tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68667991657047287472024-02-08T11:19:37.273-05:00Interesting BloggerWhat interests you?Interesting Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03810362655295438350noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-26387559156234253942012-01-20T17:00:00.000-05:002012-01-21T01:11:04.544-05:00An alternative: How to solve online piracy<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Recently there has been
a lot of fervor over the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act
(PIPA). Each law gives the government more power over the internet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">OpenCongress described </span><a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s968/show"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">PIPA</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> as follows: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“[This law] establishes
a system for taking down websites that the Justice Department determines to be
"dedicated to infringing activities." The DoJ or the copyright owner
would be able to commence a legal action against the alleged infringer and the
DoJ would be allowed to demand that search engines, social networking sites and
domain name services block access to the targeted site. In some cases, action
could be taken to block sites without first allowing the alleged infringer to
defend themselves in court.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">OpenCongress described </span><a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h3261/show"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">SOPA</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> as follows:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“This bill would
establish a system for taking down websites that the Justice Department
determines to be dedicated to copyright infring[e]ment. The DoJ or the
copyright owner would be able to commence a legal action against any site they
deem to have "only limited purpose or use other than infringement,"
and the DoJ would be allowed to demand that search engines, social networking
sites and domain name services block access to the targeted site. It would also
make unauthorized web streaming of copyrighted content a felony with a possible
penalty up to five years in prison. This bill combines two separate Senate
bills -- </span><a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s968/show"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">S.968</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> and </span><a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s978/show"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">S.978</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> -- into one big
House bill.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There is a bill
proposed by some of the opposition, called the OPEN Act. I am not a fan of that
legislation, but I don’t want to use up words trying to show my opposition to
it. There is a different approach proposed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Pirate Party, a
political party with roots internationally in countries such as the United
States, Sweden, Scotland, Canada and the United Kingdom. The </span><a href="http://www.pp-international.net/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">international website </span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">argues
that “All non-commercial copying and use [of copyrighted material] should be
completely free. File sharing and p2p networking should be encouraged rather
than criminalized.” The group also criticizes the current copyright terms,
saying they are absurd and that “nobody needs to make money seventy years after
he is dead.” The alternative they propose is “a five years copyright term for
commercial use.” Passionately, they argue for “a complete ban on DRM
technologies, and on contract clauses that aim to restrict the consumers' legal
rights.” The UK-based political party offshoot
follows a similar line, arguing for balanced copyright law. Their </span><a href="http://www.pirateparty.org.uk/policies/uk-2011/copyrights-patents/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">website</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> is a bit more descriptive mentioning that the party
would support peer-to-peer networks (which the party says supports lesser-known
artists) and a right to a “format shift” (copying data from a CD to a portable
media device). However, they note that “counterfeiting and profiting directly
from other people's work without paying them will remain illegal.” That last
provision could run up against those who want to help others. There is no definite website for the United
States pirate party, but their LinkedIn website gives some insight. That </span><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/company/united-states-pirate-party"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">website</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> says that want “abolition of the DMCA and related
subsequent provisions within copyright law…rejection of the concept of online
piracy…reform of copyright…abolition of Digital Rights Management…[and] reform
of trademark.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I believe that Digital
Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) must be repealed and that non-commercial
copying and use of copyrighted materials should be allowed. The government must
not use the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement or any other government
agency to shut down parts of the internet. This would hurt the sharing of
information that current occurs. Big Music would obviously oppose this measure
since pirating would be partly legalized but that must be overcome. If these
measures were enacted, then piracy online would fall because it would be legal
instead. I do not advocate for making it legal for people to pirate and then
copyrighted materials of others for a profit or the counterfeiting of goods for
a profit. However, counterfeiting of goods that do not cause bodily harm should
be allowed or should be focused on by authorities. Those counterfeited goods
that cause bodily harm should be focused on by law enforcement. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The software piracy rate was 20% in the
United States in 2007, #107 of 107 (</span><a href="http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_sof_pir_rat-crime-software-piracy-rate"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">nationmaster.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">). In Spain,
according to </span><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/77-digital-content-consumed-spain-258726"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Hollywood Reporter</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">, it is much higher, being “over 77% of the digital
content consumed in Spain in the first half of 2011 was pirated, marking a .4%
climb from the same period to previous year [and] more than 98% of all digital
musical content was downloaded illegally.” In 2010, </span><a href="http://www.dailytech.com/With+Fall+of+LimeWire+US+P2P+Piracy+Rates+Plunge/article21214.htm"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">DailyTech</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> reported that peer-to-peer network piracy rates
were 9-13%. While efforts at trying to
cut piracy on the internet like shutting down LimeWire (2010) and Megaupload
(yesterday) have seemed to limit the amount of those downloading, people are
moving to other sources such as YouTube. One major reason for this approach is
because people support legalizing music online. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In 2003, a </span><a href="http://www.pollingreport.com/computer2.htm"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">CBS News /New York Times poll</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> asked 675 adults nationwide (18-30+ years) a number
of questions on this topic. An even smaller amount answered the question about
music file sharing. When asked </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 115%;">"When it
comes to sharing music over the Internet for free, which comes closest to your
view?” An average of about 17% of all respondents, those 18-29 and those 30 and
older said downloading music is always acceptable. Average of 43% of those from
same groups said that downloading music should be sometimes acceptable. An
average of about 35% said that sharing is never acceptable and about 3% said
they didn’t know. The support for downloading was across the board. A poll the
same year by the FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll of 900 people was a bit more
promising. 61% of those 18-34 approved of “</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">approved downloading music over the Internet” and
only 35% disapproved of it. However, as age increased, people became more
opposed to the idea (probably because they got paranoid or just wanted the
status quo). Of those people 32% had downloaded music over the internet without
a fee. A poll of 2,600 Americans in
2007, reported by MSNBC stated an interesting conclusion. </span><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16828408/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/t/poll-americans-think-downloading-no-big-deal/#.TxjNqfkkpnA"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">They
wrote</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">: “</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Only 40 percent of
Americans polled…agreed that downloading copyrighted movies on the Internet was
a "very serious offense."… 59 percent of Americans polled considered
"parking in a fire lane" a more serious offense than movie
downloading.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The approach of legalizing downloading is supported by a good mass of the
people in every method, rising substantially from 2003 to 2007. On the other
hand, Chris Dodd, a major lobbyist for MPAA, which wants this piracy laws in
place, says that DMCA did not “</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">break the
Internet…deprive anyone of freedom of speech at all. And…did not curtail or
stymie creative innovation in new technology.”(</span><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/chris-dodd-mpaa-piracy-obama-google-283289"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Hollywood Reporter</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">) That’s what Big Music says. </span><a href="http://www.privacydigest.com/2009/12/15/erroneous%20dmca%20notices%20and%20copyright%20enforcement%20part%20deux"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Privacy Digest</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> had a different tact, writing about erroneous DMCA
claims because of the problem in copyright enforcement. Part those problems
stem from a component of DMCA, DRM or Digital Rights management. The website
explains that DRM “restricts users' ability to share content or to consume it
in a proscribed manner…has been largely disliked by end-users…creates a poor
user experience and interferes with expected rights (under </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">fair-use</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> doctrine) [and
allows] copyright infringement notices are needed precisely after
"unprotected" content has already [disappeared].” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Another website comments
in the same vain. </span><a href="http://questioncopyright.org/what_we_lose_when_we_embrace_copyright"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Questioncopyright.org</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> notes that criminalizing downloads is not practical
because there is a lack of jail cell space and “erodes one's civil liberties.”
The major reason is because a phone could be tapped, a house could be put under
surveillance and a computer could be seized. In addition, these measures have
been used to “censor free speech when that speech is [contrary] to a copyright
holder's financial interests” and has negatively affected researchers. Original
copyright law, the cite notes, commercial transactions were prohibited but
after the DMCA passed, then commercial and non-commercial actions were banned.
As the website predicts, DMCA may have been just the beginning of a hard-nosed
approach toward copyright, with the possibility of outlawing of peer-to-peer
networks in the future. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A few months after the
legislation was passed in February 2001, Robin D. Gross commented on DMCA. On </span><a href="http://www.imaginelaw.com/lawyer-attorney-1196084.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">imaginelaw.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">, he wrote: “On the controversial Digital Millennium
Copyright Act (DMCA) took full effect, criminalizing the act of circumvention
of a technological protection system put in place by a copyright holder -- even
if one has a fair use right to access that information.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Two years ago, the
Electronic Frontier Foundation wrote on DMCA as well. They wrote on its
unintended consequences, in </span><a href="https://www.eff.org/wp/unintended-consequences-under-dmca/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">an article</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> titled “Unintended Consequences: twelve years under
DMCA” criticizing the law itself: “anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA
have been invoked not against pirates, but against consumers, scientists, and
legitimate competitors…Section
1201 has been used by a number of copyright owners to stifle free speech and
legitimate scientific research…a number of prominent computer security experts
curtailed their legitimate research activities for fear of potential DMCA
liability…the movie studios effectively obtained a "stop the presses"
order banning the publication of truthful information by a news publication
concerning a matter of public concern...The DMCA, however, prohibits the
creation or distribution of these tools, even if they are crucial to fair
use...Until 2007, authorized digital music download services also utilized DRM
systems that frustrated fair use expectations, and technical restrictions
remain common for subscription services…The DMCA has frequently been used to
deter legitimate innovation and competition, rather than to stop piracy…The
DMCA's anti-circumvention provisions have also threatened to displace
"computer intrusion" and "anti-hacking" laws, something
that Congress plainly never intended…Years of experience with the
"anti-circumvention" provisions of the DMCA demonstrate that the
statute reaches too far, chilling a wide variety of legitimate activities in
ways Congress did not intend…hindering the legitimate activities of innovators,
researchers, the press, and the public at large.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Panix.com takes a
different approach. </span><a href="http://www.panix.com/%7Ejays/why.the.dmca.must.be.repealed"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">They note</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> that “</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Under the old</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">pre-DMCA copyright law, buyers of books, albums, and movie
tapes had many</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">rights
[called fair use]: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">1. You may make
copies for your own use.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">2.
You may lend books, albums, and movies to your friends. You may read a book aloud with your
children. You may invite friends over to
dance to the music of your album. You
may view your movie with friends. You
may stand in front of a room full of
students and read the book, and you and the students may talk about the book.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">3.
If you are a library, you may buy one copy of a book, and lend it out for
free to anyone with a library card. You
may do the same with an album and also with a movie.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">4.
You may make copies of parts of the book, the album, and the movie, in order
to discuss it, to make fun of it, and even incorporate the part in a new work.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">5.
You may sell the book, album, or movie to anyone you wish.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">6.
Any time you want to read the book, listen to the music, view the movie,
you may, without paying one cent more to the copyright holder. You may do these things as often as you
want.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> As you can see, the current approach to piracy
is not a good one. If the approach gets out of control with new laws such as
SOPA or PIPA it is possible that like Russian entertainment producers cited by </span><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/russian-producers-demand-removal-illegal-276029"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Hollywood Reporter</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">, the U.S. government will ask Facebook to take down
its copyrighted videos that are uploaded to its site. If the government doesn’t
ask, it could possibly forcibly shut down Facebook (or parts of it in
retaliation for non-compliance. In Spain a current law like SOPA </span><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sinde-law-illegal-downloads-269328"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">is being proposed</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> and it is unlikely what effect it will have but it
is almost certain that Big Music and the entertainment industry will use it in
their own efforts to push for more government control over the internet. Howard
Zinn writes in his book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A People’s
History of the United States</i> quotes Grover Cleveland’s attorney general,
Richard Olney, talking about the Interstate Commerce Commission. Olney
explains: “The Commission…is or can be made, of great use by railroads. It
satisfies the popular clamor for government supervision of railroads, at the
same time that supervision is nominal…The part of wisdom is to not destroy the
Commission, but to utilize it.” The same is true today with the internet. If
the government regulated the internet, then it is possible that there would be
collusion with industry just like with the Interstate Commerce Commission. As </span><a href="http://questioncopyright.org/what_we_lose_when_we_embrace_copyright"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">questioncopyright.org</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> points out, artists, software engineers and others
can still make money if there is more freedom of information like the ideas I
have proposed. Garden State Community College’s </span><a href="http://www.gadsdenstate.edu/faculty-and-staff/copyright/index.php"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">website</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> it states: “There is a great deal of debate about
the DMCA and copyright law in the digital age. If you disagree with
the law, learn more about it and become involved in trying to change the law.”
I hope you follow that advice and try to change copyright law it for the
better, in a way that would benefit the citizenry at large, not the
entertainment industry since this issue will affect every person that uses the
internet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By Burkely Herman, Chief Correspondent </span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com84tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-48858209652153014442012-01-18T00:47:00.001-05:002012-01-18T00:47:44.807-05:00Enemy Expatriation Acts: A stain on AmericaLearning from USWGO about this bill, I decided to investigate further. Theie blog claims that these laws are a repeat of Hitler's actions. I disagree. <br /><br />The law (House version) is as follows: <br />HR 3166 IH<br />112th CONGRESS<br />1st Session<br />H. R. 3166<br />To add engaging in or supporting hostilities against the United States to the list of acts for which United States nationals would lose their nationality.<br />IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES<br />OCTOBER 12, 2011<br />Mr. DENT (for himself and Mr. ALTMIRE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary<br />A BILL<br />To add engaging in or supporting hostilities against the United States to the list of acts for which United States nationals would lose their nationality.<br />Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,<br />SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.<br />This Act may be cited as the ‘Enemy Expatriation Act’.<br />SEC. 2. LOSS OF NATIONALITY.<br />(a) In General- Section 349 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1481) is amended--<br />Comments<br />Permalink<br />(1) in subsection (a)--<br />(A) in each of paragraphs (1) through (6), by striking ‘or’ at the end;<br />(B) in paragraph (7), by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘; or’; and<br />(C) by adding at the end the following:<br />‘(8) engaging in, or purposefully and materially supporting, hostilities against the United States.’; and<br />(2) by adding at the end the following:<br />‘(c) For purposes of this section, the term ‘hostilities’ means any conflict subject to the laws of war.’.<br />(b) Technical Amendment- Section 351(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1483(a)) is amended by striking ‘(6) and (7)’ and inserting ‘(6), (7), and (8)’.<br />[http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h3166/text]<br /><br />The senate version is exactly the same (http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s1698/text). <br /><br />The major question is, what does the bill actually do? Well, I looked in the U.S. Code to find out. <br /><br />Currently the U.S. Code of that section reads as follows:<br /> § 1481. LOSS OF NATIONALITY BY NATIVE-BORN OR NATURALIZED CITIZEN; VOLUNTARY ACTION; BURDEN OF PROOF; PRESUMPTIONS<br />(a) A person who is a national of the United States whether by birth or naturalization, shall lose his nationality by voluntarily performing any of the following acts with the intention of relinquishing United States nationality—<br />(1) obtaining naturalization in a foreign state upon his own application or upon an application filed by a duly authorized agent, after having attained the age of eighteen years; or<br />(2) taking an oath or making an affirmation or other formal declaration of allegiance to a foreign state or a political subdivision thereof, after having attained the age of eighteen years; or<br />(3) entering, or serving in, the armed forces of a foreign state if<br />(A) such armed forces are engaged in hostilities against the United States, or<br />(B) such persons serve as a commissioned or non-commissioned officer; or<br />(4)<br />(A) accepting, serving in, or performing the duties of any office, post, or employment under the government of a foreign state or a political subdivision thereof, after attaining the age of eighteen years if he has or acquires the nationality of such foreign state; or<br />(B) accepting, serving in, or performing the duties of any office, post, or employment under the government of a foreign state or a political subdivision thereof, after attaining the age of eighteen years for which office, post, or employment an oath, affirmation, or declaration of allegiance is required; or<br />(5) making a formal renunciation of nationality before a diplomatic or consular officer of the United States in a foreign state, in such form as may be prescribed by the Secretary of State; or<br />(6) making in the United States a formal written renunciation of nationality in such form as may be prescribed by, and before such officer as may be designated by, the Attorney General, whenever the United States shall be in a state of war and the Attorney General shall approve such renunciation as not contrary to the interests of national defense; or<br />(7) committing any act of treason against, or attempting by force to overthrow, or bearing arms against, the United States, violating or conspiring to violate any of the provisions of section 2383 of title 18, or willfully performing any act in violation of section 2385 of title 18, or violating section 2384 of title 18 by engaging in a conspiracy to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, if and when he is convicted thereof by a court martial or by a court of competent jurisdiction.<br />(b) Whenever the loss of United States nationality is put in issue in any action or proceeding commenced on or after September 26, 1961 under, or by virtue of, the provisions of this chapter or any other Act, the burden shall be upon the person or party claiming that such loss occurred, to establish such claim by a preponderance of the evidence. Any person who commits or performs, or who has committed or performed, any act of expatriation under the provisions of this chapter or any other Act shall be presumed to have done so voluntarily, but such presumption may be rebutted upon a showing, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the act or acts committed or performed were not done voluntarily.<br /><br />[http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode08/usc_sec_08_00001481----000-.html]<br /><br />The text would be amended in both bills to say:<br />"§ 1481. LOSS OF NATIONALITY BY NATIVE-BORN OR NATURALIZED CITIZEN; VOLUNTARY ACTION; BURDEN OF PROOF; PRESUMPTIONS<br />(a) A person who is a national of the United States whether by birth or naturalization, shall lose his nationality by voluntarily performing any of the following acts with the intention of relinquishing United States nationality—<br />(1) obtaining naturalization in a foreign state upon his own application or upon an application filed by a duly authorized agent, after having attained the age of eighteen years; <br />(2) taking an oath or making an affirmation or other formal declaration of allegiance to a foreign state or a political subdivision thereof, after having attained the age of eighteen years; <br />(3) entering, or serving in, the armed forces of a foreign state if<br />(A) such armed forces are engaged in hostilities against the United States, <br />(B) such persons serve as a commissioned or non-commissioned officer; <br />(4)<br />(A) accepting, serving in, or performing the duties of any office, post, or employment under the government of a foreign state or a political subdivision thereof, after attaining the age of eighteen years if he has or acquires the nationality of such foreign state; <br />(B) accepting, serving in, or performing the duties of any office, post, or employment under the government of a foreign state or a political subdivision thereof, after attaining the age of eighteen years for which office, post, or employment an oath, affirmation, or declaration of allegiance is required; <br />(5) making a formal renunciation of nationality before a diplomatic or consular officer of the United States in a foreign state, in such form as may be prescribed by the Secretary of State; <br />(6) making in the United States a formal written renunciation of nationality in such form as may be prescribed by, and before such officer as may be designated by, the Attorney General, whenever the United States shall be in a state of war and the Attorney General shall approve such renunciation as not contrary to the interests of national defense; <br />(7) committing any act of treason against, or attempting by force to overthrow, or bearing arms against, the United States, violating or conspiring to violate any of the provisions of section 2383 of title 18, or willfully performing any act in violation of section 2385 of title 18, or violating section 2384 of title 18 by engaging in a conspiracy to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, if and when he is convicted thereof by a court martial or by a court of competent jurisdiction.<br />(b) Whenever the loss of United States nationality is put in issue in any action or proceeding commenced on or after September 26, 1961 under, or by virtue of, the provisions of this chapter or any other Act, the burden shall be upon the person or party claiming that such loss occurred, to establish such claim by a preponderance of the evidence. Any person who commits or performs, or who has committed or performed, any act of expatriation under the provisions of this chapter or any other Act shall be presumed to have done so voluntarily, but such presumption may be rebutted upon a showing, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the act or acts committed or performed were not done voluntarily; or<br />(8) engaging in, or purposefully and materially supporting, hostilities against the United States.; <br />(c) For purposes of this section, the term ‘hostilities’ means any conflict subject to the laws of war."<br /><br />I have major concerns with this legislation. The changes have eeriely similar ideas as other legislation passed in the past. Remember the Smith Act, like (7) in the proposed amendments to the U.S. Code. The Act still on the books is as follows: <br />"§ 2385. ADVOCATING OVERTHROW OF GOVERNMENT<br />Whoever knowingly or willfully advocates, abets, advises, or teaches the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying the government of the United States or the government of any State, Territory, District or Possession thereof, or the government of any political subdivision therein, by force or violence, or by the assassination of any officer of any such government; or<br />Whoever, with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of any such government, prints, publishes, edits, issues, circulates, sells, distributes, or publicly displays any written or printed matter advocating, advising, or teaching the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying any government in the United States by force or violence, or attempts to do so; or<br />Whoever organizes or helps or attempts to organize any society, group, or assembly of persons who teach, advocate, or encourage the overthrow or destruction of any such government by force or violence; or becomes or is a member of, or affiliates with, any such society, group, or assembly of persons, knowing the purposes thereof—<br />Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.<br />If two or more persons conspire to commit any offense named in this section, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.<br />As used in this section, the terms “organizes” and “organize”, with respect to any society, group, or assembly of persons, include the recruiting of new members, the forming of new units, and the regrouping or expansion of existing clubs, classes, and other units of such society, group, or assembly of persons."<br /><br />Under this proposed law, the Enemy Expatriation Act the crime of professing overthrow of the U.S. government expands. Under the Smith Act of 1940, if you advocate abet, advise or say it it is one's duty and is desirible to "overthrow...or destroy...the government of the United States or the government of any State, Territory, District or Possession...by force or violence." you can be imprisoned for 20 years, fined or blacklisted from any future federal government jobs. Also under the 1940 law if you intend to destroy and overthrow government and you "print...publish...edit...issue... circulate...sell...distribute...or publicly display...any written or printed matter [that] advocat[es], advis [es] or [preaches that such action is a] necessity [or is] desirabil[e]...by force or violence" then you can be blacklisted from a government job, put prison for twenty years or fined. Also if you organize, help organize such action or "become...a member of, or affiliate.... with, any such society, group, or assembly of persons" that supports the violent overthrow of government, you<br />face the same punishment. If it includes two or more people, they face the same punishment. <br /><br />This law, the Enemy Expatriation Act, would force renouncement of citizenship on a U.S. citizen if they commit treason, attempt to overthrow (violently or non violently) the United States government, conspire to commit treason or overthrow government, destroy by force the government itself or fulfill the vague statement and "levy war against them [the establishment]."<br /><br />Most of the provisions in the original amended law were in a sense dormant, as the U.S. government had a number of reasons why one would lose their citizenship. Now they have been reawakened in this this legislation. One of the more disturbing revivals is the power to the Attorney General, who "shall approve such renunciation [of citizenship] as not contrary to the interests of national defense." So, if you are considered as not advancing the "interests of national defense" (interests of the military-industrial-complex) your citizenship can be revoked. Under the proposed law if you obtain "naturalization in a foreign state" at age 18, your citizenship can be taken away. At the same age, allegiance can have the same effect. "Taking an oath or making an affirmation or other formal declaration of allegiance to a foreign state or a political subdivision" can take away one's citizenship. Serving in armed forces "engaged in hostilities against the United States" can remove one's citizenship. It is unsure what "engaged in hosilities" means, which seems to be another ambiguity of the law. Being employed in a "foreign state or a political subdivision thereof" after age 18 (if you are a citizen of that country) and taking an oath or affirmation for such a job removes citizenship. Also, "making a formal renunciation of nationality before a diplomatic or consular officer of the United States in a foreign state" removes citizenship ( only good part of the bill).<br /><br />Of the proposed legislation, the laat part is the most troubling. Under (8), if a U.S. citizen engages in "purposefully and materially support[s] hostilities against the United States" citizenship can be revoked. This could br used for the purpose of stopping peace activists from standing up to the war machine. In (8)(c) this is not clarified as it defines as "any conflict subject to the laws of war." I am not sure what laws of war means but if it is talking about the Hague Conventions in 1899 and 1907, the law is mistaken. In both conventions, treaties came out which required peaceful settlement before war. The later Kellogg-Briand Pact, renounced war as an instument of foreign policy, in a sense outlawing it. <br /><br />I am concerned about this legislation not only because phrases like "laws of war" are ambigious, but because of the expanded power given to government. My fear is that this law could be used to stamp out peaceful protest and is just a way for the establishment to maintain control. Tell your "Congressmen and Senators to please heed to call" and vote against the Enemy Expatriation Act.<br />- Burkely Hermann<br /><br />Names of legislation in Congress:<br />S. 1698 <br />H. 3166<br />Use opencongress.org to send letters, or find your specific senators or representatives and sdnd them letters. <br /><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-345039611019341092012-01-07T22:50:00.001-05:002012-01-07T22:50:09.213-05:00Jerry Brown joins the corporatistsReprinted from HermannView (blog)<br /><br />Recently, Jerry Brown, the governor of California is cutting $1 billion in welfare in an effort to "save money." The Sacremento Bee reported that Governor Brown's proposed budget would slash "nearly $1.4 billion in welfare and child care aid for the poor while holding voters liable for $5 billion in education funding with a November tax measure." (http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/01/brown-budget-cuts-1-billion-from-welfare.html) The Bee writes that the Governor "estimates the state faces a $9.2 billion general fund deficit through June 2013, which he proposes to bridge with mostly cuts and taxes. Brown will ask voters to pass a $6.9 billion ballot measure in November that raises taxes on sales and income starting with single filers earning $250,000 a year. The taxes would last through 2016." This proposal concerns me deeply. First, $1.4 billion will be cut in welfare, hurting those that are already suffering in the State. Remember that 49 million were estimated by the Census as being in poverty, as its evident that it's much higher. The blog Sweet and Sour Socialism writes that "The New York Times...declared the number living in poverty to be 100 million, or one in every three people in the U.S....the Associated Press...found that 150 million — meaning nearly one out of every two people — were either poor or “near poor.” Near poor means struggling to pay bills." (http://sweetandsoursocialism.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/half-of-u-s-poor-karl-marx-was-right-gap-grows-between-99-and-1-workers-world/) <br /><br />Now, onto the other proposals in the budget. Raising taxes on those with more than $250,000 is a good advancement, but the taxes don't even begin for a year and such taxes are only in effect for three years. In addition, sales taxes will rise for everyone. In his budget summary, the Governor confirms these facts: "The budget I am submitting today keeps the cuts made last year and adds new ones. The stark truth is without some new taxes, damaging cuts to schools, universities, public safety and the courts will only increase...I ask voters to approve a temporary tax increase on the wealthy, a modest and temporary increase in sales tax and to guarantee that the new revenues be spent on education...this ballot measure does not solve all of our fiscal problems...it improves government efficiency and pays down debt. It reorganizes state government...by consolidating or elimating functions...restructures social services...gives more flexibility to local school districts...assure[s] a reliable water supply, [construction of] high speed rail and reduc[tion] of greenhouse gas emissions." I am concerned with the reduction of bureaucracy included in this budget. The cuts in welfare reminds me of the supposed "welfare reform" passed by Congress in 1996 (and pushed by Bill Clinton). According to Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States: "In the summer of 1996 (apparently seeking the support of "centrist" voters for the coming election), Clinton signed a law to end the federal government's guarantee, created under the New Deal, of financial help to poor families with dependent children. This was called "welfare reform," and the law itself had the deceptive tide of "Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996." Its aim was to force poor families receiving federal cash benefits (many of them single mothers with children) to go to work, by cutting off their benefits after two years, limiting lifetime benefits to five years, and allowing people without children to get food stamps for only three months in any three-year period." (http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/zinnclicri23.html) <br /><br />Getting back to the budget, the Governor plans to cut bureaucracy. He further elaborates that he will "shrink state government...by reducing the state workforce by 15,000 positions and eliminating 20 boards, commissions, task offices, and departments." This is reminiscant to President Clinton's push against "Big Government." It ended up just benefiting the rich and not the common man, on of the reasons for the second Great Depression we are in right now. <br /><br />By Burkely Hermann<br /><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-48808554105893195462011-12-22T12:00:00.000-05:002011-12-22T12:00:09.879-05:00America's involvement in Iran: Past and Present<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yL1-Q2CfQBI/TvKB1lfz9tI/AAAAAAAAAV4/P55ja4IreRk/s1600/AMERICAN+INTERVENTIONS+IN+IRAN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yL1-Q2CfQBI/TvKB1lfz9tI/AAAAAAAAAV4/P55ja4IreRk/s1600/AMERICAN+INTERVENTIONS+IN+IRAN.jpg" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Historically, the United States was
been involved in Iran during the Cold War. According to Howard Zinn's A
People's History of American Empire after the U.S. Embassy in Iran was seized
in 1979 and hostages were taken, shocking evidence was found. Shredded top
secret documents "exposed deep U.S. involvement in propping up the Shah's
brutal regime." It all started with a period of unrest. From 1912 to 1951,
the British worked to maintain control of Iranian oil through the Anglo-Iranian
company (A.I.O.C). Mossadegh's election as Prime Minister in 1951 led to a
nationalization of the oil industry and a British trade embargo. They were
preparing for war but U.S. President Harry Truman demanded they negotiate with
the Iranian Prime Minister. Eventually Mr. Truman won the fight, making the
British back down. But wasn't the end of the story.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Britain next asked for help in
overthrowing Mossadegh and the CIA under Allen Dulles's command created a plan
for doing so. The United States started "Operation Ajax" to overthrow
the Prime Minister covertly through propaganda, violence and cleverness.
