Change must start at the individual level.  It is evident that the rich are too rich, and the poor are too poor.  Those of us in the middle, may be working for a paycheck to pay the bills, but we also maintain a vast collection of consumer goods like snowboards, bicycles, guns, motorcycles, boats, and campers, among hundreds of others.  We are the spoiled middle class.  How can we truly relate to the really poor?

My own philosophy aside, I was very moved by the message projected during the DNC.  Unfortunately, I was away from my home in Denver, but caught it all on TV.  I was taken by Obama’s speech.  I have never seen someone with such ability to motivate such a large mass of people by his words, except in history books.  This candidate is unlike any in recent history.  His followers seem almost mesmerized, hypnotized by his words.  The collonade backdrop was no coincidence:  Obama is an orator of the likes of Julius Caesar.  If he continues to gain appeal at his current rate, the masses of followers will grow to a size we have never seen before.  Larger than Reagan, larger than Roosevelt, larger than Kennedy.

One quote from the speech made me think.  Obama said–no, promised–that we would be off the dependence of oil from the middle east in ten years.  What is odd about that?  Even if he does get elected, and then elected again, the maximum time he can serve is 8 years.  How can he fufill this bold promise, if the final two years are out of his control?  It could only be accomplished if he became so popular, that the people voted an amendment to extend his presidency indefinitely.  Remember:  Caesar was only supposed to serve a limited term, too.

Are we ready for the “New Empire”?  I think I’m getting ahead of things.  There is still an election to be had, that may start the ball moving.  I think we have a great candidate that really, truly cares about the legacy of America and its people.  If elected, he will do great things for the country and the world that we have never seen.  However, we cannot afford to grant unlimited power to one person, no matter how moving and motivating his speech can be.