However Wasinghton told operatives in Iran to abandon the plot when Mossedegh
escaped, but the operatives pressed on. Through pro-Shah rioting, causing chaos
on the streets, Mossadegh evacuated his house. General Zahedi, the new Prime
Minister rode through the streets on a tank and annouced the overthrow of
Mossadegh as the Prime Minister. Days later he turned himself in and declared
he was a patriot. He said the only crime he had committed was nationalizing
Iran's oil and removing western colonialism from the country. For this
statement and his “anti-Western” actions, he was convicted and sentenced to
three years. Afterwards,$5 million was covertly transferred to the new government
and U.S. oil companies gobbled up 40% of Iran's oil market.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The installed ruler named Mohammad
Reza Pahlavi, commonly called the Shah, brutally governed Iran for next 26
years. Almost immediately, sixty former Mossadegh supporters and supporters of
the two major national parties were executed. Hundreds more were arrested and
national parties were banned. In 1963, the Shah pushed for reforms in culture,
society, economics and elections called the "White Revolution." This
infuriated Muslim clerics, including Aytollah Ruhollah Khomieni. His speeches
inspired massive demonstrations which were stopped by the Savak, the Shah's
secret police through violent repression (One must remember that these forces received
$500,000 from the Kennedy Administration for "riot control”). Every
opposition action led to torture in prisons, mosques or the streets. In early
1978 hundreds of protesters were massacred in Qom by the Shah's armed forces.
This ratcheted up the tension and the Khomieni called for the ousting of the
Shah. In fact, the Shah left on his own accord. Khomieni returned to Iran in
the early months of 1979, calling for a national referendum. A few months later
he was declared the Supreme Leader of an Islamic Republic by popular vote. After
debating the issue for a long time, President Jimmy Carter accepted the Shah
into America to give him access to some of the best medical facilities in the
world. Radicals were outraged and with Khomieni's call for mass demonstrations,
the U.S. Embassy was occupied by Iranian students. Remembering their history
these occupiers wanted to prevent another possible coup d'etat led by America.
Ever since, relations gave been strained with the Islamic Republic and hurt
with the rest of the Arab World.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In the present, that
history has come up again and again in Iranian consciousness. According to
WikiLeaks cache of U.S. embassy cables, there is number of different
discoveries about Iran. For one, the United States has been involved in Iran in
some way since that time and people are tired of reforms. A timeline of the
cables sent about Iran shows an interesting perspective of American by Iranians
and vice versa. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">On August 3<sup>rd</sup>
2009 a cable stated: “In a sprawling indictment, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">the IRIG [Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps] linked US and <span class="hilite">Iran</span>-based NGOs, Israel, foreign media outlets, the MEK,
human and labor rights activists such as Shirin Ebadi, and <span class="hilite">Iran</span>ian
reformist figures, among others, in a vast conspiracy aimed at toppling the
IRIG</b>… The prosecutor read a sprawling indictment linking US and <span class="hilite">Iran</span>-based NGOs, Israel, foreign media, the MEK, human and
labor rights activists and <span class="hilite">Iran</span>ian reformist figures,
among others, in a vast conspiracy aimed at toppling the IRIG… The Islamic
Republic has long used manufactured confessions and woven elaborate charges
involving foreign hands to discredit both activists with political aspirations
and apolitical critics of the ruling system.” (<a href="http://www.cablegatesearch.net/cable.php?id=09RPODUBAI327&q=dissidents%20iran">http://www.cablegatesearch.net/cable.php?id=09RPODUBAI327&q=dissidents%20iran</a>)
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This accusation,
although the U.S. government denies it in the cable (in the last sentence), has
some basis. One must realize that the story of the cable changed twice, first the
IRIG linked groups to the conspiracy then it becomes the prosecutor that read
the indictment. The USA Today reported a story that almost confirms the
indictment. In 2009, the news outlet wrote in an article titled <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-06-25-iran-money_N.htm">“U.S.
grants support to Iranian dissidents”</a><span class="inside-head">: </span>“<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Obama administration is moving forward
with plans to fund groups that support Iranian dissidents</b>, records and
interviews show, continuing a program that became controversial when it was
expanded by President Bush…U.S. efforts to support Iranian opposition groups
have been criticized in recent years as <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">veiled
attempts to promote "regime change,"</b> said Trita Parsi, president
of the National Iranian American Council, the largest Iranian-American advocacy
group. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The grants enable Iran's rulers
to paint opponents as tools of the United States</b>, he said.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Four days after 9/11,
on September 15<sup>th</sup>, 2001, one cable remarked “OF THE FEW <span class="hilite1">IRAN</span>IANS INTERVIEWED WHO APPEARED TO BE MORE SUPPORTIVE OF
TEHRAN'S POLICIES, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">COUNTERBALANCING US
INFLUENCE IN THE REGION WAS SEEN TO BE A MOTIVATOR FOR THE REGIME'S ACTIVITIES</b>…HEAVY
US SUPPORT OF ISRAEL HAS INSURED THAT <span class="hilite1">IRAN</span> WOULD
SUPPORT THE PALESTINIANS, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">AND PROVIDED</b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A CONVENIENT PRETEXT FOR US CONTINUANCE</b>…DUBAI-BASED
<span class="hilite1">IRAN</span>IAN ENTREPRENEUR PROVIDED HIS OPINION OF WESTERN
ASSERTIONS THAT THE <span class="hilite1">IRAN</span>IAN GOVERNMENT IS A STATE
SPONSOR OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM…<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">[HE] MAINTAINED
THAT THE <span class="hilite1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IRAN</b></span>IAN
GOVERNMENT IS NOT DOING "ANYTHING DIFFERENT THAN ISRAEL, THE US OR
UK." ACCORDING TO HIM THE US SELECTIVELY SINGLES OUT <span class="hilite1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IRAN</b></span> </b>AND HE USED THE UAE-<span class="hilite1">IRAN</span> DISPUTE OVER ABU MUSA AND THE TUNBS ISLANDS AS AN
EXAMPLE, SAYING THAT THE ONLY TIME THE GCC MAKES BELLIGERENT STATEMENTS AGAINST
<span class="hilite1">IRAN</span> IS WHEN THE US IS PRESSURING THEM TO PUNISH
TEHRAN. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">HE CONTINUED THAT THE ORGANS IN <span class="hilite1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IRAN</b></span> THAT CARRY
OUT INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM--SUCH AS THE INTELLIGENCE SERVICES--ARE NECESSARY
IN ORDER FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO RETAIN POWER.</b>” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(<a href="http://www.cablegatesearch.net/cable.php?id=01DUBAI1141&q=iran">http://www.cablegatesearch.net/cable.php?id=01DUBAI1141&q=iran</a>)
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The most important
parts in this cable, other than the counterbalancing of the U.S. influence by
Iran are important to understanding the Iranian perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cable records the argument of an Iranian
entrepreneur who maintained that Iran is following in Israeli, American and
British footsteps. Noam Chomsky remarks in his book “9-11” about American
footsteps. He writes: “We should recognize that in much of the world the U.S.
is the regarded as a leading terrorist state, and with good reason. We might
bear in mind, for example, that in 1986 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">the
U.S. was condemned by the World Court for “unlawful use of force” </b>(international
terrorism) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">then vetoed a Security
Council Resolution calling on all states (meaning the U.S.) to adhere to
international law</b>.” As to the claim that Britain is a terrorist state,
there is some validity to that statement as well. One book came out on the
subject seems to summarize this thought. The <a href="http://www.alibris.com/search/books/qwork/14487630/used/Londonistan%3A%20How%20Britain%20is%20Creating%20a%20Terror%20State%20within">synopsis
of the book</a> states: “Under the noses of the British government, parliament,
intelligence services and police, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Britain
has become the European hub for the promotion, recruitment and financing of
Islamist terror and extremism</b>. Terrorists have used it to plot, finance,
recruit and train for atrocities throughout the world, and now also at home.”
For the idea that Israel is a terrorist state, there is also evidence for that
claim as well. <a href="http://www.serendipity.li/zionism/israel_terr.htm">One
website argues</a> that exact point:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“It
hardly needs to be pointed out that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Israel
is a terrorist state</b>. Brutal repression of, and bloody attacks on,
Palestinian civilians with the official Israeli aim of causing a change in the
policies or actions of the Palestinian leadership is a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">clear case of terrorism</b>…<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Israel
has been a terrorist state from its beginning, and has its foundations in
terrorism</b>.” However, the businessman’s point is still not a valid defense
of Iranian actions. It reminds me of the times Republicans exclaim that climate
change legislation isn’t in effect in China and as result is shouldn’t happen
in America. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Only seventeen years
earlier the United States had attempted a coup in Iran and on May 21<sup>st</sup>,
1997, a diplomatic cable stated: “REFERRING TO IMMUNITY FROM PROSECUTION IN <span class="hilite1">IRAN</span>IAN COURTS FOR U.S. MILITARY AND CIVILIAN PERSONNEL, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">KHOMEINI FULMINATED THAT THEY HAVE REDUCED
THE <span class="hilite1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IRAN</b></span>IAN
PEOPLE "TO A LEVEL LOWER THAN THAT OF AN AMERICAN DOG</b>…THEREFORE, A
PREEMINENT CONSIDERATION FOR <span class="hilite1">IRAN</span>'S RULERS ON ANY
CONTACTS WITH THE U.S., WILL BE HOW TO ENGAGE WITHOUT APPEARING TO COMPROMISE
THIS PRIZED INDEPENDENCE…<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THEY FIND IT SO
INCREDIBLE THAT THEY BELIEVE WE ACTUALLY DO SEE IT BUT ARE CHOOSING TO
DELIBERATELY AND SUBTLY HELP THE REGIME</b>…IT IS <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ONLY A SHORT LEAP TO </b>THE FERVENT<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> STATEMENT THAT THE U.S. OUSTED THE SHAH AND INSTALLED KHOMEINI BECAUSE
<span class="hilite1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IRAN</b></span> WAS
BECOMING TOO POWERFUL IN THE REGION FOR OUR TASTE.</b> ALTHOUGH THIS MAY SOUND
INCREDIBLE AND FAR-FETCHED TO AMERICAN EARS, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">VARIANTS OF THIS BELIEF ARE AMAZINGLY WIDESPREAD AMONG THE <span class="hilite1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IRAN</b></span>IANS WE
MEET</b>…FROM THE <span class="hilite1">IRAN</span>IAN REGIME'S PERSPECTIVE, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THE UNITED STATES HAS CONTROL OVER THEIR
DESTINY.</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THEY TRULY WORRY THAT WE
CAN UNSEAT THEM IF WE WISH. </b>EVEN IF THEY CALCULATE THAT WE HAVE NO PRESENT
INTENTION TO DO SO, THEY PROBABLY NURSE FEARS THIS COULD CHANGE…THE U.S. ARE AS
MUCH A DOMESTIC AS A FOREIGN POLICY ISSUE FOR <span class="hilite1">IRAN</span>…<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">U.S. HAS NO PRESENCE AND LITTLE INFLUENCE IN
<span class="hilite1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IRAN</b></span>…THIS
ABSENCE OF DIRECT CONTACTS PUTS US AT A DISADVANTAGE IN BRINGING DIRECT
PRESSURE TO BEAR TO ADVANCE OUR INTERESTS. </b>THE <span class="hilite1">IRAN</span>IANS
DON'T SEE IT THIS WAY…THE U.S. HAS ATTEMPTED TO DESIGN A CAGE OF SANCTIONS AND
PRESSURE TO CONTAIN <span class="hilite1">IRAN</span>. BUT THERE IS LITTLE POINT
IN KEEPING THE PERSIAN LION IN A CAGE AND JUST PRODDING HIM, GETTING HIM MADDER
AND MADDER. IT DOES NOT FOLLOW THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO PRODDING, BUT RATHER
THAT, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">AT SOME POINT, THE DOOR TO THE
CAGE MUST BE OPENED SO THE LION KNOWS WHICH WAY TO GO</b>.” (<a href="http://www.cablegatesearch.net/cable.php?id=97ABUDHABI3777&q=iran">http://www.cablegatesearch.net/cable.php?id=97ABUDHABI3777&q=iran</a>)
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This cable is
interesting for a few reasons. One reason is because it mentions the anger
toward the United States, less than twenty years after the American-installed
ruler, the Shah, was deposed. To put those statements into context, one must
remember that the United States had military actions in Iran in 1946, 1980,
1984 and 1987-8. Also, the Central Intelligence Agency overthrew a
democratically elected government in 1953, causing great outrage. The fact that
United States says its influence is little is an understatement considering the
fact that globalization has spread American products far in wide, even at that
time. On the other hand, one statement shocked me more than everything else in
the cable: “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ABSENCE OF DIRECT CONTACTS
PUTS US AT A DISADVANTAGE IN BRINGING DIRECT PRESSURE TO BEAR TO ADVANCE OUR
INTERESTS.</b>” From that quoted portion it seems the U.S. government wants a
covert operation in the country or the possible overthrow of the government.
Today, according to an <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5it1YUgfwpCQXMXOh38bpdoatRZ6Q?docId=CNG.7949eeded2c785ca3f9459e7654efaa8.d1">AP
article</a> Republican candidates Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney are calling for
a similar objective: the overthrow of governments in Syria and Iran. Rick
Santorum did not go to that extreme yet he said covert operations are needed in
Iran and Rick Perry called for sanctions, the Obama Administration’s approach. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The previous year, the
covert regime change in Iraq had ended and on November 12<sup>th</sup>, 1996 a
cable stated: “ABDUL HAQ, A FORMER LEADER OF THE AFGHAN COMMANDERS SHURA…<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">SAID TEHRAN VIEWED THE TALEBAN AS A U.S.
TOOL AIMED AT DESTABILIZING <span class="hilite1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IRAN</b></span>. </b>HE ALSO FELT THE CONTINUATION OF THE CONFLICT IN
AFGHANISTAN WAS DRIVING <span class="hilite1">IRAN</span> AND SUNNI EXTREMISTS
INTO EACH OTHER'S ARMS AND IF THIS CONTINUES "OUR MAIN EXPORT WILL BE
TERRORISM."…COMMENTING ON HIS VISITS TO <span class="hilite1">IRAN</span>,
ABDUL HAQ SAID THE <span class="hilite1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IRAN</b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IANS HATE THE TALEBAN</b>. HE SAID <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THEY ARE CONVINCED THAT THE TALEBAN ARE NOT
MERELY CONTROLLED BY PAKISTAN, BUT ARE PART OF A SINISTER U.S. DESIGN TO
DESTABILIZE <span class="hilite1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IRAN</b></span>.</b>
THE REASONING APPEARS TO BE THAT A HARDLINE SUNNI ISLAMIST REGIME IN
AFGHANISTAN MIGHT APPEAL TO THE LARGE SUNNI ETHNIC MINORITIES THAT INHABIT <span class="hilite1">IRAN</span>'S PERIPHERY, E.G. IN BALUCHISTAN. HE ALSO SAID THAT,
LIKE IT OR NOT, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THE U.S. WAS IDENTIFIED
WITH THE TALEBAN AMONG AFGHANS. </b>IF THEY WIN, THE U.S. WILL BE SEEN TO GAIN.
IF THEY LOSE, <span class="hilite1">IRAN</span> WILL BE SEEN TO HAVE GAINED… HE
SAID <span class="hilite1">IRAN</span> IS ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT A PAKISTAN-
AFGHANISTAN COMMERCIAL ALLIANCE COMPETING WITH <span class="hilite1">IRAN</span>
FOR ACCESS TO THE MARKETS OF THE CIS.” (<a href="http://www.cablegatesearch.net/cable.php?id=96ABUDHABI7350&q=iran">http://www.cablegatesearch.net/cable.php?id=96ABUDHABI7350&q=iran</a>)
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I found this cable
interesting because it made clear that the Taliban was perceived as a U.S.
instrument for change in that country. A similarity to those possible covert
activities came up in an article published eleven days ago. The <a href="http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/dec2011/iran-d10.shtml">WSWS wrote</a>:
“<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The United States is waging a sustained
covert campaign of destabilisation against Iran</b>, focusing on efforts to
disrupt its nuclear program… President Barack Obama…issue[d] a bellicose
statement threatening possible military action: “No options off the table means
I’m considering all options,” he said….Britain’s <em>Daily Mail</em> asked
bluntly, “Has the West's war with Iran already begun? Mystery explosions at
nuke sites, ‘assassinated’ scientists and downed drones fuel fears <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">covert conflict is under way</b>.” Writing
in the <em>Guardian</em>, Seamus Milne was less equivocal. “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">War on Iran has already begu</b>n. Act
before it threatens all of us,” ran his comment. “For months the evidence has
been growing that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">a US-Israeli stealth
war against Iran has already begun</b>, backed by Britain and France.” Paul
Vallely, in the <em>Independent</em>, was equally blunt, declaring, “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">War on Iran has begun</b>. And it is
madness.”” Even if the allegations about the Taliban weren’t correct in 1997,
covert operations are alive and well in Iran today, led by United States
(confirmed by the downing of the CIA drone) and not surprisingly by Israel as
well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Getting back to the
present, the year of the Iranian election, a cable stated on August 3<sup>rd</sup>:
“The Syrian media consultant said that the heated debates before the election,
in which <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">the three challengers --
Mousavi, Karroubi, and Reza'i -- publicly criticized Ahmadinejad for corruption
and economic mismanagement</b>, made it clear to Arabs that this election was
about <span class="hilite">Iran</span>, not the U.S. This distinction, coupled
with the U.S.' restraint in commenting on the election, provided an <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">unprecedented window for Arab commentators
to criticize Ahmadinejad without appearing to side with the U.S</b>…One Saudi
commentator contrasted Turkish regional mediation, which he described as a
positive force in the region, with <span class="hilite">Iran</span>ian regional
intervention, which he called pernicious and destabilizing. A Lebanese
commentator noted the irony of <span class="hilite">Iran</span> accusing
outsiders of interfering in its internal affairs when there is not "one
corner of the Arab world" where <span class="hilite">Iran</span> does not
intervene behind the scenes.” (<a href="http://www.cablegatesearch.net/cable.php?id=09RPODUBAI316&q=dissidents%20iran">http://www.cablegatesearch.net/cable.php?id=09RPODUBAI316&q=dissidents%20iran</a>)
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I find this cable one
of the most interesting of all. The challengers to Ahmadinejad argue that the
election should be about “Iran, not the U.S.” On the next line the cable comments
that reporters will not “appear…to side with the U.S.” Well, are they sided
with the America? That is a question to be answered with further research.
Coming back to the cable, the Saudi and Lebanese commentators seem to be picked
out of the blue, supporting the U.S. government’s narrative. This cable does
not mention (conveniently) the most recent plot to overthrow Iran’s government.
An <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2007/05/bush_authorizes/">ABC
article</a> published in 2007 remarks: “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The
CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert
"black" operation to destabilize the Iranian government</b>, current
and former officials in the intelligence community tell the Blotter on
ABCNews.com. The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of
the sensitive nature of the subject, say <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">President
Bush has signed a "nonlethal presidential finding" that puts into
motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of
propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran’s currency and
international financial transactions</b>... The "nonlethal" aspect of
the presidential finding means CIA officers may not use deadly force in
carrying out the secret operations against Iran. Still, some <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">fear that even a nonlethal covert CIA
program carries great risks</b>… Other "lethal" findings have
authorized CIA covert actions against al Qaeda, terrorism and nuclear
proliferation… As earlier reported on the Blotter on ABCNews.com, the United
States has supported and encouraged an Iranian militant group, Jundullah that
has conducted deadly raids inside Iran from bases on the rugged Iran-Pakistan-Afghanistan
"tri-border region.”” If you scoff at this idea, Wikipedia puts in even
clearer words. The idea sounds similar to Operation Ajax, the covert operation
that ended up with the deposing of the democratically-elected leader, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mossadegh</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">
in 1953. Wikipedia’s page on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covert_U.S._regime_change_actions#Iran_2001-present">U.S.
covert regime change</a> states the following: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">President Bush secretly authorized the CIA to undertake black
operations against Iran in an effort to topple the Iranian government. The
Black Ops include a U.S. propaganda and disinformation campaign intended to
destabilize the government, and disrupting the Iranian economy by manipulating
the country's currency and its international financial transactions.<sup> </sup></b>The
United States began to target Iran and several other Muslim countries for
regime change starting at least in 2001…An article in the <i>New York Times</i>
in 2005 said that the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bush
administration was expanding efforts to influence Iran's internal politics with
aid for opposition and pro-democracy groups abroad and longer broadcasts
criticizing the Iranian government</b>…Un-named administration officials were
reported as saying <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">the State Department
was also studying dozens of proposals for spending $3 million in the coming
year "for the benefit of Iranians living inside Iran"</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">including broadcast activities, Internet
programs and "working with people inside Iran" on advancing political
activities there.<sup> </sup></b>In 2006, the United States congress passed the
Iran Freedom and Support Act which <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">directed
$10 million towards groups opposed to the Iranian Government</b>… The U.S.
provides no direct funding to the [Pakistani militant] group, which would
require an official presidential order or "presidential finding" as
well as congressional oversight. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tribal
sources tell ABC News that money for Jundullah is funneled to Abd el Malik Regi
through Iranian exiles who have connections with European and Persian Gulf
states</b>…<i>The New Yorker</i> reported in November 2006 that a U.S.
government consultant with close ties to the Pentagon civilian leadership
leaked the news of secret US support for PEJAK for operations inside Iran,
stating that the group had been given "a list of targets inside Iran of
interest to the U.S.”” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In conclusion, it is
right for Iran to be angry at the United States due to current actions there
covertly and actions in the past. One of those actions was the 1953 overthrow
of government, mentioned throughout this article, leading to a hostage crisis
and the leadership of Islamic fundamentalists led by Khomeini. I hope that all
those reading this gain understanding of the perspectives on this topic and
participate in peaceful, direct action to bring about change. </span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-42772138694667212122011-12-19T23:57:00.001-05:002011-12-21T20:08:42.552-05:00Spanish elections: A victory for the People's Party<div style="color: black;">
After scanning the article on NPR on the subject, I decided to do some further research. I have previously written about the Occupy Wall Street Movement, a World Revolution and the European Revolution. I thought this topic would relate directly to those issues. </div>
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National Public Radio wrote: "Conservatives will be officially sworn into power in Spain this week for the first time in nearly eight years. Since 2004, the country's Socialists have legalized gay marriage, liberalized abortion laws and presided over the country's biggest-ever financial boom — and now downturn. The new year is likely to be marked by extreme austerity and diminished expectations." (http://n.npr.org/NPRI/jN266799891_1142395_1142383_Z.htm) However, what they leave out is the protests in Europe which many activists say correctly that it's not being covered by the media in Europe or elsewhere. NPR is right on one count: that this year will have extreme austerity. The Real News Network has focused on this subject in a number of their videos, along with the protests as well: http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=767&Itemid=74&jumival=7102, http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=767&Itemid=74&jumival=7095 and http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=767&Itemid=74&jumival=6821.</div>
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One may ask: What really happened in the elections in Spain? Well, I used the search engine icerocket.com to find an answer to the question. In an article titled "The Pain in Spain," Trisha Craig published on Eurovison, this question is tackled. The article notes the change in policy by the Mariano Rajoy, Spain’s newly elected President. According to the article , Mr. Rajoy "gave his first speech in his new role before Parliament and laid out his plans to deal with the crisis...Some of the highlights of Rajoy’s plan include: Linking pensions to the consumer price index, the only increase in the proposal...Freezing public sector employment except for the armed and security forces and basic public services...Reform of regulatory bodies...Eliminat[ing] early retirements to bring the real age of retirement into line with the official age and not repeal the law raising the retirement age to 67 (that the PP had opposed while in opposition)...Shifting public holidays to the nearest Monday to avoid the ‘bridge’ holidays where any holiday now typically turns into stretch of days off to the closest weekend...There is a focus on eliminating waste, reducing costs and improving services...Rajoy has proposed...a tax cut for firms that hire young workers and women in order to tackle the high unemployment among those groups...[There is also a] lack of new taxes [in this plan]." (http://patriciacraig.blogspot.com/2011/12/pain-in-spain.html) One may ask if these ideas promote further austerity and cutting in Europe. The American-based Heritage Foundation declared that "Spain Votes Out Big Government" (http://jacecar.com/2011/11/podcast-spain-votes-out-big-government/). </div>
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Wikipedia had a comprehensive article on the subject better than some of the blogs. Of the six parties, only one, the People's Party got a majority in the government </div>
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(All 350 seats of the Congress of Deputies and 264 seats in the Senate were open for slection). That majority was 186 seats overall or 43.87% of the vote, up 32 seats from the previous election. The PSOE, the current and ruling party leaving in December gained, 39.94% of the vote, 110 seats, 59 less seats than the previous election. The United Left, UPyD CiU and Amaiur gained 9, 4, 6 and 7 seats respectfully. </div>
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What does that mean for the citizenry? Will they prosper or will they have more problems? A second Great Depression is occuring worldwide, so many are feeling the pinch. Even the writer of this article predicts that when he enters college he will be poor and have no job. One must remember that Spain has between 23 and 30% unemployed. </div>
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Welsh Ramblings wrote a blog that in a sense answered some of those questions. Mr. Ramblings wrote: "The election results from the Spanish state illustrate perfectly the political deficit...The centre-left PSOE has been ousted by the Partido Popular, the centre-right Spanish nationalist party founded largely by reformists from the tail end of the Franco dictatorship...it is difficult to believe that the PP has won an absolute majority. The PP is even more right-wing than the social democrats who...implement...the same medicine that the PP is offering...The PP's solution to the Spanish state's woes comprises yet more austerity. They are utterly tied to the same economic model as PSOE. They have made populist gestures about protecting pensions, health and education, and only cutting "superfluous spending" and bureaucracy, but you sense that if resolving the crisis was that easy, the centre-left would have had no problems." (http://welshramblings.blogspot.com/2011/11/spanish-elections-and-centre-left.html)</div>
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Spanish bloggers reacted in different ways to the election in their country. Sarah, a citizen living in Madrid, blogged on the election but knew very little on politics. She commented that "the whole country has been really unhappy with Zapatero for a while now because of the economy, the lack of jobs, etc." (http://sarahenmadrid.blogspot.com/2011/12/spanish-elections.html) She said that legalizing gay marriage and abortion within his term she agreed with and were his outstanding accomplishments during his term of office. As a result she did not like the current leader elected by the people wrote "we'll see how it goes." Bloodbuzed's blogspot takes a competely different approach. The blogpost questions the whole Parliamentary system in an article titled "Spanish Elections Results: and the real parliament is..." (http://bloodbuzzed.blogspot.com/2011/11/spanish-elections-results-and-real.html) The blog user named Mr. September writes: "The results of Sunday's parliamentary elections prove...The axiom one person, one vote, is false in Spain...The variations are so disproportionate (thanks to the unacceptable criteria of the circumscription divisions in provinces) that the whole system HAS to be questioned." He proposes that Spanish elections are done with a proportional system to better reflect the will of the people. He later clarifies his view and calls for people to stand up against the injustice: I'm not saying the electoral system has to be a pure proportional one, but it is clear that what we have now doesn't represent equally the voters-citizens of this country. We have to fight to change this."</div>
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Who else is fighting for change? The Spanish protestors! They are the same ones I wrote about on August 6th of this year. At the time I wrote: "The world revolution has its roots in France where the “European Revolution” was dubbed by protestors began. According to europeanrevolution.net[v]: “At least 20 of the most important cities in France have their square occupied by youth protesters. Calling themseleves the Indignés…France seems to hold a leading position in the new European Revolution...They demand a Constitutive Assembly to make govern[ments] ‘remember’ that ‘people [are] sovereign’…stress…inequality of o[p]portunities and priorities between represented and representat[ives], between reality and ideologies. They ask [their voice to be heard by the governments].” The demands juts articulated shows that people (possibly in the millions) are serious with their concerns and want a changed world order...To see the impetus for the action in France, you have to go back to the protests in Spain. At one point, protesters called for a world revolution and future reforms as written on Raw Story[vi]: “From Tahrir to Madrid to the world, world revolution," said one of the placards, referring to Tahrir Square in Cairo which was the focal point of the Egyptian revolution earlier this year...Calling for "Real Democracy Now," the protests, popularly known as M-15, were called to condemn Spain's soaring unemployment, economic crisis, politicians in general, and corruption.”...Protests that started in Spain were influenced by young people who called for the end of overarching governments and the creation of democracies across the Arab World. Other Europeans had similar thoughts, causing organized disagreement across the region." </div>
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(http://interestingblogger1.blogspot.com/2011/08/grassroots-protests-world-revolution.html?m=1) Those who protested are directly affected by this election. I found a few more sources to back up my analysis at the time which is still valid. The P2P foundation has an article describing the Spanish protestors a bit more. They write: "the #15M or Indignados movement...demand[ed]...“We Want Real Democracy Now.” These demonstrations began the 15th of May, and grew to the largest cycle of mobilizations in the history of Spanish democracy. After 15m, a group in Madrid was inspired by the occpation of squares in the Arab countries, and decided to occupy the Plaza del Sol...This was not marginally supported. 80% support for the protests (by one survey)...The Indignados movement has been represented in the media largely as people protesting in the street...There have also been concrete initiatives to emerge, including the occupation of houses to provide homes to the foreclosed, the organizing of solidarity networks to block evictions from homes, the increase of self-education networks, all emerging from people who have met f2f in the squares...the Indignant mobilization is willing not only to make demands on public policy and fighting corruption, but the squares also serve as a space where people meet each other and then organize to solve common needs." (http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/the-spanish-revolution-the-internet-from-free-culture-to-meta-politics-summary/2011/11/24) Arfues.com, which republished an op-ed from the German paper, "The European" echoes those sentiments. From the op-ed one could believe that the movement is opposed the the socialist-run government: "Spanish government not only kept ignoring all the ‘indignant’ movement, but also kept fortifying the establishment. The President of the Congress, José Bono, told in a TV interview that both major parties, Socialist and People’s parties, should get along more, and that all other minor parties should be kept outside the parliament. And then the government changed the electoral law in order to require all those parties without representation a minimum of endorsements in order to allow them to enter the electoral race in November 20th...After years and years of telling everybody that changing the Spanish Constitution was not only difficult but impossible, after the international requests to fix the Spanish sovereign debt issues, both parties accorded to modify it, and they did it. In less than two weeks and without any parliamentary debate...the privatizations of the ‘cajas’ and their conversion into ‘normal’ banks, not only the people knew that those ‘cajas’ vaults’ were empty, but that the managers and directors are getting billions in bonuses and compensations." (http://arfues.net/2011/11/25/the-demands-to-build-a-statist-cage-op-ed-for-the-european/)</div>
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I did a little research into the movement, finding a site about the European Revolution. On europeanrevolution.org it states: "WE DEMAND A TRUTH DEMOCRACY WE DEMAND TO BE THE ONES THAT TRULY CHOOSE THE COURSE YOU POLITICIANS ARE THE CAPTAINS WHO NAVEGATE BY THE DIRECTION OF THE CITIZEN...We are united for something stronger than a political party We are united because our INDIGNATION for your complicity with the financial corporation that steal our lives We are united by the SHAME for your corruption when you should be a role model We are united by SATIETY for your spent and false speech that nobody believes anymore." </div>
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From the opinions of Spanish bloggers, activists and others one may wonder what the duty of the new leadership is in Spain. A few blogs have answered that question. The admin of GetafeSpain.com writes in an article titled "Al Gore of Spanish politics": "Mr Rajoy must summon super powers to lower Spain’s unemployment rate, reform the banking system, enact long-awaited labour reforms and bring about growth." (http://getafespain.com/news/will-victory-be-a-poisoned-chalice-for-spains-new-pm) Another blog, Casey Pop's blog writes of different duties for new leadership. In a blogpost titled "Today's Spanish Elections May Say Something about the French and American Presidential Elections in 2012" the author states: "it is the largest majority the party has had since Spain became a democracy after the fall of Franco and it means that the PP will be able to rule without forming any coalitions with the Greens or other minority parties...The right campaigned hard on the need to put into place a rigorous austerity program to try to save the country from default by reducing the government deficit and reassuring banks who buy Spanish bonds that the country is serious about putting its fiscal house in order...The new Popular Party prime minister will take office on the 20th of December...his job, he says, is to try to keep Spain out of recession, and to reduce unemployment and the deficit at the same time (not an easy trick)." (http://casey-pops.blogspot.com/2011/11/todays-spanish-elections-may-say.html) Also there is another blogger who comments on the electoom as well. At the end of an article about Germany there is a mention of the Spanish elections: "Of anything they will be worth today's Spanish elections, if the winner when being known the official result is calling to Berlin to know that he has to make, they will respond him that the same thing that was making the loser, to clip, to brake, and to try to be disciplined or otherwise, he is left without credit, without ratio of solvency, without structural grants, and with a sanction of 1000 million Eurus for excessive unemployment."</div>
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(http://blagusadas.blogspot.com/2011/11/who-this-it-was-of-context-european.html) But this does not tell about the protestors.</div>
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The consequence of this election with rule by the People's Party is definately from the protesting itself in Spain and elsewhere in Europe. 72% of the people turned out, but many were very skeptical. This election will not only affect the worldwide movement against economic inequality and austerity (interlinked) but will likely lead to more protests in the country. </div>
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-69330423070143575322011-12-04T12:00:00.000-05:002011-12-04T18:41:21.819-05:00Up close and personal: Participating in NYC’s Occupy protest<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">You may have heard about the Occupy
Wall Street movement, also called the 99% movement. Contrary to some media
reports, when you go to one of these protests you will get people from all
walks of life to participate. This includes homeless people, hippies, older
experienced activists, young college kids, international people and police
participating. This means a realm of political and social beliefs is present. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The diversity of the movement was
proven through my experience. Early in the morning, at about 9:00 A.M., I came
near Zuccotti/Liberty Park with my family. There were two entrances, both with
New York Police Department (NYPD) officers guarding them, meaning you had to go
through police checkpoints. Once inside, once could observe twenty people sitting
on benches in the park and occupying about 1/4th of the park. Half of the park
was being power-washed by Brookfield workers and the other 4th was open space. One
must take into account the nature of the protest itself: it has more longevity,
different orientation and feel toward social dynamics, not just a one day
march. One can get a feeling that people know each other and talk to each about
their ideas. As a result, it’s much more
a movement about sharing ideas, not just demonstrating. This sharing goes on
that doesn’t happen at usual demonstrations, housing sharing at encampments
(not in New York) and overall it becomes like an alternate family, a social
network. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Speaking of sharing with others, the
first person I talked to called himself D.J. about what had happened and he
mentioned a number of interesting points. He argued that there was a psychological
reason to bring the walls in. There were (and probably still are to my
knowledge) NYPD fences around the park, doubled up with another fence parallel
around the whole park. It’s a bit hard to explain, but if you look it up, you can
see what I’m talking about. Continuing with D.J., he believed the police wanted
to intimidate the protesters with a huge presence, so they would leave. After
that comment, he walked away. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">There were two people that walked up
to us (me and my family), hugging and welcoming us. When we told them we came
from Baltimore, both of them thanked us for coming. In a conversation about
Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City, each one had a different view. One was
an African-American male possibly in his 20s was reasoned, saying it was it was
horrible the tents were taken down. He also noted it’s not going to get better
since Mayor Bloomberg’s girlfriend is on the Board of Brookfield Properties
which owns Liberty Park (note this is an unconfirmed report). We asked him of
the day’s events and he mentioned a march later in the day to Macy’s to protest
the buying of fur, which seemed to not be related to the original message of
the movement. However, the older African-American lady decried Bloomberg,
saying he should be killed. I could tell she really hated Bloomberg with a
passion. The younger African-American who I mentioned earlier calmed down the
discourse even though he didn’t like Bloomberg either. He spoke of Bloomberg
having his money evaporate instantly. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Activity was low at that time of the day,
so we left and went to Battery Park. What happened after that is something I’ll
mention in a future article. Anyway, we came back to the park about an hour and
a half to two hours later. The place was lively with the beating of drums which
some critics say is ridiculous and won’t lead to meaningful change. These
critics don’t realize the sound of the drums will attract people to join to
cause and become part of the movement. People were beating with their drums and
I decided I’d join in. For a little while banging a pot lid and a padded soup ladle
together, a feeling came over me: I was more than something generated by my
beliefs; I was part of a movement. We walked around, scanning it out, and then
we left the second time with a family friend. What happened after that is
material for a future article as well. That wasn’t all that happened to me. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The third time, coming back near the
park, there was a noticeable difference: increased police presence. It seemed
something was going to happen. Later I figured out it was probably just usual
police posturing to scare occupiers. At one point, a group of 200 or more came
by shouting their support for women’s rights and the Occupy Movement. The
family friend started to become paranoid about the police presence. The rest of
my family looked in one direction at what they thought was a police buildup
throughout the day. Meanwhile, I looked the opposite way and saw a startling
site. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">A person, an older white male, was
asking people for donations to OWS (Occupy Wall Street). He was also holding up
a sign that opposed American military intervention in foreign countries by
listing statistics on who died, since 9/11, along with other information. Suddenly
NYPD officers rushed in; handcuffed him and he yelled: “I didn’t do anything wrong!”
After they told he was charged with assaulting another, he yelled once more: “I
didn’t assault anyone!” Camera took pictures of this affair while someone else
on a notepad wrote down what he was saying. Less than a minute later, you’d
never know he was there. A middle-aged man commented to me: “Isn’t it a police
state?” speaking of America in general. I stated that I agree, even though it
was a stretch to say that one incident made it a police state. Previously I had
been debating the issue and now was the time to confirm it was a fact. I talked
a little more with the man on the subject. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">By this time, our family friend got
so paranoid and thought that the police would surround us. So we left that
corridor in front of the park. On the corner overlooking the park we watched
and listened to the General Assembly. I wanted to participate, but it wasn’t
possible with the paranoia of the family friend. We crossed the street and the
marching occupiers came toward us (we joked) literally! They turned and went to
the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Earlier we had commented on the excessive
security in the area around the NYSE. One would have to go through two checkpoints
to even get in front of the stock exchange. Our family friend kept mentioning how
much these tactics by the NYPD reminded him of fascism, saying it was very
similar. After a while, he left and was off on his merry way. Then we followed
the occupiers down to the corner overlooking the stock exchange, then back to
the park. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">This time we entered the park, not
going on the perimeter. The police pressure has diminished dramatically. There
were no police at either entrance into the park, only Brookfield workers. At
first glance it was lit up and it looked like there was just a bunch of
tourists in the park. Later it was apparent there was even more activity than
before. In a sense there were a number of different stations addressing certain
aspects of the protest itself. One area was more serious, called the “think
tank,” where a knowledgeable man was talking about the Egyptian Revolution and
how it was not calculated well by the activists in the country. I would believe
that other revolutions worldwide were discussed there, revealing the impetus
for the protest. Also, a former police officer, Sergeant Louis, I believe, was
there. He was the one who was arrested in a nonviolent action in Philadelphia
was there to talk. He called Bloomberg’s actions close to a dictatorship. He
also recommended that when people participate in civil disobedience, they
should offer to cut themselves so unnecessary injury does not occur as they struggle.
A person named Michael of Philadelphia Weekly was also there and I introduced
myself. He said I could send my blog to him and this gave me great joy that
people respect political bloggers. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Finally, we went to the weekly story time,
organized by an activist who said the stories presented would be given to Eve
Ensler, the author of the play <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Vagina
Monologues </i>and she would compile them into a book. She was a clean-cut,
simply-dressed woman who seemed to be a college graduate or in college. Stories
ranging from international occupiers to those from other protests in America
were told. Each was personal to the occupier. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">This brings me to another concept, the human microphone. NYC
has noise ordinance, so those in Liberty Park couldn’t get a bull-horn. That’s
why they came up with the human microphone. It’s the first time this idea has
been used in a movement or demonstration. “Mic check,” a common tactic that has been
used to interrupt numerous political figures (President Obama, Wisconsin Governor
Scott Walker, Karl Rove, etc…) occurs with human microphone. When one is participating
in the human microphone you fell more involved than just listening on the side.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Back to the stories. Some were
seasoned veterans (one had been to the Occupy Wall Street movement in the
Pacific region) who then came to New York, another was a college student who
decried imperialism as the greatest terrorism ever, another was a high school
student and another was from Ecuador and talked of his work with a student-led
movement there. That’s just a sampling of the stories, the ones I can remember.
Also at night, intellectual discussion and heavy-duty political discussion was
more common. The level of intellectual discussion was elevated to a higher
level, in part about political philosophy. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Before we left, I stumbled upon an
American Indian activist who gave us his paper (for one dollar donation) and
the <i>Occupied Wall Street Journal.</i> Then he talked of the Occupy movement
representing other cultures as well and how he had to be there in solidarity.
After that we left the site and I uttered: Goodbye! Goodbye! This experience
left a lasting impression on me, something I’ll never forget. The future
historians will remember this movement and say it stood up for something that
was right, for what was needed: fundamental change. </span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-19662949759651560232011-11-21T16:05:00.000-05:002011-11-30T20:40:04.012-05:00A new political spectrum: solving problems of the left-right system<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Almost every blog ends up with a battle over the
current political spectrum that has liberal at one end, conservative at the
other and moderate in the middle. There are other extremes mentioned like
radical and reactionary, but it is too limiting. Another problem is the current
system used was created during the 1790s in France, denoting a “left” and “right.”
The new spectrum I created is below:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8xqtvUzDu3Q/Tslr1b0bCVI/AAAAAAAAAVc/Ugc40_aRxDI/s1600/political+spectrum.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8xqtvUzDu3Q/Tslr1b0bCVI/AAAAAAAAAVc/Ugc40_aRxDI/s320/political+spectrum.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">From a number of
sources, including definitions I created myself, there is the definition of
each term on the eight-pointed spectrum above. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ll start with the
terms Aristocrat and Democrat. The idea came from Noam Chomsky’s book titled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Secrets, Lies and Democracy</i>. Mr. Chomsky
writes that “Thomas Jefferson…made a distinction between two groups—aristocrats
and democrats. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Aristocrats “fear and
distrust the people, and wish to draw all powers from them into the hands of
the higher classes.”</b> This view is held by respectable intellectuals in many
different societies today, and is quite similar to the Leninist doctrine that
the vanguard party of radical intellectuals should take power and lead the
stupid masses to a bright future. Most liberals are aristocrats in Jefferson’s
sense…Henry Kissinger is an extreme example of an aristocrat. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Democrats, Jefferson wrote, “identify with
the people, have confidence in them, cherish them and consider them as the most
honest and safe, although not the most wise, depository of the public interest.</b>
In other words, democrats believe the people should be in control, whether or
not they’re going to make the right decisions. Democrats exist today, but their
becoming increasingly marginal.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When the word ‘Democrats’
is mentioned, I am not talking about those of the Democratic Party. If one
looks at the party platforms and compares them, you could consider the
Republican and Democratic parties to be one big party with two parts, having
some differences, but not many. Also one could say that both of the so-called
major parties are separate, but so similar that the terms “Republican” and “Democrat”
don’t mean anything. If one is to interpret this correctly, think of Democrats
in the Jeffersonian sense, as those that want the people in control, not some
elite class. Do not think of the word “Democrat” in this political spectrum as
those that cave in on certain issues in the federal legislature, do insider
trading legally for the most part and get money from special interests. Those
that are running in the 2012 election for “the 99%” as shown on Occupy the
Ballot’s website would encompass Democrats (in the Jeffersonian sense). More
evident of this is in the working document of OWS candidates, which can be seen
below: </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pzu7PCzoOdM/Tslr-TNljII/AAAAAAAAAVk/5qBUTx1AbEI/s1600/99+percent+signal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pzu7PCzoOdM/Tslr-TNljII/AAAAAAAAAVk/5qBUTx1AbEI/s320/99+percent+signal.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In my reading of
different internet postings, I read once that one person characterized the
world as divided between those for and those against corporations. As a result
that was incorporated into the new spectrum in the words corporatist and Non-corporatist
(or Anti-corporatist). I’ll start with non-corporatism, which many call “Anti-corporatism.”
One blog owner mentioned<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn1" name="_ednref1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[i]</span></span></span></a>
what they defined this term: “I am a
radical anti-corporatist<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">. I think all
should be free to organize to further their own ends, but not by implic[i]tly
and malignantly conspiring to reduce the interests of everyone else</b>.” I
searched the internet and looked for more information on this term. Another
person on topix briefly mentioned it: “I'm anti-corporatism [because] capitalism
eventually leads to corporatism especially in America <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">where everything has a price tag on it</b>.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn2" name="_ednref2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn2;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[ii]</span></span></span></a> I
kept going through topix and found more material. While I don’t agree with the
viewpoint expressed toward the Occupy Wall Street protesters from the topix forum,
some of the text still applies to this discussion: “I'm not anti-capitalist, I'm
anti-corporatist<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">. I'm against too much
power in the hands of too few people who control all the levers of power, no
matter who those people are</b>.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn3" name="_ednref3" style="mso-endnote-id: edn3;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[iii]</span></span></span></a>
Finally, I looked at The New Moderate blog. One person below the article
commented: “I’m increasingly an anti-corporatist. Sure, plenty of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">corporations</b> make plenty of worthwhile
products, but 1) they’ve <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">become far too
influential with our elected representatives, and</b> 2) they’ve essentially <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">become winner-take-all games</b>, with the
CEOs often earning 1000 times more than the average employee.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn4" name="_ednref4" style="mso-endnote-id: edn4;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[iv]</span></span></span></a>
From all of these sources I have concluded that if one is a non-corporatist
they are: against grand combinations such as monopolies and trusts, but think
that everyone should be able to organize businesses or whatever whenever they
want but in a way that benefits others, against an plutocratic-type government
with the wealthy wielding major power and reducing the influence of the
corporations on the political process. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.sgpolitics.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/mussolinwebi.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.sgpolitics.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/mussolinwebi.png" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">From all of that, you
are probably still wondering what a corporatist is. A University of
Massachusetts report gets us a little closer to the answer. It argues that John
Maynard Keynes was a corporatist, while defining the word.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn5" name="_ednref5" style="mso-endnote-id: edn5;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[v]</span></span></span></a>
From the pdf, I picked those words to define this term
and a person who embodies this term would: </span></div>
<ul style="color: black;">
<li style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“decisively reject the
traditional theory of perfect competition” </span></li>
<li style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“[accept] the ongoing trend
toward increased reliance on public corporations, and argue that the government
should…accept the current movement toward cartels, holding companies, trade
associations, pools and other forms of monopoly power [and] should proactively
assist and accelerate this trend in order to regulate and control it” </span><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></li>
<li style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“[say] The state [should]
set goals for these corporations and evaluate their performance, but not manage
them directly.” </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“[support]...self-regulation [of big business in order to
create]…the ultimate corporatist institutional arrangement.” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In the definition of
this word, I am not promoting a conspiracy; rather one showing that one who
believed these ideals would want a government that benefits big business in
some way or another, as well as for their one benefit.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.tanbou.com/2001/fall/PeaceProtest2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://www.tanbou.com/2001/fall/PeaceProtest2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The issue of
corporatism is on many people’s minds ever since the beginning of this economic
crisis which one could call the second Great Depression. However, armed
conflict is a major problem that must be put into the political spectrum
through the terms “War Hawk” and “Peace Activist.” I’ll start with the latter
term. In a facebook comment, one can get closer to its definition. One user
states<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn6" name="_ednref6" style="mso-endnote-id: edn6;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[vi]</span></span></span></a>: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“[that in
today’s world] the wars rage on costing trillions of dollars and millions of
lives.” The same user on Third Party Forum’s facebook group writes of the goal
to “</span><span class="messagebody"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">eradicate[e]…war by restoring
democracy in America.</span>” Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting had an article
about peace activists, mentioning a rally in April where people “</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">were
speaking out on a…timely issue (wars in Afghanistan and Libya), and connecting
them to the budget and near-government shutdown in Washington.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn7" name="_ednref7" style="mso-endnote-id: edn7;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[vii]</span></span></span></a> According
to a few excerpts from Chris Hayes articles linked on Third Party forum, one
can get closer to defining the word at hand. Mr. Hayes inadvertently defines
the term as those who oppose “<span class="messagebody">pre-emptive war and occupation”
along ending those wars that damage out country’s well-being. From these
excerpts, I define a peace activist as one who opposes occupation of other
parts of the world, opposes armed conflict (most if not all of it) and wants to
take money out of the military budget to help each other at home. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">You are probably
wondering what a war hawk is, since I’ve already defined a peace activist. Last
year, I wrote about War Hawks and the Tea Party.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn8" name="_ednref8" style="mso-endnote-id: edn8;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[viii]</span></span></span></a>
More relevant to this discussion as of now is who the original “War Hawks”
were: “A group of 10 individuals who…wanted war with Britain [and they
corrupted the] President of the United States, James Madison [to go to war with
Britain].” Today, that same ideology stays in place with those of this term as
those that do not want to cut the military budget and those that want to go to
war, increasing the expenditures on the national budget. Those of this position
defend themselves saying troops must be worldwide for “national security” or “defending
our interests.” In addition, those that support war in any shape or form would
fall into this category as well. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://almanac2010.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/libertarian_housepets.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://almanac2010.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/libertarian_housepets.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">While the term “war hawk” and “peace activist” epitomize
the struggle over the issue of war, it isn’t enough to complete the spectrum as
a whole. Libertarians (Market Anarchist) and Coercive Collectivists must be
included as well. Market Anarchists is defined on page 27 of David Miller’s
book titled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Political Philosophy</i> as
those that “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">claim we could contract and
pay individually for the services the state now provides, including crucially
for personal protection. </b>In the absence of the state, forms would offer to
protect clients and their property, and this would include retrieving property
that had been stolen, enforcing contracts, and obtaining compensation for
personal injury. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">So if my neighbour steals
something that is mine, instead of calling the (public) police, I would call my
protective agency, and they would take action against the troublesome neighbour.</b>” </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">William Levinson tacks on some other ideas to this
term. He defines these people<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn9" name="_ednref9" style="mso-endnote-id: edn9;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[ix]</span></span></span></a>
as those for equal opportunity, an all</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">-volunteer armed forces, encouraging private citizens to learn
how to use firearms and those that are practical recognize the need to pay
taxes for collective national defense. In addition, those of this term find
flag burning </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">offensive but not punishable by law, say there
should be little or no gun control with citizens using weapons for their
self-defense as well as the country as a whole against foreign enemies, the
government must issue weapons if </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">does not want to restrict military service and people have
the </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">right
to pray in a school or anywhere else as long as it doesn’t disrupt others. Also
these people are for private retirement accounts and pro-choice. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In opposition, he defines a “</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Coercive
Collectivist” as one that wants <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">"a
higher, nobler, and kinder world based on the sanctity of the Crowd and the
villainy of the single person,”</b> those that want flag burning to be illegal,
want private security forces and want mandatory school prayer. Furthermore,
those of this term believe that there should be mandatory participation in a
government retirement plan (like Social Security), want a return of the draft,
in support of affirmative action, exclusion of certain racial/ethnic groups and
in favor of compulsory abortions. To clarify, one must realize that the person
who came created the scale between “coercive collectivist” and “libertarian”
was leaning to the side of libertarianism, so he made the other side sound worse.
Even so, I believe the terms make sense, but I made some modifications.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This eight-pointed political spectrum as a whole,
combining the ideas of those across the internet is a comprehensive way to tell
where you are on the political spectrum. In the middle can be whatever term you
please, which I leave open to the discretion of the one using the spectrum. In
the end, I hope this spectrum solves the problems of the current failures of
the political system. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;">
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref1" name="_edn1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[i]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://khanneasuntzu.com/">http://khanneasuntzu.com/</a></div>
</div>
<div id="edn2" style="mso-element: endnote;">
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref2" name="_edn2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn2;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[ii]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/occupywallstreet/comments/mgvm3/loud_and_clear/">http://www.reddit.com/r/occupywallstreet/comments/mgvm3/loud_and_clear/</a>
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<div id="edn3" style="mso-element: endnote;">
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref3" name="_edn3" style="mso-endnote-id: edn3;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[iii]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://www.topix.com/forum/city/portsmouth-oh/TJ31PD9PM9CSKGPHJ/p3">http://www.topix.com/forum/city/portsmouth-oh/TJ31PD9PM9CSKGPHJ/p3</a>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref4" name="_edn4" style="mso-endnote-id: edn4;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[iv]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://newmoderate.com/2009/10/07/corporatism-and-communism-too-close-for-comfort/">http://newmoderate.com/2009/10/07/corporatism-and-communism-too-close-for-comfort/</a>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref5" name="_edn5" style="mso-endnote-id: edn5;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[v]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://people.umass.edu/crotty/JEI_Keynes-corp.pdf">http://people.umass.edu/crotty/JEI_Keynes-corp.pdf</a>
</div>
</div>
<div id="edn6" style="mso-element: endnote;">
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref6" name="_edn6" style="mso-endnote-id: edn6;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[vi]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/notes/nicole-nichols/do-you-have-a-story-to-tell/10150274899909789">http://www.facebook.com/notes/nicole-nichols/do-you-have-a-story-to-tell/10150274899909789</a>
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<div id="edn7" style="mso-element: endnote;">
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref7" name="_edn7" style="mso-endnote-id: edn7;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[vii]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/592/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=6545">http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/592/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=6545</a>
</div>
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<div id="edn8" style="mso-element: endnote;">
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref8" name="_edn8" style="mso-endnote-id: edn8;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[viii]</span></span></span></a>
<a href="http://hermannview.tumblr.com/post/1448332035/will-the-tea-party-people-become-the-next-war-hawks">http://hermannview.tumblr.com/post/1448332035/will-the-tea-party-people-become-the-next-war-hawks</a>
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<div id="edn9" style="mso-element: endnote;">
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref9" name="_edn9" style="mso-endnote-id: edn9;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[ix]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://www.stentorian.com/spectrum.html">http://www.stentorian.com/spectrum.html</a>
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</div>
</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-7165480229396140952011-11-03T15:15:00.000-04:002011-11-03T15:59:20.369-04:00American “nation” worship: a figment of imagination<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">After
reading the political classic by Gore Vidal, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The American Presidency, </i>I have thought about what I consider to be
the American imperial machine. Part of that is the belief in nationalism. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> First one must understand what
nationalism means. The Pan-Nationalist Movement gives a fine definition of the
world. They </span><a href="http://www.pan-nationalism.org/nationalism_faq/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">write in
response</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> to a Frequently Asked Question: “Nationalism is the belief
that political groups should be constructed around the idea of
"nation," or population group unified by culture, heritage and
language. As such, Nationalist is "rule by culture" <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">where cultural values come before profit
motive</b> or popularity, which enables forward-thinking leadership instead.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> With profit motive, every object and idea
and person is for sale, and society leads itself in circles.</b> With leadership,
society determines its goals and moves toward them.” Later, the website
mentions the idea of a nation + a state (country), called a nation-state. This
concept is abstract and it tries to </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">unify
its populations who have little in common on a cultural or ethnic level, and so
become competing cultures. </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">These [nation-states] usually take
the form of an absolute which will never be demonstrated as being singularly
right or wrong, like "freedom" or "free trade," but in the
absence of cultural unity what brings people together is economics. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Economics thus replaces culture, and soon
every object and idea and person is for sale.</b>”<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>Many American politicians today follow the opposite belief of </span><a href="http://www.pan-nationalism.org/pan-nationalism/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Pan-Nationalism</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">,
the idea that each ethnic/cultural group gets their own nation. These political
figures try to advance America toward a pure nation-state, where profit is the
ultimate motive and where the people are one culture. But that is not possible
in the “melting pot” of the United States. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> It all started with President George
Washington. Adding the states of Vermont, Kentucky and Tennessee during his two
terms (1789-1796) led to a push to take over the whole continent. Then, under
Thomas Jefferson (early 1800s), unilaterally, without the consent of Congress,
the 885,000 square miles, the “Louisiana Purchase” was bought for over $27
million. This expanded the United States further westward. Many years later, in
the 1830s, Andrew Jackson continued that tradition. During his presidency, 93
treaties were broken with Indian tribes and under the Indian Removal Act;
Indians were forced across the Mississippi River, all in the name of expansion.
James Polk continued on, adding Texas, California and much of the southwest in
a two-year war with Mexico, called the training ground for the Civil War. That
brings me to Abraham Lincoln, who just wanted to “preserve the union” but
through dictatorial means. Newspapers were shut down, habeas corpus was
suspended, the Supreme Court was defied and martial law was declared in several
states all in the name of “military necessity” and preserving the union. The
word union can be easily swapped with “nation,” so in essence he was the
creator of the idea: America is a nation. While I would go through the rest of
history with invalid presidents like Rutherford B. Hayes, talk about the
planning of the American empire by four figures in politics (Captain Mahan,
geopolitical thinker Brooks Adams, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Teddy
Roosevelt and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge), imperialistic President William
McKinley and so on, I will reserve that for a future discussion. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> What must be discussed is the
idea that America is a nation. To do that, I’d like to look at what President
Obama has said about it and go from there. In a recent speech about climate
change, <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/10/28/taking-action-protect-our-nation-climate-change-impacts">the
President spoke</a> about: “the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nation</b>'s
future health and economic prosperity” and how “The Federal Government will
work in partnership with states and local communities to help make <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">our nation </b>more resilient.” So, is he
trying to say that all of those who live in this country are part of one
nation? That doesn’t follow proper logic. Native Americans, who I mentioned earlier,
are on reservations and have their own culture. That makes them not part of the
greater “nation.” Also, foreign national and non-citizens including so-called “illegal
immigrants,” foreigners, green card workers and others have different cultures.
In addition, each ethnic and racial group has its own culture and beliefs. As
one writer on AlterNet described it, there are 11-12 different cultures in the
United States. This conjures up a number of different questions. Then, how is
America a “nation?” Why is the intergovernmental organization, United Nations,
not called the United Association of Countries? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> To find out, one must look at the
UN Charter itself. The charter calls these entities “our respective governments”
in the preamble. But, that’s not all. In Article 1, it states a purpose of the
United Nations is to “develop <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">friendly
relations among nations</b>.” However,Article 4 clarifies this, supposedly.
According these sections “membership in the United Nations is open to all other
peace-loving states…[and] the admission of any such state [with]… a decision by
the General Assembly [and a]…recommendation of the Security Council.” In
Article 14, the words “general welfare or <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">friendly
relations among the nations</b>” is mentioned, in Article 32 non-U.N. members
are called states and in Article 55 the “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">friendly
relations among nations</b>” is mentioned once again. In Article 110 of the
charter it calls on “all signatory states” and “states signatory to the present
Charter” to ratify it. As a result, I conclude that the U.N. is not completely
clear on the issues, so it unsure if the organization was created to promote
nationalism or just the maintaining of states. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Also to determine the degree of
nation worship, one has to investigate our President’s speeches on the matter
using <a href="http://search.whitehouse.gov/search?query=nation&affiliate=wh&form_id=usasearch_box">the
White House search engine</a>. In the wake of Gabrielle Gifford’s shooting in
Arizona, Mr. Obama called for the nation to heal its wounds. How can that occur
if an American nation is a figment of imagination? To put it simply, a “nation”
encompassing all of the territory of the United States of America does NOT
exist; it is only divided groups of people. One may ask why this matters. This
matters because it eliminates the assumption that there is one common language,
history and traditions. American Indians don’t drill in the plateau they live
on, trucking water in. Intellectuals on the East Coast get water pumped to them
daily. In the end, one must look beyond the “nation worship” rhetoric and see
the evils of the American empire, not clouded in extreme patriotism. </span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-56651776882078399862011-10-15T16:29:00.000-04:002011-10-15T17:37:38.992-04:00The America you don’t know: elitism and pluralism<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">In the multifaceted American political system, the
elite theory and pluralism theory can be combined to explain the political
process. Special interest groups, the reemergence of the elite, the phenomenon
of the apolitical and political stratum and default of compromise have been
changed with the age of mass global communication. In America, people think
about politics as two different aspects. First, the political spectrum presented
by mainstream media. Secondly, the idea that it doesn’t matter if they
participate and government doesn’t affect them at all. The current economic
crisis changed the complex political system by shaking government and consumer
confidence. However, even with these changes political scientists Robert Dahl
and C. Wright Mills are both right in some sense. Military elite, corporate
elite and interest groups remain powerful. Americans are divided into political
and apolitical strata while compromise is the basis of this democracy. On the
other hand, the current age has proven Dahl and Mills wrong. Educational and
religious institutions are really separate; leaders often only care about
themselves. 24/7 News has born with the
advent of more technology and dissatisfied people are creating groups to
address their grievances. </span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Certain groups dominate the modern political scene. People’s
needs are ignored at times while the small groups of lobbyists are appeased by
government officials. Interest groups have the power in national, local and state
politics to force people inadvertently to choose a side on a law or proposed
policy. Since the Obama Administration has been in office, influence of special
interests has played out on the floor of Congress in two different instances. Healthcare
reform in 2010 was supposed to bring healthcare to more citizens, but people were
forced to buy private insurance. The law was an uneven proposal because it was
almost co-written by the industry, contradicting the point of the bill: to stop
the abuses of the healthcare industry. Later that year, a major financial
reform bill was signed into law, trying to stop another economic crisis. Like the
healthcare law, the bill was supported by of lobbyists from Wall St, an institution
the law was trying to limit. It’s easy to see that Congress is run by lobbyists
since its makes it hard to get reforms passed. Also it has become extremely
easy for the elite to manipulate members of the federal legislature or any
other part of the federal government. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The elite have reemerged in the American political
woodwork. Mr. Mills’s vision in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Power
Elite</i> of separate corporate and military elite is true. These “leaders” still
occupy high positions of power and use fearmongering as a common tactic. The corporate
overlords distract public with entertainment news, something that’s not
important to their well-being. In addition, they convinced the government to
approve certain mergers while lessening regulation so their profits can
increase dramatically. Meanwhile, the influence of the military elite in
Congress has caused cuts to not be enacted even as their bureaucracy is
becoming a hazard to America’s financial stability. Through the continuation of
certain wars, a permanent war economy is maintained and endless war could
become a reality. Therefore, corporate and military elite coalesce, creating an
interlocking power structure. This country is going bankrupt from expenses that
help the military and corporate overlords prosper. One prominent example is private
military contractors in foreign countries that outnumber U.S. troops. On
another note, the mainstay of the military elite, the Pentagon is so
centralized that it can’t account for ¼ of what is spent. Furthermore, “Too Big
to Fail” corporations dominate the economy while people across the nation are
divided into two major political groups. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Robert Dahl
wrote about in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Who Governs?, </i>the division
of people into different strata in America’s political arena. Politically
active people protest injustice while inactive people accept injustice. In the apolitical
stratum is characterized as people blindly ignorant of political issues and
those who think politics is not important to them. At the same time, the
political stratum is the polar opposite with motivated citizenry want to go out
on the street. These people encourage others to get involved through the
blogosphere and other means. Even so, the small supposedly-united groups called
the “Tea Party” are just another aspect of the apolitical spectrum. Those that
participate in these groups mostly have inconsistent opinions and ideologies.
For example, many in these groups are against government healthcare, yet they
support programs like Medicare, a blatant contradiction. These weakly-informed
citizens try to inject themselves into the political mainstream but are mostly
unsuccessful, ridiculed by many others. Despite this, overall political
awareness has grown in recent years with more young people are getting involved
in process whether that is in voting, protesting or blogging. The 2008 election
was highest turnout for young in a very long time, but it doesn’t change the
reality of compromise in the United States. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The default of compromise is accepted by almost
everyone talking about politics or trying to get their point across. It is a time
of divided government and the citizens want everyone in Congress to work
together. However, many bills have favored wealthy and privileged class of
society. America is a country founded on compromise. In the Constitutional
Convention of 1787, two compromises were made between the delegates: the
three-fifths compromise and the great compromise. This created the mentality
that everything must be solved by going for the middle road, taking all ideas
into consideration. This isn’t always the right pathway as the idea you may be
accepting could be wrong and horrible policy. Despite this, the Senate’s limit
of 60 has made agreement required on almost everything passed. Concessions are needed
to pass anything, even a bill about the Post Office. Reform legislation that
was supposed to fix problems in society has been watered down time and time
again. People are getting mad and dismayed as Mr. Dahl predicted. They just
can’t take the endless bargaining anymore and are fed up with government.
Approval rating of Congress is at an all-time low: 14%. Compromise is isolating
the citizenry causing them to be disfranchised of their right to express their
opinion to Congress. As a result, political action groups are popping up
nationwide; something not predicted by either Mr. Dahl or Mr. Mills. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">In the modern era, Dahl and Mills have to be tweaked
because their theories won’t be true if something isn’t changed. Both political
scientists were writing in their time, the 1950s and 1960s and before the
digital revolution (1980s-Present). These factors change the ballgame in
political relations. Today, leaders
aren’t always on side of people. Some politicians worry about getting reelected.
Others are influenced by corporate and military elite to vote in certain ways. Educational
and religious institutions have been proven separate from the corporate and
military institutions for the most part. Schools teach people to have
independent minds in their lives. Many different religions such as Unitarian
Universalism preach the seeking of truth in your beliefs. News is more
extensive and rapid in the present with first-hand accounts of events posted on
YouTube that are used by the mainstream media in their reporting. Also the alternative
media is challenging corporate media dominance. All of these changes have
caused people to create groups/pages due to their dissatisfaction with certain
policies on social networks or elsewhere. The increase in political action
could be the return 1960s fervor returned in minds of some young people or expression
could be increasing with the advent of new technology.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Even with the division of America into an apolitical
and political stratum, people are more educated than before. As some users have
said, the internet allows information to disseminate so people can decide for
themselves what they believe. A forum to exchange ideas has been created,
provided that it stays free from censorship or government intervention. On the other hand, elite theory and pluralism
continue to plague efforts to expand democracy to other corners of the globe.
This flawed system is continued in America by societal and corporate-backed
forces of greed. Even with its backers, the political system can be altered in
two major ways: direct action, such as blocking a road to area being logged and
expansion of the blogosphere with “blogger-journalists.” Everywhere around us,
the world is always changing, a place where mass communication networks can be
harnessed and where people must stand up for what they believe.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">NOTE: This article/essay was originally for my US Government class but I thought you people would enjoy it. </span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-53525601182371501802011-09-24T22:27:00.000-04:002011-10-23T15:07:59.921-04:00The #occupywallst movement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CEJt8h9u4s4/Tn6QvQgCMvI/AAAAAAAAAVI/pfFNZ7_OowY/s1600/Wall+street+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CEJt8h9u4s4/Tn6QvQgCMvI/AAAAAAAAAVI/pfFNZ7_OowY/s320/Wall+street+2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Picture from protest (on its first day) that I took from
the <a href="http://www.livestream.com/globalrevolution">live feed </a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It was a
regular Saturday on September 17th except for one fact. Over 5,000
protesters descended on Wall Street to rally against corporatocracy. But, the
New York Police Department (NYPD) had got there first, walling off the street
and the iconic symbol: the bull. Even though they had planned to occupy Wall
Street, it just wasn’t possible with the police presence so they moved into a
nearby park, Zuccotti Park, which they dubbed Liberty Plaza. The peaceful
action was called a “Marxist Day of Rage” by some its critics and not radical
enough by others. Really most of those participating were progressive or
anti-corporate. I’m not saying that socialists, anarchists or anonymous
supporters were not attendance but they were not in the majority. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Average citizens
across this blue planet are outraged. Corporations, especially huge
monopolistic ones, are cheating the people of the world. Governments are siding
with these oppressive companies. So people are getting fed up. In the Mideast,
people have protested against the authoritarian governments, causing the fall
of two dictators, one in Tunisia and another one in Egypt. This fervor extended
to Europe in the May15Movement or the European Revolution, which<a href="http://interestingblogger1.blogspot.com/2011/08/grassroots-protests-world-revolution.html"> I talked about earlier this year</a>. Europe is continuing a revolution of ideas it started earlier
this year, which is now blossoming in America. To jumpstart this process,
independent activists are preaching the end of corporate power in politics and
organizing events to stop an injustice. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The broad
spectrum of differing perspective brings angry citizens together from across
the country. In Adbuster’s <a href="http://www.adbusters.org/blogs/adbusters-blog/occupywallstreet.html">original
message</a> announcing this event, they asked for help in finding their central
demand. Since then, Noam Chomskians have taken the upper hand, being the most active
and calling for the abolishment of corporate personhood. Others have partially
followed Texas Representative Ron Paul’s economic doctrine, calling for the end
of the Federal Reserve. The mainstream of the movement is directing the most
energy being at big business. The radical nature of some of the attendees like
the Democratic Socialists of America, those that say the “rich are killing us”
and those that say capitalism are evil and want to overturn the current
economic system are in the fringe but some of their more rational ideas mesh
with the attitudes of other protesters. In addition, these people are in the
fringe because they don’t have consensus of what to replace the current
economic system, while most of the protesters just want to modify the current
system. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">After the
first days of protests, a mammoth effort was underway even though only about
500 stayed for the night, sleeping on the ground in sleeping bags. Some say it
was even more like the cameraman on the UStream Channel, <a href="http://www.ustream.tv/channel/occupy-u-s">Mobile Broadcast News</a> who
said he counted over “1,000 heads.” No matter what number you choose, one can’t
question the fact that people were fired up, walking down Wall Street (on
Saturday and Sunday) and shouting their message. Later, they were not allowed
on Wall Street during the rest of the week because it was open so they
protested from afar. According to one bystander, shouts could be heard two
blocks away. While this was happening, the police controlled the situation and
protesters were not fighting back, they were following orders. Despite this, I
would estimate that about 10 people were arrested a few days ago, but all were
quickly released according to reports on twitter. Meanwhile, activists used a
twitter account, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/twitte.com/occupywallstnyc">OccupyWallStNYC</a> to
coordinate the buying of food and other supplies for those that remained, which
they called (and still call) #needsoftheoccupiers. If there are 2,000
protesters in New York City, I would say that three to four times that are part
of the movement on Twitter. Even the official twitter organizing account has
over 5,000 followers. Adding this together about 16,000 people on Facebook plus
2,000 on the ground in NYC and maybe 10,000 people on twitter equals about
28,000 as part of the movement! While this movement has blossomed, the group in
New York got the most media attention which only fully accumulated after the
first day of protests had elapsed. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Real
News Network had the <a href="http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=7338&updaterx=2011-09-20+12%3A45%3A54">best
account</a> of the event, interviewing people at the scene of the protest. I am
not saying Amy Goodman of <a href="http://www.democracynow.org/">Democracy Now!</a>
didn’t do a good job, but she didn’t interview people at the scene, however she
provided great independent news coverage. On the other hand, maybe we should
start calling the mainstream media the lamestream media, because not once was
it shown on TV since the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS3QOtbW4m0">“revolution
will not be televised.”</a> Every person was educated and they knew what they
were talking about. The same thing was shown on the Colbert Report, where
Steven Colbert tried to poke fun at the protest. Instead of getting people who
were clueless, there was people who were part of the political stratum. As
talked about in Mr. Dahl’s “Who Governs?,” those in this group are deeply involved
in the political process, just like activists in this movement. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Checking the
twitter hashtags #occupywallst, #antibanks, #occupywallstreet, #ows,
#ourwallstreet, #sept17, #globalrevolution, #TakeWallSt, #usdor, #takewallstreet,
#usdayofrage, and many others, I was able to read first-hand what activists
were saying about the movement for that day. As of now, numerous people are
being held by the NYPD with many in the protest calling for their release.
Michael Moore and Keith Olbermann, huge media stars have professed their
support for the movement and were congratulated on the account of the official
organizer of protests (especially those in New York) named @OccupyWallSt. Last
night, I watched a clip on <a href="http://www.hbo.com/real-time-with-bill-maher#/real-time-with-bill-maher/episodes/0/225-episode/index.html">Real
Time with Bill Maher</a>, where Tom Morello, the former head of Rage Against
the Machine professed his support for the movement. Lupe Fiasco, a major rap
star has offered supplies and his support as he protests in solidarity with the
other protesters in New York. As support
spreads, it has become a national movement, spreading to areas across the
United States and more prevalent, sparking worldwide protests. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I compiled a
map, showing where all the protests are occurring as I write this. I tried to
be as detailed as possible, using the sources I had available including <a href="http://takethesquare.net/17s/">takethesquare’s site</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OccupyWallStreet">Wikipedia’s page</a> that
both linked to protest feeds across the world, but Take The Square told people
to occupy financial sectors wherever you live:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M1HV3n2S9As/Tn6o20W5XFI/AAAAAAAAAVM/N8tIGQNUBb8/s1600/map+of+worldwide+actions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M1HV3n2S9As/Tn6o20W5XFI/AAAAAAAAAVM/N8tIGQNUBb8/s320/map+of+worldwide+actions.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mq4zJXdXegs/ToTEsurASeI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/tXn6hOS5yy8/s1600/upcoming+protests.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mq4zJXdXegs/ToTEsurASeI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/tXn6hOS5yy8/s400/upcoming+protests.png" width="88" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">To close, I
am learning that it’s getting violent on Wall Street but because of the NYPD
attacking protesters, detaining them or other actions. This was confirmed by what
I heard on the livestream
when one man said: “it was very violent.” According to a recent <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/AP/status/117757149379174400">Associated Press
tweet</a>, over 80 people have been arrested by the NYPD. I just hope that they
can hold on there until December 31st as the official Facebook event says because
then it can benefit the whole global movement. In the end, I encourage you to
protest against or write about the corporations and the governments that have become
something that is against the people, not for the people and has caused people-driven
government to disappear from the “free world.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">UPDATE: Political Fail Blog wrote in <a href="http://www.politicalfailblog.com/2011/09/nypd-sides-against-people-as-they.html">a blogpost</a> about 10 minutes ago: "</span>Yesterday, the
NYPD arrested *more than* 95 people who were marching with hundreds of
others to the UN, to voice their distaste for the globalist organization, *
supposedly* in existence to promote democracy and human rights." That means I was a little off reports that 80 people were arrested, but when its hard to count that many people, it could be easy to make a mistake!<br />
<br />
UPDATE 2: I added more protest sites to the ones I had originally wrote about. With the help of #occupychicago I was able to add even more sites of occupation.<br />
<br />
UPDATE 3: More and more people support #occupywallst, now called #OWS for short. Chris Hayes, the editor in chief of the Nation supports the movement, as he has had it on his MSNBC show,<a href="http://upwithchrishayes.msnbc.msn.com/"> UP with Chris Hayes</a> for two days in a row. I watched this morning and learned that 700 people were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge. That brings up the total to about 800 who have been arrested so far in these protests (includes the 10 people who were released). There is a number of others that support the movement as well, including Hip-Hop star Russell Simmons, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!, Cornel West and Noam Chomsky (who was mentioned in my original article). In addition, two days ago, Senator Bernie Sanders said he supported the movement saying <a href="http://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/media/view/?id=05ca504d-3770-4e0a-a68e-661c9eca4b2a">on Countdown with Keith Olbermann</a>: <i>"<b>What I appreciate about what's going on in New York City right now is there is a spotlight being focused on Wall Street. </b>We desperately need that. If were going to get out of this recession and create the millions of jobs that we desperately need, we need real Wall Street reform. Right now, a lot of people don't know this, you have six financial institutions, the largest six banks in the country who control 60% of the assets of the United States of America. After we bailed them out because they were too big to fail, 3 out of the 4 largest financial institutions actually became bigger. So if we are going to create a situation so capital is going to flow into the productive economy, into manufacturing, into rebuilding our infrastructure, into transforming our energy system, rather than continuing the casino-type games Wall Street is playing right now, we need a lot of pressure on Wall Street. No question about that...<b>Focusing attention on Wall Street is exactly the right thing to do. </b>Let me give just one other example, Keith. In the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill, we managed to get a provision in there which allowed for an audit of the Fed during the Wall Street bailout. What we learned amazingly enough is the Fed provided 16 trillion dollars. 16 trillion in low-interest loans to every financial institution in this country and to central banks all over the world and large corporations. Now just think of what would happen if the Fed today said: "We have to deal with unemployment. We're going to make billions of dollars in low-interest loans available to small businesses, to those institutions in America which are actually part of the productive economy, producing products, producing services and creating jobs.""</i> I found from some looking on Keith Olbermann's site some other interesting tidbits on a page that puts all of the videos having to do with the Wall Street protests together: <a href="http://current.com/shows/countdown/topic/occupy-wall-street">http://current.com/shows/countdown/topic/occupy-wall-street</a>.<br />
<br />
UPDATE 4: <br />
Its been a while since I updated this article, but I found
a bunch of articles on the subject of Occupy Wall Street (#OWS). The
press is crazy now. Articles are coming in like wildfire. I even saw one
on <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/eviction-occupy-wall-street-nyc-park-postponed-105655439.html">Yahoo! News</a>,
one of the corporate giants. They know they have to cover the movement,
even though the protesters are against them! That's what they deserve.
Truthdig, now has <a href="http://www.truthdig.com/dig/occupy_wall_street">a whole page</a> devoted to stories about #OWS that they
wrote. Anyway, here's a
collection of the articles about #OWS in the past two days (If I went
back farther it would be hundreds of links): <br />
- <a href="http://theweek.com/article/index/220344/why-occupy-wall-street-is-more-popular-than-the-tea-party-5-theories">http://theweek.com/article/index/220344/why-occupy-wall-street-is-more-popular-than-the-tea-party-5-theories</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/theres_something_happening_here_20111013/%20">http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/theres_something_happening_here_20111013/ </a><br />
- <a href="http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/which_side_are_you_on_20111013/">http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/which_side_are_you_on_20111013/</a><br />
-<a href="http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20111014/ECONOMY/111019920/0/newsletter"> http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20111014/ECONOMY/111019920/0/newsletter</a><br />
- <a href="http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=7441">http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=7441</a><br />
-
<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/10/04/1022722/-Occupy-Wall-Street:-List-and-map-of-over-200-US-solidarity-events-and-Facebook%C2%A0pages?detail=hide">http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/10/04/1022722/-Occupy-Wall-Street:-List-and-map-of-over-200-US-solidarity-events-and-Facebook%C2%A0pages?detail=hide</a><br />
-
<a href="http://www.alternet.org/occupywallst/152731/occupy_wall_street_showdown%3A_triumph_and_tense_clashes/?akid=7710.313315.oSi5Hw&rd=1&t=1">http://www.alternet.org/occupywallst/152731/occupy_wall_street_showdown%3A_triumph_and_tense_clashes/?akid=7710.313315.oSi5Hw&rd=1&t=1</a><br />
-
<a href="http://www.alternet.org/occupywallst/152730/live_blog%3A_occupy_wall_street_protesters_win_battle_against_bloomberg_eviction%2C_at_least_10_arrested_in_clash_with_police/?akid=7710.313315.oSi5Hw&rd=1&t=2">http://www.alternet.org/occupywallst/152730/live_blog%3A_occupy_wall_street_protesters_win_battle_against_bloomberg_eviction%2C_at_least_10_arrested_in_clash_with_police/?akid=7710.313315.oSi5Hw&rd=1&t=2</a>
(live blogging about #OWS)<br />
-
<a href="http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/680264/saturday%3A_solidarity_protests_to_sweep_across_world/">http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/680264/saturday%3A_solidarity_protests_to_sweep_across_world/</a> (Protest planned worldwide for this saturday! Another expansion of the
movement into even more realms!)<br />
-
<a href="http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/679931/saturday%3A_huge_global_day_of_action_in_solidarity_with_occupy_wall_street/">http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/679931/saturday%3A_huge_global_day_of_action_in_solidarity_with_occupy_wall_street/</a>
(Day of protests, mentioned in the link above)<br />
- <a href="http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/680267/ows_updates%3A_hiv-positive_protester_says_cop_who_punched_him_should_be_tested%2C_23_arrested_in_denver/">http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/680267/ows_updates%3A_hiv-positive_protester_says_cop_who_punched_him_should_be_tested%2C_23_arrested_in_denver/</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/680263/the_occupy_wall_street_anthem/">http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/680263/the_occupy_wall_street_anthem/</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/679930/occupy_wall_street%3A_why_now/">http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/679930/occupy_wall_street%3A_why_now/</a> (Exactly the question I've been asking...)<br />
-
<a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/152729/occupy_wall_street%3A_people_power_vs._the_police_state?akid=7709.313315.L528Ly&rd=1&t=2">http://www.alternet.org/story/152729/occupy_wall_street%3A_people_power_vs._the_police_state?akid=7709.313315.L528Ly&rd=1&t=2</a><br />
-
<a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/152649/occupy_wall_street_trades_in_%27the_whole_world_is_watching%27_for_watching_the_whole_world?akid=7709.313315.L528Ly&rd=1&t=12">http://www.alternet.org/story/152649/occupy_wall_street_trades_in_%27the_whole_world_is_watching%27_for_watching_the_whole_world?akid=7709.313315.L528Ly&rd=1&t=12</a><br />
-
<a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/152699/inside_occupy_wall_street%3A_journalist-participant_describes_what_life_is_really_like_%28complicated_and_inspiring%29_at_zuccotti_park__?akid=7709.313315.L528Ly&rd=1&t=21">http://www.alternet.org/story/152699/inside_occupy_wall_street%3A_journalist-participant_describes_what_life_is_really_like_%28complicated_and_inspiring%29_at_zuccotti_park__?akid=7709.313315.L528Ly&rd=1&t=21</a><br />
-
<a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/152694/occupy_wall_st._prepares_for_crackdown_--_will_bloomberg_try_to_tear_it_all_down?akid=7709.313315.L528Ly&rd=1&t=24">http://www.alternet.org/story/152694/occupy_wall_st._prepares_for_crackdown_--_will_bloomberg_try_to_tear_it_all_down?akid=7709.313315.L528Ly&rd=1&t=24</a>
(this crackdown was averted)<br />
-
<a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/152650/occupy_wall_street_strikes_a_chord%3A_nyc_action_inspires_hundreds_of_occupations_around_the_world?akid=7709.313315.L528Ly&rd=1&t=27">http://www.alternet.org/story/152650/occupy_wall_street_strikes_a_chord%3A_nyc_action_inspires_hundreds_of_occupations_around_the_world?akid=7709.313315.L528Ly&rd=1&t=27</a><br />
- <a href="http://socialistworker.org/2011/10/14/what-occupy-wall-street-means">http://socialistworker.org/2011/10/14/what-occupy-wall-street-means</a><br />
- <a href="http://socialistworker.org/2011/10/12/stepping-up-the-struggle">http://socialistworker.org/2011/10/12/stepping-up-the-struggle</a><br />
- <a href="http://socialistworker.org/2011/10/12/we-will-be-here-tomorrow">http://socialistworker.org/2011/10/12/we-will-be-here-tomorrow</a><br />
- <a href="http://socialistworker.org/2011/10/11/same-struggle-same-fight">http://socialistworker.org/2011/10/11/same-struggle-same-fight</a><br />
- <a href="http://socialistworker.org/2011/10/11/autonomous-on-wall-street">http://socialistworker.org/2011/10/11/autonomous-on-wall-street</a><br />
- <a href="http://socialistworker.org/2011/10/13/bringing-the-struggle-home">http://socialistworker.org/2011/10/13/bringing-the-struggle-home</a><br />
- <a href="http://socialistworker.org/2011/10/13/the-one-percent-squirm">http://socialistworker.org/2011/10/13/the-one-percent-squirm</a><br />
-
<a href="http://www.reenagagneja.com/capitalism?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ReenaGagneja+%28Spiritual+Truth+Blog%29">http://www.reenagagneja.com/capitalism?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ReenaGagneja+%28Spiritual+Truth+Blog%29</a><br />
-
<a href="http://www.reenagagneja.com/anonymous-ron-pau?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ReenaGagneja+%28Spiritual+Truth+Blog%29">http://www.reenagagneja.com/anonymous-ron-pau?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ReenaGagneja+%28Spiritual+Truth+Blog%29</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.thenation.com/blog/163981/occupy-wall-street-protesters-win-showdown-bloomberg">http://www.thenation.com/blog/163981/occupy-wall-street-protesters-win-showdown-bloomberg</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/163924/occupy-wall-street-occupy-everywhere">http://www.thenation.com/article/163924/occupy-wall-street-occupy-everywhere</a><br />
- <a href="http://teleomorph.com/2011/10/14/the-occupy-movement-is-zeroing-in-on-its-target/">http://teleomorph.com/2011/10/14/the-occupy-movement-is-zeroing-in-on-its-target/</a><br />
- <a href="http://teleomorph.com/2011/10/13/lawrence-lessig-at-occupy-wall-street/">http://teleomorph.com/2011/10/13/lawrence-lessig-at-occupy-wall-street/</a> (Occupy Wall Street unifying the "left" and "right?")<br />
- <a href="http://consortiumnews.com/2011/10/11/occupy-movement-surfaces-in-tulsa/">http://consortiumnews.com/2011/10/11/occupy-movement-surfaces-in-tulsa/</a><br />
- <a href="http://consortiumnews.com/2011/10/11/freedom-plaza-protesters-settle-in/">http://consortiumnews.com/2011/10/11/freedom-plaza-protesters-settle-in/</a><br />
- <a href="http://consortiumnews.com/2011/10/10/washingtonproteststaysput/">http://consortiumnews.com/2011/10/10/washingtonproteststaysput/</a><br />
- <a href="http://consortiumnews.com/2011/10/10/gop-sees-mob-in-wall-st-protests/">http://consortiumnews.com/2011/10/10/gop-sees-mob-in-wall-st-protests/</a><br />
-
<a href="http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/tea-party-wall-street/2011/10/13/id/414367?s=al&promo_code=D407-1">http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/tea-party-wall-street/2011/10/13/id/414367?s=al&promo_code=D407-1</a>
(A christian-conservative news source talks about the Tea Party
attacking #OWS. The Tea Party should be #OWS as my dad says, but this
whole thing just proves they are owned by big business)<br />
- <a href="http://consortiumnews.com/2011/10/13/common-cause-against-wall-street/">http://consortiumnews.com/2011/10/13/common-cause-against-wall-street/</a><br />
- <a href="http://revolutionaryfrontlines.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/19716/">http://revolutionaryfrontlines.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/19716/</a><br />
-
<a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/152655/wall_st._has_poured_millions_into_the_nypd_--_are_they_getting_their_pay_back_now?akid=7702.313315.TBCrVF&rd=1&t=24">http://www.alternet.org/story/152655/wall_st._has_poured_millions_into_the_nypd_--_are_they_getting_their_pay_back_now?akid=7702.313315.TBCrVF&rd=1&t=24</a><br />
-
<a href="http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/678251/watch_disturbing_video_of_mass_arrest_of_occupy_boston_protesters%2C_including_veterans_for_peace/">http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/678251/watch_disturbing_video_of_mass_arrest_of_occupy_boston_protesters%2C_including_veterans_for_peace/</a><br />
-<a href="http://theweek.com/article/slide/220235/the-best-occupy-wall-street-protest-signs-a-slideshow&quot;#0"> http://theweek.com/article/slide/220235/the-best-occupy-wall-street-protest-signs-a-slideshow&quot;#0</a><br />
-
<a href="http://www.alternet.org/vision/152694/the_wall_street_occupation_went_from_protest_to_providing_services_--_and_now_mayor_bloomerg_is_trying_to_tear_it_all_down?akid=7701.313315.fJgzoh&rd=1&t=2">http://www.alternet.org/vision/152694/the_wall_street_occupation_went_from_protest_to_providing_services_--_and_now_mayor_bloomerg_is_trying_to_tear_it_all_down?akid=7701.313315.fJgzoh&rd=1&t=2</a><br />
-
<a href="http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/679714/occupy_wall_street_update%3A_nyc_protesters_fight_against_eviction%2C_another_pepper-spray_victim_presses_charges/">http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/679714/occupy_wall_street_update%3A_nyc_protesters_fight_against_eviction%2C_another_pepper-spray_victim_presses_charges/</a><br />
-
<a href="http://www.alternet.org/occupywallst/152719/america_returns_to_our_proud_history_of_hating_--_and_fighting_--_wall_street/?akid=7701.313315.fJgzoh&rd=1&t=3">http://www.alternet.org/occupywallst/152719/america_returns_to_our_proud_history_of_hating_--_and_fighting_--_wall_street/?akid=7701.313315.fJgzoh&rd=1&t=3</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/679920/matt_taibbi%3A_5_things_wall_street_protesters_should_demand_of_the_1/">http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/679920/matt_taibbi%3A_5_things_wall_street_protesters_should_demand_of_the_1/</a><br />
-
<a href="http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/679919/poll%3A_americans_like_occupy_wall_street_a_whole_lot_more_than_the_tea_party/">http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/679919/poll%3A_americans_like_occupy_wall_street_a_whole_lot_more_than_the_tea_party/</a><br />
-
<a href="http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/679719/bill_clinton_tells_letterman_audience_what_ows_is_all_about%3A_%22the_country%27s_not_really_working_for_ordinary_folks%22/">http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/679719/bill_clinton_tells_letterman_audience_what_ows_is_all_about%3A_%22the_country%27s_not_really_working_for_ordinary_folks%22/</a><br />
-
<a href="http://revolutionaryfrontlines.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/south-africa-occupy-grahamstown-statement-by-the-unemployed-peoples-movement/">http://revolutionaryfrontlines.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/south-africa-occupy-grahamstown-statement-by-the-unemployed-peoples-movement/</a><br />
-
<a href="http://politicalwire.com/archives/2011/10/13/occupy_wall_street_twice_as_popular_as_tea_party.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PoliticalWire+%28Political+Wire%29">http://politicalwire.com/archives/2011/10/13/occupy_wall_street_twice_as_popular_as_tea_party.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PoliticalWire+%28Political+Wire%29</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/occupy_the_moment_20111010/">http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/occupy_the_moment_20111010/</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.activistpost.com/2011/10/ows-protester-explains-real-money-vs.html">http://www.activistpost.com/2011/10/ows-protester-explains-real-money-vs.html</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.activistpost.com/2011/10/ron-paul-message-to-occupy-wall-street.html">http://www.activistpost.com/2011/10/ron-paul-message-to-occupy-wall-street.html</a><br />
- <a href="http://alternativenewsreport.net/2011/10/13/strange-ows-posters/">http://alternativenewsreport.net/2011/10/13/strange-ows-posters/</a><br />
- <a href="http://thedailyrecord.com/video/2011/10/10/occupy-baltimore-protesters-still-occupying-mckeldin-square/">http://thedailyrecord.com/video/2011/10/10/occupy-baltimore-protesters-still-occupying-mckeldin-square/</a><br />
-
<a href="http://godfatherpolitics.com/1483/occupy-wall-street-protesters-made-me-yell-at-my-tv/"> http://godfatherpolitics.com/1483/occupy-wall-street-protesters-made-me-yell-at-my-tv/</a>
(Conservative response to #OWS. I completely disagree with this writer)<br />
<br />
<br />
Last night, a number of "progressive" groups rushed to the defense of OWS:<br />
-
BoldProgressives:
<a href="http://act.boldprogressives.org/sign/petition_defend_ows/?akid=5499.1180005.bHylCF&rd=1&source=e1-4mo-fin&t=1">http://act.boldprogressives.org/sign/petition_defend_ows/?akid=5499.1180005.bHylCF&rd=1&source=e1-4mo-fin&t=1</a>
(supposedly it was a emergency petition, yet it only got 25% of the
people it was supposed to. I find this disappointing. However, over 54%
of Americans support the movement, so that's promising<br />
- Progressive
Action Fund. They didn't have a link, but they said: "Occupy Wall Street
in New York City needs your help today...Don't let anyone try to stand
in the way of Americans speaking out. Together we can make sure that
everyone's voice is heard. Tell Mayor Bloomberg that if he wants to
clean parts of New York City, he should start with Wall Street." <br />
-
Left Action, but has a petition by Credo Mobile (the company that has
ads in The Nation all the time):
<a href="http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/ows_4/?rc=LA_OWS_10072011_e1">http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/ows_4/?rc=LA_OWS_10072011_e1</a><br />
- MoveOn petition: <a href="http://www.civic.moveon.org/defend_ows/?id=31974-19300787-Bm8i%3D_x&t=2%20">http://www.civic.moveon.org/defend_ows/?id=31974-19300787-Bm8i%3D_x&t=2 </a>(Petition by MoveOn)<br />
- RootAction's petition: <a href="http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4882">http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4882</a><br />
<br />
UPDATE FIVE:<br />
I went down to Occupy Baltimore and <a href="http://sunpol.tumblr.com/post/11610071354/occupy-baltimore-a-movement-in-action">wrote an article</a> about it: "<span>A man at the media table spoke, saying that suggestions would be
posted for that day’s “General Assembly.” Every day at about 8:00 P.M.
this new method of meeting occurred. Those people in the middle would
pass the message to the outside without microphones, only with the human
voice. It’s like a game of telephone, except more political in nature
and more inclusive. As another...":</span> <a href="http://sunpol.tumblr.com/post/11610071354/occupy-baltimore-a-movement-in-action">http://sunpol.tumblr.com/post/11610071354/occupy-baltimore-a-movement-in-action </a></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-30790157998052058942011-09-05T11:18:00.004-04:002011-09-05T11:36:26.136-04:00My letter to the editor (Time Magazine)<div style="color: black;">
While you wait for me to post another article, I found something you might like to read. My current article about the social movement on Wall Street is under way. Here's my Letter to the editor, which wasn't published in Time Magazine:</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ultranationalist
Americans don’t exist</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Joel Stein’s
piece [“Joel vs. the volcano”, July 4th] was disconcerting. Stein
writes about Iceland’s new constitution but also criticizes Americans. First he
says that U.S. citizens would write U-S-A in big letters on a new constitution
if it was proposed. I think Mr. Stein is not really being completely serious, but
I still that that the premise that Americans are ill-informed is incorrect. Some
people have good ideas like reforming government for the betterment of the
people. On the other hand, many Americans don’t have the appropriate sources of
information to become politically-literate citizens. Later in the column, Mr.
Stein writes “I was totally right to have never read through our Constitution
all the way through. Constitutions are boring.” Mr. Stein seems have a smart-alecy
tone throughout the piece and he seems to think he is the only one who knows
about the Constitution’s inner workings. That’s just not true. He does not seem
to be a fair judge of the document. At the end of the column, he writes
“America’s found[ers]…wrote a document…that prevents…direct democracy [that]
could lead to people giving themselves ludicrously low taxes and insanely
generous benefits.” Mr. Stein seems to not have faith in the American spirit
and the American character to lead meaningful change. In conclusion, I believe
Mr. Stein is mischaracterizing Americans as ignorant, incompetent and jingoist.
</span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-73530489023455394812011-08-11T07:51:00.006-04:002011-08-12T17:07:47.037-04:00America needs another economic Andrew Jackson<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> <w:word11kerningpairs/> <w:cachedcolbalance/> 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mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Most American politicians are not like President Andrew Jackson in all his political views relating to the economy which included abolishing the central bank at the time. In recent times, the Federal Reserve (the Fed) has come under attack by people across the political spectrum. You can't find many who criticize the rich across political lines. But the private banking group, the Fed, is always open to verbal attack if not people-power anger by some that even wants to abolish the Fed.<a style="mso-endnote-id:edn1" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%; font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[i]</span></span></span></span></a> Some have even proposed to eliminate the national debt, like President Jackson. From articles I found online and other sources, I have found those that are like Mr. Jackson in U.S. politics. Before that, you have to look back at exactly what Mr. Jackson said about the precursor to the Federal Reserve, the Second Bank of the United States.
<br />
<br />Two years after the founding of modern America in 1789, Congress passed a law that approved a charter for the Bank of the United States for 20 years. Thereafter, an economic plan was in place until 1841 with a five year gap (1811-1816) because of a Pennsylvania legislature that reauthorized the Second Bank of the United States’s charter in 1836 (even though it wasn’t a federal charter after it was vetoed two times by Mr. Jackson). <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The economic plan started with Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton who called for central bank. According to Digital History’s website: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">"Hamilton's...objective was to create a Bank of the United States…A national bank [that]would collect taxes, hold government funds, and make loans to the government and borrowers. <b>One criticism directed against the bank was…it would encourage speculation and corruption…Thomas Jefferson and James Madison charged that a national bank was unconstitutional since the Constitution did not specifically give Congress the power to create a bank. </b>Hamilton…argued that Congress had the power to create a bank because the Constitution granted the federal government authority to do anything "necessary and proper" to carry out its constitutional functions."<a style="mso-endnote-id:edn2" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn2" name="_ednref2" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[ii]</span></b></span></span></span></a></i> Going back to that, Mr. Hamilton mentions the necessary and proper clause: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">"Congress shall have the power...<a name="A1Sec8Cl18">To</a> make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof."<a style="mso-endnote-id:edn3" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn3" name="_ednref3" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[iii]</span></b></span></span></span></a> </i>I believe that the bank was unconstitutional, not being necessary and proper in any way and could be easily corrupted since it only benefited the rich, for the most part.<a style="mso-endnote-id:edn4" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn4" name="_ednref4" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%; font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[iv]</span></span></span></span></a> For the next 31 years, until President Andrew Jackson vetoed the charter of Bank of the United States, there wasn't enough opposition to stop the bank.
<br />
<br />As part of his plan to eliminate the national debt, Andrew Jackson wanted to eliminate something that he believed gave too much power to the wealthy. That something was the Second Bank of the United States. When the bill that reauthorized its charter passed both houses of Congress, Mr. Jackson vetoed it. In a speech about the bill he stated:
<br />"It is maintained by some that the bank is a means of executing the constitutional power "to coin money and regulate the value thereof." Congress have established a mint to coin money and passed laws to regulate the value thereof...But if they have other power to regulate the currency, it was conferred to be exercised by themselves, and <b>not to be transferred to a corporation</b>. If the bank be established for that purpose...Congress [has] parted with their power for a term of years, during which <b>the Constitution is a dead letter</b>. It is neither necessary nor proper to transfer its legislative power to such a bank, and <b>therefore unconstitutional</b>...It is not their public agency or the deposits of the Government which the States claim a right to <b>tax</b>, but...<b>private emolument--those powers and privileges for which the [banks] pay a bonus</b>...We may not pass an act prohibiting <b>the States to tax the banking business </b>carried on within their limits...The bank is professedly established as an agent of the executive branch of the Government, and its constitutionality is maintained on that ground...There is <b>nothing </b>in its legitimate functions <b>which makes it necessary or proper</b>. Whatever interest or influence, whether public or private...it can not be found either in the wishes or necessities of the executive department, by which present action is deemed premature, and <b>the powers [given to the bank are] not only unnecessary, but dangerous to the Government and country</b>...It is to be regretted that <b>the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their selfish purposes</b>...when the laws undertake to add to...grant titles, gratuities, and exclusive privileges, <b>to make the rich richer and the potent more powerful</b>, <b>the humble members of society</b>--the farmers, mechanics, and laborers--who have neither the time nor the means of securing like favors to themselves, <b>have a right to complain of the injustice of their Government</b>...If we can not at once, in justice to interests vested under improvident legislation, make <b>our Government </b>what it ought to be, we <b>can</b> at least <b>take a stand against all new grants of monopolies and exclusive privileges</b>, <b>against </b>any prostitution of our Government to <b>the advancement of the few at the expense of the many</b>, and <b>in favor of compromise and gradual reform</b> <b>in</b> our code of <b>laws and </b>system of political <b>economy</b>." <a style="mso-endnote-id:edn5" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn5" name="_ednref5" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%; font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[v]</span></span></span></span></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >
<br />From the veto speech of the charter of the Second Bank of the United States (which he refers to as “the Bank”) in 1832, I have made some connections in the modern political landscape of America where many are speaking out against a Federal Reserve. As you have read in the above speech, Mr. Jackson called the centralized bank at the time, a private corporation; politicians today are using the same language against the Fed. Before that, to summarize, Mr. Jackson stated:
<br />1. It is unconstitutional for Congress to transfer its ability to coin money to a private corporation, chartered by the government
<br />2. The Constitution is being ignored by those that support the bank
<br />3. The bank itself is unconstitutional and must be abolished
<br />4. States should be allowed to tax private emoluments such as bonuses or gifts of members of the bank
<br />5. States can tax the banking business
<br />6. The Bank is not necessary or proper in carrying out governmental powers
<br />7. Unnecessary Powers given to the bank are dangerous to the country
<br />8. The wealthy and powerful often selfishly try to get themselves more money
<br />9. Farmers, mechanics and laborers have a right to complain to the government of the injustice of their condition
<br />10. The government must stand against new monopolies and executive privileges (such as executive compensation)
<br />11. The government must stay a government for the people, not for the advancement of a few powerful people
<br />12. Compromise and gradual reform in laws and political economy
<br />
<br />So from this list, I found a number of politicians that have similar ideas and to find out which ones were like Mr. Jackson except substituting the Federal Reserve instead of the bank. A thirteenth idea of Mr. Jackson not mentioned in his speech is the elimination of the national debt by pulling all government money out of the centralized bank. As president, he was the only one who ever has eliminated the national debt and no one has even come close to that goal since then. I noted which numbers in the above list applied to each quote by putting them in bolded in parentheses, so one can find which person is the modern Andrew Jackson.
<br />
<br />The list is expansive and goes across the traditional political spectrum including
<br />- Al Gore in 2000 election (<b>12 possibly in some way and 13</b>)
<br /></span><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >"Paying down debt reduces government intrusion...Pay off the national debt by 2013.</span><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >"<a style="mso-endnote-id:edn6" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn6" name="_ednref6" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%; font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[vi]</span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >
<br />- Willie Felix Carter, 2012 Democratic Presidential Candidate (<b>12 and 13</b>)
<br />"<i>[He wants America] moving forward to <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">reduce our national debt...create a business friendly community</span>, with incentives to encourage hiring, and working to <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">ensure affordable housing...</span>“work[ing] with Congress with the interest of co[r]perate America [in mind] and [insuring] small businesses that we not drive them out of competition in the process [of creating affordable healthcare]...<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">reduce taxes</span>...to give taxpayers more buying power...[and to solve the national debt]."<a style="mso-endnote-id:edn7" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn7" name="_ednref7" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[vii]</span></b></span></span></span></a></i></span><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >
<br />- Mike Maloney, 2012 Democratic Presidential Candidate I support (<b>1 except Congress is not mentioned, 3, 7, 8, 10, 11 is implied and 12</b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">)</span>
<br />"<i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;">[the] government cannot plan and direct the economy</span> and cannot be seen as the “creator” of jobs...<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">government must constrain businesses</span> to some extent for the General Welfare, <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">government officials [cannot] direct...business</span>...Government intervention to prop up failing businesses [is inefficient and [destroys]...productive segments of the economy...<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Government Must Protect Free People from the Power of Great Combinations</span> [in business such as monopolies and trusts]...<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Big Oil...banks [and] media dismantled antitrust laws</span>... [the<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">] Super Rich hide their wealth</span> offshore to escape taxation...[A supporter said from what he's heard, Mr. Maloney would]<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">restore the Eisenhower tax brackets</span> that [America] prospered with...and <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">replace the private Federal Reserve</span> that charges...government interest for imaginary money.”<a style="mso-endnote-id: edn8" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn8" name="_ednref8" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language: AR-SAfont-family:";" >[viii]</span></b></span></span></span></a></i>
<br />- Dee Neveu, another 2012 Presidential candidate (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">8, 9, 11 and 12</b>)
<br />"[She says she is a] <i>real vote for the people</i>...<i>American jobs need saving...I do believe that<b> </b><span style=" mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;">a President should be for helping everyone,<b> </b></span>both rich and poor [by having fair tax laws and through other means]...How can we continue to help everywhere else...when we need to help ourselves again right here in America?”</i> <a style="mso-endnote-id:edn9" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn9" name="_ednref9" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%; font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[ix]</span></span></span></span></a>
<br /><i>- Ron Paul, 2012 Republican Presidential Candidate and current U.S. Representative (<b>3, 12 and sort of 13</b>)</i>
<br />"[A writer talks about Ron Paul, saying he would] lay off Ben Bernanke...and abolish the Federal Reserve...Ron Paul…represents the United States’ last hope of preserving its position as a pre-eminent economic superpower and avoiding a Soviet-style collapse into an abyss of debt, depression and decay.”<a style="mso-endnote-id:edn10" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn10" name="_ednref10" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%; font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[x]</span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >
<br />- Gary Johnson, 2012 Republican Presidential Candidate (<b>7, 11 and 12</b>)
<br />"The Federal Reserve Bank needs to be reviewed and managed effectively...Congress should take a close look at how the Federal Reserve Bank is operated and regulated. If changes need to be made within the Federal Reserve Bank, they should be made...Government spends too much because it does too much. Unchecked deficits are the single greatest threat to our national security...THE FEDERAL RESERVE SHOULD BE TRANSPARENT and its actions held to the same level of scrutiny as any other federal department."<a style="mso-endnote-id:edn11" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn11" name="_ednref11" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%; font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[xi]</span></span></span></span></a>
<br />- Rand Paul, a current U.S. Republican Senator (<b>7, 11 and 12</b>)
<br />"With so much blame going around for the current financial crisis it is surprising that so few in the mainstream press have discussed the role of the Federal Reserve System. For too long the Federal Reserve has operated behind a shroud of mystery—as Senator I would make sure that all Americans understand the dangers of unsound monetary policy and shed light on this secretive organization...As Senator I would make sure that the Federal Reserve is held accountable and restore transparency to our monetary system." <a style="mso-endnote-id:edn12" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn12" name="_ednref12" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%; font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[xii]</span></span></span></span></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >- Anonymous's video as talked about in RawStory article (<b>1 possibly</b>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">3 is very likely, but not said</b>, <b>9 and 11</b>)
<br />"Democrats have failed us, Republicans have failed us... It is time for us to stand up for ourselves... We must fight back against the organized criminal class... We must launch "operation Empire State rebellion. The operation will commence on June 14th...Operation Empire State Rebellion Engaged."...The group's latest Youtube video<a style="mso-endnote-id: edn13" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn13" name="_ednref13" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%; font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[xiii]</span></span></span></span></a> has this description: <i>In this new video release, "as a first step," Anonymous has called for public protests beginning on June 14th, continuing "until Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke steps down." To make their case, they have presented a list of recent scandalous Federal Reserve actions [detailed on </i></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://seetell.jp/13611"><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";" >http://seetell.jp/13611</span></a></span><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >]."<a style="mso-endnote-id:edn14" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn14" name="_ednref14" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%; font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[xiv]</span></span></span></span></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >- Bernie Sanders, Independent Senator from Vermont (<b>4 except not of the Federal Reserve, 5 is said often in other speeches, 8, 9, 10 may not be in speech but is in his policy, 11 and 12</b>)
<br />"Has the Federal Reserve of the United States become the central bank of the world? The Fed said that this bailout was necessary to prevent the world economy from going over a cliff. But three years after the start of the recession, millions of Americans remain unemployed and have lost their homes, life savings and ability to send their kids to college. Meanwhile, big banks and corporations have returned to making huge profits and paying their executives record-breaking compensation packages as if the financial crisis they started never happened. What this disclosure tells us, among many other things, is that despite this huge taxpayer bailout, the Fed did not make the appropriate demands on these institutions necessary to rebuild our economy and protect the needs of ordinary Americans...We have begun to lift the veil of secrecy at one of most important agencies in our government. What we are seeing is the incredible power of a small number of people who have incredible conflicts of interest getting incredible help from the taxpayers of this country while ignoring the needs of the people."<a style="mso-endnote-id: edn15" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn15" name="_ednref15" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%; font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[xv]</span></span></span></span></a>
<br />- Jim DeMint , current Republican U.S. Senator (<b>9 and 12</b>)
<br />"Ben Bernanke is an intelligent and well-intended public servant, but the fact is the Fed has failed the American people during his tenure as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board and I cannot support his nomination for a second term. Americans want a new Fed chairman who is willing to provide transparency into the Fed's actions, who is willing to accept responsibility for the Fed's mistakes, and who is willing to support true monetary reform that guarantees the soundness of our money."<a style="mso-endnote-id:edn16" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn16" name="_ednref16" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%; font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[xvi]</span></span></span></span></a>
<br />- Byron Dorgan, a Democratic U.S. Senator (<b>9, 10, 11 and 12</b>)
<br />“The American people are entitled to know where these dollars have gone. The Fed refuses to disclose this…to the American people, so we are taking congressional action to determine how the Fed has used these trillions of dollars.” <a style="mso-endnote-id:edn17" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn17" name="_ednref17" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[xvii]</span></span></span></span></a>
<br />- Alan Grayson, Democratic U.S. Representative (<b>9, 10, 11 and 12</b>)
<br />"Many of the people who opposed [the audit of the Fed] have bought into one of the big fictions of our era. That fiction is the fiction of Fed 'independence.' The Fed may be independent from our elected political leadership, but the Fed is anything <i>but</i> independent from Wall Street. On the contrary, the Fed is government of Wall Street, by Wall Street, and for Wall Street. Wall Street mobilized against this amendment to perpetuate its monopoly control of the money supply, and its ability to conduct secret bailouts with Fed blank checks. For once, Wall Street lost, and the people won. This is important because it represents new hope that we can stop the wholesale transfer of wealth from us to them."<a style="mso-endnote-id:edn18" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn18" name="_ednref18" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%; font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[xviii]</span></span></span></span></a>
<br />- Charles Grassley, a Republican U.S. Senator (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">7 to extent except the Fed’s powers are not deemed completely unnecessary, <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">9 is implied and 12</span></b>)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >“The Fed has gone beyond what was viewed as its historical authority in the last two and a half years without any transparency or accountability. Our amendment [the financial reform legislation] changes that by making the Fed’s emergency loan authority subject to the light of day.”<a style="mso-endnote-id:edn19" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn19" name="_ednref19" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%; font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[xix]</span></span></span></span></a>
<br />- Chris Dodd, a Democratic U.S. Senator (<b>7 to extent of needed reform and 12</b>)
<br />"'We saw over the last number of years, when they [the Federal Reserve] took on consumer protection responsibilities and the regulation of bank holding companies, it was an abysmal failure."<a style="mso-endnote-id: edn20" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn20" name="_ednref20" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%; font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[xx]</span></span></span></span></a>
<br />- Newt Gingrich, 2012 Republican Presidential candidate (<b>6 except not all powers given to the federal reserve are abolished and 9</b>)
<br />"As a part of a thorough reappraisal of the role of the Federal Reserve System, Congress should immediately narrow the focus of the Fed to the sole goal of stable prices [and] with so much activity going on behind the closed doors of the Federal Reserve in Washington and New York, we must undertake a full-scale and comprehensive audit of the Federal Reserve."<a style="mso-endnote-id:edn21" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn21" name="_ednref21" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%; font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[xxi]</span></span></span></span></a>
<br />
<br />From the above list, I have concluded that U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and 2012 Democratic Presidential Candidate Mike Maloney are most like President Andrew Jackson's economic policy. In fact they have a tie between the numbers of ideas that each has that reflect Mr. Jackson's policies. I like Mr. Maloney, but I would favor Mr. Sanders in a Presidential race because he has proven he is a fighter for the middle class as shown by his 8 hr long "Bernie Buster" or a modern version of a filibuster on the Senate Floor on December 10th, 2010 (I am reading through the speech at this time). Unfortunately Mr. Sanders has announced he isn't running in the Presidential race, but Mr. Maloney is running. So, I support Mr. Maloney.
<br />
<br />However, there is no politician I have found who endorses Mr. Jackson's views on the economy totally. I will still wait for that politician that does that. I want a politician like Willie Stark in <u>All the Kings Men</u> that understands the people, but is not power-hungry and has some sort of charisma which is balanced by intelligence of the issues facing this country. That politician will come one day and change America in a way that's needed desperately because the United States of America is on the brink of a new Revolution which I believe has already begun. </span></p> <div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span> <hr style="height: 3px;font-size:78%;" align="left" width="33%"> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn1"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn1" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref1" name="_edn1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[i]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > <a href="http://abolishthefederalreserve.org/">http://abolishthefederalreserve.org/</a> </span></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn2"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn2" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref2" name="_edn2" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[ii]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > <a href="https://gmx.com/dereferrer/?target=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.digitalhistory.uh.edu%2Fdatabase%2Farticle_display.cfm%3FHHID%3D6" target="_blank"><span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";" >http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=6</span></a></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latinfont-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > </span></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn3"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn3" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref3" name="_edn3" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[iii]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > <a href="https://gmx.com/dereferrer/?target=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usconstitution.net%2Fconst.html%23A1Sec1" target="_blank"><span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";" >http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#A1Sec1</span></a></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latinfont-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > </span></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn4"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn4" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref4" name="_edn4" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";" >[iv]</span></span></span></span></a> <a href="http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/2008-01/KingAndrewandtheBank.html">http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/2008-01/KingAndrewandtheBank.html</a></span> </p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn5"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn5" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref5" name="_edn5" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[v]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > <a href="https://gmx.com/dereferrer/?target=http%3A%2F%2Fmillercenter.org%2Fscripps%2Farchive%2Fspeeches%2Fdetail%2F3636" target="_blank"><span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";" >http://millercenter.org/scripps/archive/speeches/detail/3636</span></a></span></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn6"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn6" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref6" name="_edn6" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[vi]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > <a href="http://interestingblogger1.blogspot.com/2011/07/al-gore-and-george-bush-was-there-real.html">http://interestingblogger1.blogspot.com/2011/07/al-gore-and-george-bush-was-there-real.html</a> </span></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn7"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn7" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref7" name="_edn7" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[vii]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > <a href="http://interestingblogger1.blogspot.com/2011/06/others-democrats-running-for-president.html">http://interestingblogger1.blogspot.com/2011/06/others-democrats-running-for-president.html</a> </span></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn8"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn8" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref8" name="_edn8" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[viii]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > <a href="http://interestingblogger1.blogspot.com/2011/06/others-democrats-running-for-president.html">http://interestingblogger1.blogspot.com/2011/06/others-democrats-running-for-president.html</a> </span></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn9"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn9" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref9" name="_edn9" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[ix]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > <a href="http://interestingblogger1.blogspot.com/2011/06/others-democrats-running-for-president.html">http://interestingblogger1.blogspot.com/2011/06/others-democrats-running-for-president.html</a> </span></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn10"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn10" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref10" name="_edn10" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[x]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > <a href="http://interestingblogger1.blogspot.com/2011/06/ron-paul-is-he-right-man-to-lead.html">http://interestingblogger1.blogspot.com/2011/06/ron-paul-is-he-right-man-to-lead.html</a> </span></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn11"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn11" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref11" name="_edn11" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[xi]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><u><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" >http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/rep_bios.php?rep_id=48413595&category=views&id=20110510183158</span></u></span></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn12"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn12" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref12" name="_edn12" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[xii]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><u><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" >http://www.randpaul2010.com/issues/a-g/federal-reserve/</span></u></span></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn13"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn13" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref13" name="_edn13" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[xiii]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XySGw-g2tyk&feature=youtu.be">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XySGw-g2tyk&feature=youtu.be</a> </span></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn14"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn14" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref14" name="_edn14" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[xiv]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/06/13/anonymous-targets-federal-reserve-chairman-ben-bernanke/"><span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";" >http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/06/13/anonymous-targets-federal-reserve-chairman-ben-bernanke/</span></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><u><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" > </span></u></span></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn15"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn15" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref15" name="_edn15" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[xv]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><u><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" >http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-bernie-sanders/a-real-jaw-dropper-at-the_b_791091.html</span></u></span></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn16"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn16" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref16" name="_edn16" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[xvi]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > <a href="https://gmx.com/dereferrer/?target=http%3A%2F%2Fdemint.senate.gov%2Fpublic%2Findex.cfm%3Fp%3DPressReleases%26ContentRecord_id%3D565a57c0-fe40-1b74-3bff-50ed319cb4d4%26ContentType_id%3Da2165b4b-3970-4d37-97e5-4832fcc68398" target="_blank"><span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";" >http://demint.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=565a57c0-fe40-1b74-3bff-50ed319cb4d4&ContentType_id=a2165b4b-3970-4d37-97e5-4832fcc68398</span></a></span></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn17"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn17" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref17" name="_edn17" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[xvii]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > <a href="https://gmx.com/dereferrer/?target=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bloomberg.com%2Fnews%2F2010-05-05%2Ffed-would-disclose-borrowers-under-planned-senate-amendment-to-bank-bill.html" target="_blank"><span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";" >http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-05-05/fed-would-disclose-borrowers-under-planned-senate-amendment-to-bank-bill.html</span></a></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latinfont-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > </span></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn18"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn18" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref18" name="_edn18" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[xviii]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > <a href="https://gmx.com/dereferrer/?target=http%3A%2F%2Fdownwithtyranny.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F11%2Falan-grayson-saves-day-on-federal.html" target="_blank"><span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";" >http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2009/11/alan-grayson-saves-day-on-federal.html</span></a></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latinfont-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > </span></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn19"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn19" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref19" name="_edn19" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[xix]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > <a href="https://gmx.com/dereferrer/?target=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bloomberg.com%2Fnews%2F2010-05-05%2Ffed-would-disclose-borrowers-under-planned-senate-amendment-to-bank-bill.html" target="_blank"><span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";" >http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-05-05/fed-would-disclose-borrowers-under-planned-senate-amendment-to-bank-bill.html</span></a></span></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn20"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn20" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref20" name="_edn20" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[xx]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > <a href="https://gmx.com/dereferrer/?target=http%3A%2F%2Fglobalparadigms.blogspot.com%2F2009_11_16_archive.html" target="_blank"><span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";" >http://globalparadigms.blogspot.com/2009_11_16_archive.html</span></a></span></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:endnote" id="edn21"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="mso-endnote-id:edn21" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref21" name="_edn21" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;" ><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:Calibri;" >[xxi]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" > <a href="https://gmx.com/dereferrer/?target=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.humanevents.com%2Farticle.php%3Fid%3D44380" target="_blank"><span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";" >http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=44380</span></a></span></p> </div> </div> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-43434892603163990122011-08-06T17:18:00.003-04:002011-09-05T11:19:56.533-04:00Grassroots protests: A world revolution?<span style="color: black;">On Facebook, the owner of a page talked about a so-called "world revolution." I said I'd write an article, but I never got around to it until now. Looking through articles, videos and posts across the internet, I have found events that eventually fit into a puzzle of directly connected pieces. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">It is accepted by some websites across the internet that a world revolution is a “world socialist revolution” envisioned by former American news reporter and philosopher Karl Marx:<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> “When Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels implored workers of the world to unite, they announced a new vision of international politics: world socialist revolution...the struggle for world socialist revolution.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn1" name="_ednref1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[i]</span></b></span></span></a> </i>The difference between world socialist revolution and world revolution is one that distinguishes the organized revolt. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">There is no way it is a world socialist revolution. The revolution consists of protests against governments across the world<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn2" name="_ednref2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn2;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[ii]</span></span></span></a>, a revolt against powers that be, the ruling class or leadership class of just about every country. Some revolts that started as peaceful are becoming more violent and some going the opposite way. Some in the U.S. even call for a peaceful second American Revolution <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Revolution-2011/149944195066174"><span style="text-decoration: none;">on</span></a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Revolution-2011/149944195066174"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></a></span><span style="font-size: 100%;">Facebook<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn3" name="_ednref3" style="mso-endnote-id: edn3;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[iii]</span></span></span></a></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"> (a violent revolution against the government is illegal under federal law). The page does not explain its purpose completely, but is pretty obvious that the creators believe the current U.S. government is crooked. In the Mideast, which I call the Orient, people are angry with the dictators or oligarchies that remain so they are arming themselves with deadly weapons. In Libya, a protest against Muammar Gaddafi became inflamed when NATO and support of the “industrialized world” was added in a situation that has become a civil war. It is debatable if the protest was violent to start with as countries like France may have started the violence with secret intervention, but it is obvious that Libya has descended into civil war. Also, in the American-backed dictatorship in Yemen seemed to be led by armed activists as the revolution continued. However, only a few days ago, protestors have told <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">people to be patient and continue their peaceful revolution until they oust all "remnants" of the regime.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn4" name="_ednref4" style="mso-endnote-id: edn4;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[iv]</span></b></span></span></a></i></span><span style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 100%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 100%;">I went all the way back to what gave me the idea for this blog, a Facebook post I commented on:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">The world revolution has its roots in France where the “European Revolution” was dubbed by protestors began. According to </span><span style="font-size: 100%;">europeanrevolution</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://europeanrevolution.net/"><span style="text-decoration: none;">.</span></a><a href="http://europeanrevolution.net/"><span style="text-decoration: none;">net</span></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn5" name="_ednref5" style="mso-endnote-id: edn5;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[v]</span></span></span></a>: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“At least 20 of the most important cities in France have their square occupied by youth protesters. Calling themseleves the Indignés…France seems to hold a leading position in the new European Revolution...They demand a Constitutive Assembly to make govern[ments] ‘remember’ that ‘people [are] sovereign’…stress…inequality of o[p]portunities and priorities between represented and representat[ives], between reality and ideologies. They ask [their voice to be heard by the governments].”</i> The demands juts articulated shows that people (possibly in the millions) are serious with their concerns and want a changed world order. These mobilized citizens do not want a international order planned out by the elites since the early 1900s. Certain ideas, like the Federal Reserve (formulated by private bankers and big business in 1913, before it was introduced to Congress as the Federal Reserve Act) advanced this idea. To see the impetus for the action in France, you have to go back to the protests in Spain. At one point, protesters called for a world revolution and future reforms as </span><span style="font-size: 100%;">written</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/05/20/spanish-protesters-cheer-for-world-revolution-as-ban-on-demonstration-takes-effect/"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></a><a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/05/20/spanish-protesters-cheer-for-world-revolution-as-ban-on-demonstration-takes-effect/"><span style="text-decoration: none;">on</span></a><a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/05/20/spanish-protesters-cheer-for-world-revolution-as-ban-on-demonstration-takes-effect/"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></a><a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/05/20/spanish-protesters-cheer-for-world-revolution-as-ban-on-demonstration-takes-effect/"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Raw</span></a><a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/05/20/spanish-protesters-cheer-for-world-revolution-as-ban-on-demonstration-takes-effect/"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></a><a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/05/20/spanish-protesters-cheer-for-world-revolution-as-ban-on-demonstration-takes-effect/"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Story</span></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn6" name="_ednref6" style="mso-endnote-id: edn6;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[vi]</span></span></span></a><a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/05/20/spanish-protesters-cheer-for-world-revolution-as-ban-on-demonstration-takes-effect/"><span style="text-decoration: none;">:</span></a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“From Tahrir to Madrid to the world, world revolution," said one of the placards, referring to Tahrir Square in Cairo which was the focal point of the Egyptian revolution earlier this year...Calling for "Real Democracy Now," the protests, popularly known as M-15, were called to condemn Spain's soaring unemployment, economic crisis, politicians in general, and corruption.”</i> These protests may have been organized by Anonymous, the organization that uses hacktivism (combination of hacking and activism) to complete its objectives. The organization has two major goals: making the internet free for the people of the world and punishing those that try to box the users of the world wide web in. The group had a video <a href="http://leaksource.wordpress.com/anonymous/#comments%20"><span style="text-decoration: none;">on</span></a><a href="http://leaksource.wordpress.com/anonymous/#comments%20"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></a></span><span style="font-size: 100%;">LeakSource<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn7" name="_ednref7" style="mso-endnote-id: edn7;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[vii]</span></span></span></a></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://leaksource.wordpress.com/anonymous/#comments%20"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></a>about how to prepare for a world revolution and what to do to go against the world elite. Underneath the video was the infamous saying on the internet that is feared by the leadership class, encapsulating the hopes of the protestors (bolded sayings) :</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">“</span><span style="font-size: 100%;">We are Anonymous</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">We are Legion</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><b>We do not forgive</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><b>We do not forget</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><b>Expect us!"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">The convergence of hacktivist groups (such as Anonymous and Lulz Boat), active citizenry across the world and advocacy groups has created a World Revolution. Some have called 2011 the year of revolution<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn8" name="_ednref8" style="mso-endnote-id: edn8;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[viii]</span></span></span></a> and I can’t agree more. Protests that started in Spain were influenced by young people who called for the end of overarching governments and the creation of democracies across the Arab World. Other Europeans had similar thoughts, causing organized disagreement across the region. International underground organizations seized on this opportunity and tried to convince internet users worldwide to protest against the global elite by creating short YouTube videos in some cases. An example is Global Strike<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn9" name="_ednref9" style="mso-endnote-id: edn9;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[ix]</span></span></span></a> (made by Anonymous), which explained how to stop the world leadership class and asking YouTube users to create their own videos in response.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">The ways to stop “the system” from overpowering you is so simple as the video points out, actions everyone could do, such as (groups that came up with these ideas are bracketed) :</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;">Not buying anything for a week [Anonymous] (My take: It could face opposition from consumers internationally who just buy and buy)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;">Storing up food, not buying it [Anonymous] (My take: Like the previous idea, this one could also face opposition from those who love capitalism and just want everything. But a concentrated effort could solve this problem)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;">“Stop supporting companies that you know are harmful.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn10" name="_ednref10" style="mso-endnote-id: edn10;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[x]</span></span></span></a> (My take: This is easy to do, all you have to do is be an informed citizen and if you buy products, then you must choose companies that will lead to a better future.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;">Growing your own food [Anonymous] (My take: Many people do this already with side gardens, victory gardens, backyard gardens, live on farms, etc… So, it wouldn’t be the hard to transition.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;">Go out on the street and protest against the elite [Anonymous] (My take: I believe that many Americans are used to the culture of surveillance, born out of the age of “terrorism” and would be afraid to participate. I am not so sure myself if I should participate in this activity since I feel I could be labeled as something I’m not.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">I have tried to do all of these listed items to the best of my ability. I’ve forced myself to not buying anything for a week (I am fiscally conservative with my money, so I don’t spend much anyway). Also I grow my own food and I am protesting by writing this article to educate people about the #worldrevolution<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn11" name="_ednref11" style="mso-endnote-id: edn11;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[xi]</span></span></span></a>. When I buy products I always try to use those products that are not from companies that abuse their workers or commit other abuses, are American-made and definitely not made in China as another listed item suggests. From my own analysis, certain groups don’t want people to buy anything because the money is controlled by the world elite. Federal Reserve Notes, the money I am referring to, is legal tender in America (“This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private”). U.S. dollars are printed by a private bank, an action that isn’t allowed by the U.S. Constitution.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">I believe that from everything that has happened, it is now the time to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“say no more…will the many allow the few to ruin our planet and our lives....We [the people of the world] can change things.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn12" name="_ednref12" style="mso-endnote-id: edn12;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[xii]</span></b></span></span></a> </i>People must act against those who push a non-democratic “new world order” and push for government that work for the people, not the secret governments that exist across the planet which could lead to a one-world government as some have theorized.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">So, now you if you want to learn more about this “world revolution,” I found pages on facebook that advocated for it that you can use for more information:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/WORLD-REVOLUTION/217195301632365">WORLD</a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/WORLD-REVOLUTION/217195301632365"> </a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/WORLD-REVOLUTION/217195301632365">REVOLUTION</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Global-Liberation-Network/104456309633852?sk=info">Global</a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Global-Liberation-Network/104456309633852?sk=info"> </a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Global-Liberation-Network/104456309633852?sk=info">Liberation</a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Global-Liberation-Network/104456309633852?sk=info"> </a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Global-Liberation-Network/104456309633852?sk=info">Network</a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Global-Liberation-Network/104456309633852?sk=info"> </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Revolution-Real-Democracy/228544137159608">World</a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Revolution-Real-Democracy/228544137159608"> </a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Revolution-Real-Democracy/228544137159608">Revolution</a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Revolution-Real-Democracy/228544137159608">: </a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Revolution-Real-Democracy/228544137159608">Real</a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Revolution-Real-Democracy/228544137159608"> </a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Revolution-Real-Democracy/228544137159608">Democracy</a> (where I found out about whole world revolution)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">- <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/the-world-revolution-news/103816573041910">World Revolution News</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">- <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Revolution-the-world-is-changing/224012054291895">World Revolution, the world is changing</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">- In a facebook search more pages can be found<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_edn13" name="_ednref13" style="mso-endnote-id: edn13;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[xiii]</span></span></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">In addition, Twitter has a number of people tweeting about the subject. Here’s a list of users I complied, that talk about this information, including:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">- <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/revolution_info">@</a><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/revolution_info">revolution</a><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/revolution_info">_</a><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/revolution_info">info</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">- <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/GlobalRevol">@GlobalRevol</a> (sorry it’s in Spanish, if you are not good at Spanish)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">- <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/EchteDemokratie">@EchteDemokratie</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">- <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/15MayRevolution">@15</a><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/15MayRevolution">MayRevolution</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">- <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/olgarodriguezfr">@</a><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/olgarodriguezfr">olgarodriguezfr</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">- <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/Zed_Lepplin">@</a><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/Zed_Lepplin">Zed</a><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/Zed_Lepplin">_</a><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/Zed_Lepplin">Lepplin</a><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/Zed_Lepplin"> </a>(to some extent)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">- <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/takethesquare">@</a><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/takethesquare">takethesquare</a> (connecting Spanish Revolution and trying to apply it to the world)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">- <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/AcampadaEDI">@</a><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/AcampadaEDI">AcampadaEDI</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">- <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/namorix2">@</a><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/namorix2">namorix</a><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/namorix2">2</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">- <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/AcampadaEDI">@</a><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/AcampadaEDI">AcampadaEDI</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">- <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/armandonoticias">@</a><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/armandonoticias">armandonoticias</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">Hashtags <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/search/realtime/%2523worldrevolution">#</a><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/search/realtime/%2523worldrevolution">worldrevolution</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/search/realtime/%2523GlobalRevolution">#</a><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/search/realtime/%2523GlobalRevolution">globalrevolution</a> on Twitter you can use for information. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref1" name="_edn1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[i]</span></span></span></a><a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/world-revolution-1">http://www.answers.com/topic/world-revolution-1</a></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref2" name="_edn2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn2;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[ii]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=121048771311260&set=a.121048767977927.28274.121048357977968&type=1&theater">http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=121048771311260&set=a.121048767977927.28274.121048357977968&type=1&theater</a></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref3" name="_edn3" style="mso-endnote-id: edn3;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[iii]</span></span></span></a> <u>Facebook page of American Revolution 2011</u></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref4" name="_edn4" style="mso-endnote-id: edn4;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[iv]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://www.newsyemen.net/en/view_news.asp?sub_no=3_2011_08_05_40413">http://www.newsyemen.net/en/view_news.asp?sub_no=3_2011_08_05_40413</a></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref5" name="_edn5" style="mso-endnote-id: edn5;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[v]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://www.europeanrevolution.net/">http://www.europeanrevolution.net/</a></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref6" name="_edn6" style="mso-endnote-id: edn6;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[vi]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/05/20/spanish-protesters-cheer-for-world-revolution-as-ban-on-demonstration-takes-effect/">http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/05/20/spanish-protesters-cheer-for-world-revolution-as-ban-on-demonstration-takes-effect/</a></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref7" name="_edn7" style="mso-endnote-id: edn7;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[vii]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://leaksource.wordpress.com/anonymous/#comments%20">http://leaksource.wordpress.com/anonymous/#comments%20</a></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref8" name="_edn8" style="mso-endnote-id: edn8;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[viii]</span></span></span></a><a href="http://www.politicalfailblog.com/p/worldrevolution.html">political fail blog page about world revolution</a> [A page that has since been deleted from the website]</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref9" name="_edn9" style="mso-endnote-id: edn9;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[ix]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://lunaticoutpost.com/Topic-Anonymous-Global-Strike-July-2011">http://lunaticoutpost.com/Topic-Anonymous-Global-Strike-July-2011</a></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref10" name="_edn10" style="mso-endnote-id: edn10;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[x]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:lbBrAs9T7E4J:www.politicalfailblog.com/p/worldrevolution.html+-+%E2%80%9CStop+supporting+companies+that+you+know+are+harmful.%E2%80%9D&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=www.google.com">http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:lbBrAs9T7E4J:www.politicalfailblog.com/p/worldrevolution.html+-+%E2%80%9CStop+supporting+companies+that+you+know+are+harmful.%E2%80%9D&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=www.google.com</a></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref11" name="_edn11" style="mso-endnote-id: edn11;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[xi]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/search/realtime/%2523worldrevolution">twitter hashtag, #worldrevolution</a></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref12" name="_edn12" style="mso-endnote-id: edn12;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[xii]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:lbBrAs9T7E4J:www.politicalfailblog.com/p/worldrevolution.html+-+%E2%80%9CStop+supporting+companies+that+you+know+are+harmful.%E2%80%9D&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=www.google.com">POLITICAL FAIL BLOG</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6866799165704728747#_ednref13" name="_edn13" style="mso-endnote-id: edn13;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">[xiii]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/search.php?q=world%20revolution&init=quick&tas=0.9820292391995158">http://www.facebook.com/search.php?q=world%20revolution&init=quick&tas=0.9820292391995158</a></span> </div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-31662899951713428162011-07-16T22:24:00.000-04:002011-07-16T22:25:54.268-04:00Al Gore and George Bush: Was there a real difference?<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;" id="internal-source-marker_0.942858045167207">I was discussing with an adult who works at the NIH about Ralph Nader. The adult said: "Ralph Nader caused Al Gore to not be President." I responded: "Well, what about the Supreme Court's ruling?" He said in return: "It was Nader. That's why I don't support Nader anymore." That conversation inspired me to write this article about the 2000 election. First I'll go into the positions of both candidates (Bush and Gore). Then I’ll compare them later on.</span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Before I get into analysis of Democratic and Republican candidates in 2000, I’d like to address an issue that rattled the elections that year. Some say, including my dad, that Ralph Nader was saying that Al Gore and George W. Bush were very similar and that’s why you should vote me (gaining Mr. Nader over a million votes). </span><a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2008/jun/30/ralph-nader/nader-almost-said-gore-bush-but-not-quite/"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">Politifact did a review</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> of the statements by Mr. Nader, who wrote in </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/12/opinion/l-nader-on-nader-627860.html"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">an editorial </span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">for the New York Times:</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> “I have </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">indicated that there are 'few major differences' between the two parties not that there is 'no difference between Mr. Gore and Mr. Bush,'</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> as Mr. Kennedy wrote. Second, </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I have never said that I would vote for George W. Bush</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, whom I have strongly criticized across the country, if forced to choose between him and Al Gore."</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> This got the idea in people’s heads that Mr. Nader was saying they were the same candidate. Mr. Nader implied that he thought Mr. Bush and Mr. Gore equally objectionable. In a news conference in 2000 he said:</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">"It doesn't matter who is in the White House, Gore or Bush, </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">for the vast majority of government departments and agencies. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">The only difference between Al Gore and George W. Bush is</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> the velocity with which their knees hit the floor </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">when corporations knock on their door</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">.”</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> Four days before the election in Philadelphia, he repeated the same thing: “It's a Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum vote. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Both parties are selling our government to big business paymasters</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. ...That's a pretty serious similarity." At the end, Politifact concluded: </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">So no, Nader never explicitly said "it doesn't really matter whether Gore or Bush is president." But his talk of "</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Republicrats</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">," "Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum," and "</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">one corporate party</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">" left many people — friend, foe and impartial observer alike — with the impression that that's what he believed. We find Nader's statement that he "never said" it to be Barely True. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">To disprove or prove Mr. Nader’s statements, I looked at the funding of both of the candidates. </span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I wanted to have a view of how both candidates for President in the 2000 election got their funding. I started with the Federal Election Commission first, saying that </span><a href="http://www.fec.gov/finance/prsq399.htm"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">by September 30th, 1999</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, George W. Bush had about $57 million in recipts, $19 million in dismebursements and about $37 million on hand. Al Gore had about $25 million in receipts, $14 million in disbursements and $10 million on hand. But that isn’t enough to prove Mr. Nader’s statements about both political parties. In on article by </span><a href="http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0120-04.htm"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">Common Dreams</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, it says certain actions by Mr. Bush, a Texas oil man, are for “the benefit of...</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">corporate and fundamentalist sponsors</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">.” But that’s not enough to show specifically who Mr. Bush’s sponsors were. The Miller Center wasn’t that specific either, </span><a href="http://millercenter.org/president/gwbush/essays/biography/3"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">stating</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">: “Although new to national politics, Bush was practically anointed as the Republican standard-bearer by the GOP establishment in early 1999 after he </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">proved to be a one-man fundraising machine that scored a record $68.7 million </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">the year before the election.” I looked and looked for another article or articles about who exactly donated to his presidential campaign. I couldn’t find any exact articles. But I did find an </span><a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cycle=2004%20and%202009%20http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/&cid=N00008072"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">OpenSecrets report</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> of the 2004 election that stated that corporations such as Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch as well as other big companies were some of major donors to Mr. Bush’s campaign against the Democrats (John Kerry and John Edwards) that year. Finally I found a site that exposed Bush’s contributors in the 2000 election. Luckily </span><a href="http://www.knowthecandidates.org/ktc/bushcontributors.htm"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">the website’s creators</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> had grabbed an OpenSecrets report from that year and from other analysis concluded that “[the] Agribusiness [gave] Bush $2,148,624...[the] Oil & Gas [industry gave] Bush $1,463,799...[the] Construction [industry gave] Bush $3,472,82...[the] Real Estate [gave] Bush $3,661,372...[the] Automotive [industry gave] Bush $1,019,581...Drug companies [gave] Republicans/Bush 73% of $13,800,000...The ten corporations that funnelled the most soft money into Bush’s campaign, according to FEC data, are as follows: AT&T directed 62% of its $4,479,653 in soft money donations to Republican groups...Seventy-six percent of UPS’s $2,662,994 in soft money went to Republican groups, along with a whopping 79% of Philip Morris’ $2,565,880. Verizon Wireless funneled 63% of $2,874,921 to Republican groups. MBNA America Bank put 82% of $2,193,550 into Republican campaigns. Enron...gave 76% of $2,015,853 to Republican warchests, mostly through the RNC. Merrill Lynch devoted 74% of $2,000,025 to Republican groups. Pfizer Inc...diverted 84% of $1,810,572 to Republican campaigns. Bristol-Myers Squibb gave 84% of $1,751,442. Fedex gave 65% of $2,095,328...Dell Computers executive Michael Dell...personally donated $250,000 to the RNC...Afinity Group, Inc chair Stephen Adams has...invested $1 million in soft money in Bush’s campaign...Aurora Capital Partners chair Gerald Parsky...[has] personally given $200,000 to the RNC...Cisco CEO John Chambers...gave $310,000 in soft money; Charles R. Schwab of Charles Schwab Investments...gave $270,000; and Leach Capital’s Howard Leach...gave $120,000.” That sounds like he was in with the Big Corporations. But that’s not all. </span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Al Gore also got numerous donations from big companies as well, described on the website I mentioned earlier. For Mr. Gore: “[the] Agribusiness [gave]...$240,350...[the] Oil & Gas [industry gave] $95,460...[the] Construction [industry gave] $920,938...Real Estate [industry gave] $1,213,310...[the] Automotive [industry gave]...$79,085...Drug companies [gave]...23% of $13,800,000 [or about $3.1 million, more than any other big company].” After Mr. Gore decided to concede in December after the 2000 election recount, saying that he welcomes George W. Bush as the President, donors decided to turn their back on him. However, iIn the process more donors were revealed. Brainer Dispatch </span><a href="http://brainerddispatch.com/stories/121500/nne_1215000010.shtml"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">wrote about this in an article</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, detailing a few examples of Al Gore donors: “Vinod Gupta, an Internet entrepreneur who contributed $318,000 to Gore and Democratic committees...Trevor Pearlman, Dallas venture capitalist and former trial lawyer who contributed $161,000 to Gore and the Democratic National Committee during this election cycle.” An analysis of the money donated isn’t all that will invalidate or validate Mr. Nader’s widely misinterpreted point in the 2000 election. The political views will prove if both candidates were in one big corporate party or if they were completely different. </span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">First I looked at the Republican candidate in the 2000 Presidential election, George W. Bush. Here’s a list of some of George W. Bush’s </span><a href="http://www.ontheissues.org/George_W__Bush.htm"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">political views</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> before he became President (I picked ones that would make a comparison better):</span><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Ban partial-birth abortions, and reduce abortions overall. (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">No tax money for abortion, but no Pro-Life Amendment either. (Sep 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“It’s time for a change” in Washington. (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Make budget biennial; reinstate line-item veto; target pork. (Jun 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Local control with consequences if racial profiling occurs. (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Against gay marriage, but leave it to the states. (Feb 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Ignored Byrd hate crime bill despite plea by Byrd’s family. (Oct 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Death penalty for deterrence, not revenge. (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Death penalty for hate crimes like any other murder. (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Miranda [rights] should be waived in some situations. (Jun 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">More federal funding for all aspects of Drug War. (Aug 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Zero tolerance on disruption, guns, & school safety. (Apr 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Improve education with local control, accountability. (Sep 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Tax money to religious schools OK, if they’re teaching kids. (May 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Better to drill ANWR than import oil from Saddam Hussein. (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Replenish energy supplies with new domestic coal & pipelines. (Oct 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Weaken Clean Air [act] (Nov 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Internet filters, ratings, & parental monitoring for kids. (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Promote abstinence in schools and via churches. (Apr 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Africa’s important but not a priority; no nation-building. (Oct 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">China is an American competitor, not a friend. (Feb 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">US should humbly empower other countries, not dictate. (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Less intervention abroad and unilateral nuclear cuts at home. (Sep 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Reform UN & IMF; strengthen NATO. (Apr 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Regulatory style: like Reagan, get government out of the way. (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Ban soft money, but no public financing of elections. (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Full disclosure and no giving limits. (Mar 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">No corporate or union soft money. (Feb 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Would sign, but would not push, gun restrictions. (Apr 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Ban automatic weapons & high-capacity ammunition clips. (Apr 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Restrict teenage smoking by tough state & federal laws. (Mar 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Give seniors choice, not bureaucrats; give incentives too. (Sep 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Be world’s peacemaker instead of world’s policeman. (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Rebuild military so it can fulfill mission to prevent war. (Oct 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Gays in military OK; “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” OK. (Sep 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Post-Cold War: remove weapons & high-alert; build SDI. (May 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Make INS more “immigrant friendly”. (Jun 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Put U.S. interests first and execute goals with good team. (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Don’t treat Social Security like it’s a federal program. (Nov 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Privatize Social Security to take advantage of stock market. (May 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Don’t eliminate gas tax; ask OPEC to increase supply. (Jul 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Yes, wealthy get tax relief, but 6M poor will pay no tax. (Oct 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">All Americans deserve tax relief; no more “fuzzy numbers”. (Oct 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">No national sales tax or VAT. (Feb 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Israel: America should be a stronger friend. (May 2000)</span></li></ul><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Al Gore’s </span><a href="http://www.ontheissues.org/Al_Gore.htm"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">positions</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> when he was running to became the next President: </span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"></span><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Ban partial-birth abortions, except for maternal health. (Oct 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Opposes partial birth abortion, but opposes banning it. (Sep 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Right to choice, regardless of economic circumstance. (Mar 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Wrote in 1984 that abortion is arguably taking a life. (Jan 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Paying down debt reduces government intrusion. (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Pay off the national debt by 2013. (Apr 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Ban racial profiling by Executive Order. (Jan 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Find some way for civic union; but not gay marriage. (Oct 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">National hate crimes law is needed, absolutely. (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Intensify the battle against crime, drugs, and disorder. (May 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Death penalty for deterrence, but carefully. (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Lead a national crusade against drugs. (May 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Loosen restrictions on medical marijuana. (Mar 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Tougher drug policies; fight drugs in Colombia. (Mar 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“Revolutionary plan”: 50% more for public schools. (Jan 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Release oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve. (Sep 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">For Kyoto; for national parks; against drilling ANWR. (Nov 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Abstinence Ed in the context of comprehensive Sex Ed. (Sep 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Gore supports vigorous intervention abroad (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Strong defense for world leader; tie defense to other issues. (Jan 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Fair trade: standards for child labor & environment. (Aug 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Build a rule-based global trading system. (Aug 2000) </span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Spending increase? “Absolutely not”; balance every budget. (Oct 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform will be first bill. (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Ban soft money and provide free broadcast time. (Sep 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Campaign finance reform will be very first bill to Congress. (Aug 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Free TV and radio for candidates during campaigns. (Mar 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Pledges to add not one new federal position. (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Tough gun laws & so much more, to stop child tragedies. (Mar 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Zero tolerance for guns at school; raise age to 21. (Jan 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Let FDA regulate cigarettes; fight teenage smoking. (Mar 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Build-down military to smaller but more effective. (May 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Nation-building is part of world leadership. (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is unfair & hasn’t worked. (Sep 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Build less powerful SDI; to keep ABM treaty & START III. (May 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">More immigrants to alleviate labor shortage. (Mar 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Voluntary school prayer is ok, if teachers aren’t involved. (Sep 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Create Retirement Savings Accounts. (Aug 2000) </span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Tax cuts to benefit middle-class, not just the rich. (Aug 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Eliminate estate taxes for the little guy, not the wealthy. (Jun 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“Digital Cabinet” of high-tech advisors. (Sep 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Broadcasters required to assist with “Democracy Endowment”. (Mar 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Create e-government, interactive access for all citizens. (Jun 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Internet self-regulation OK: privacy policy on all web sites. (Oct 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Regulate Internet privacy & child access, but not content. (Mar 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Universal Internet access should be a national priority. (Feb 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Genocide is a strategic interest & warrants intervention. (Oct 2000)</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Don’t let OPEC take advantage of Americans. (Sep 2000)</span></li></ul><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Iraq: support Saddam’s opposition, until he’s gone. (May 2000)</span></li></ul><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Looking at both lists of political views, it seems there are some differences between both candidates. I created a chart of the views of both the candidates so you can compare them easier (all the red boxed items are ones that are similar)</span><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/QjZBfxZ1sE3_J1ZMDJhM2VMgBhYzw4iBfIxSwSwWfXLBuz3GK_xJ6uBcTI3S7xp_SZSENmRCInz1-D6npIXK8mz3zZoSMFRCb5HWyH_D0QR6uYooag" height="855px;" width="677px;" /><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I believe that on one hand Mr. Nader is right that both parties got lots of funding from corporations as I described earlier, but they were not same exactly. Some positions were completely different, as Al Gore was more in favor of an online government, while George W. Bush didn’t even mention it. It varied. In conclusion, I rate Mr. Nader’s statement as mostly true since there was many similarities on certain issues, however they still aren’t completely the same. </span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">P.S. </span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Even Ralph Nader spoke about Mr. Obama in these words: “Well, I think Barack Obama is in training to become panderer-in-chief...And it’s quite clear that he is a corporate candidate from A to Z...He — you know, he’s letting the corporate-dominated city of Washington, the corporations who actually rule us now in Washington, determine his agenda.” (</span><a href="http://www.democracynow.org/2008/6/18/ralph_nader_on_barack_obama_it"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">http://www.democracynow.org/2008/6/18/ralph_nader_on_barack_obama_it</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">)</span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-91175058693835466452011-07-13T22:20:00.002-04:002011-07-13T22:23:17.601-04:00John Sawyer and the truth<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Recently I received an email from the coauthor of this blog saying that a Presidential candidate, John Sawyer III had messenged him about an article that I had wrote.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Now let me remind you what I wrote:</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">"John W. Sawyer, III calls himself a conservative on his homepage. But, Mr. Sawyer states: “I support Unions. I'm against reducing Capital Gains taxes to create jobs (it doesn't), and against the death penalty.” But, Mr. Sawyer doesn’t support every union as for religious reasons he takes an anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage stance. Also, I believe that being against the death penalty is very liberal stance, so he is not a complete conservative. In addition, he respects religious beliefs of all (I hope so! Every candidate should support religious beliefs of all.) As President and in life, he will “never...ASSUME ANYTHING. IF I DIDN'T KNOW THE FACTS, I WOULD KEEP MY THOUGHTS TO MY SELF.” It is good to not assume anything and I commend him for his words, but you can’t always keep your thoughts to yourself. In a cynical position, he believes “Our elected officials don't know what they are doing” because of all the problems that exist in America at this current time. I think that is not putting faith in elected officials and is a pessimistic view of the world, not having the optimism that things will change. On foreign affairs, he dislikes Saudi Arabia and thinks they are duplicity driven because they say they are fighting terror when they support it (Osama Bin Laden was a Saudi national). In the same tune, Mr. Sawyer needs to come up with a Mideast policy to counter the current Mideast policy, since it world make him a stronger candidate. Later on in his blog, he even questions the government’s narrative relating to Osama’s death, thinking that the U.S. government may not be telling the truth or not the whole truth. I am a bit cynical of the government’s narrative myself, but I don’t want to take sides at this time saying that I support Mr. Sawyer’s statement or the government’s narrative. In addition, he proposes that Osama Bin Laden was taken alive from his compound which could be possibility, but not enough details have been released so it is hard to know the truth. But sometimes he too cynical, saying he dislikes all the Republican candidates other than Mitt Romney and that Congressman Paul Ryan’s plan would “drastically slash Medicare benefits...[they never] ask[ed] Seniors what THEY thought of their ideas [that] are based on one premise - Social Security and Medicare are going broke...Well, then by all means, cut the programs [but no one has the courage to cut them].” I believe that these programs should be reviewed to see if they can be limited to help solve the deficit, then the debt, but they should not be destroyed. Mr. Sawyer takes a good position on Mr. Ryan’s plan. In a somewhat downing note, he enthusiastically says “American is governed by losers” and concludes that “You're a loser. So am I. We continually make the same mistakes, over and over...[so] America [is not] great.” This is the saddest part of his website. It makes him seem like he doesn’t even have confidence in himself to win the election for U.S. President. But, he has the confidence to attack a sitting President."</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">(</span><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://interestingblogger1.blogspot.com/2011/06/others-democrats-running-for-president.html" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1310309289_0">http://interestingblogger1.blogspot.com/2011/06/others-democrats-running-for-president.html</span></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">)</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">When I write an article, I use the quotes from the direct source. In this case I used direct quotes from across the website. Take that into consideration.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Now here's the exact words Mr. Sawyer wrote in an email:</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">"Not with that article - I didn't read it. I DID read, and attempted to comment on your article about the 2012 Presidential Candidates - of whom I am one. I wanted to respond to some of your misconceptions of my positions on certain issues, but I wanted to make sure that my comments would go through. They didn't. Something is wrong either with your setup or my ability to post comments. Anyway, congratulations for reading up on the candidates - even if you weren't to fond of my vitae. If voters would pay as much attention, we wouldn't be faced with the Hobson's choice of two losers like Barack Obama and Mitt Romney."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I have found after reading this, that Mr. Sawyer did not really address the article or clear up misconceptions. It was just an email saying how he could not post about his comments on the article. But he still said "If voters would pay as much attention, we wouldn't be faced with the Hobson's choice of two losers like Barack Obama and Mitt Romney." Now, I do not like Romney or Obama, but I don't think they are losers, I think they are deceptive. Mr. Obama has deceived the American people and lied. Mr. Romney acts like he never passed a plan that led to the so-called "Obamacare."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I am offering the opportunity to Mr.Sawyer to respond to my article: </span><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://interestingblogger1.blogspot.com/2011/06/others-democrats-running-for-president.html" target="_blank">http://interestingblogger1.blogspot.com/2011/06/others-democrats-running-for-president.html</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">. I look forward to hearing from Mr. Sawyer. I'll keep you posted.</span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-54512738007707652592011-07-05T17:22:00.002-04:002011-07-05T17:24:27.941-04:00We the rich, not we the people<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> <w:word11kerningpairs/> 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mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >Everyone learns in school that America is a federal republic and that people have a big stake in it. That's just not true. People have very limited powers under the U.S. Constitution. An examination of one word in the Constitution shows the truth of the document.<br /><br />I looked throughout all the words and found that "people" are only mentioned twice (in the opening phrase "We the People of the United States" and in Article I, section 2 that states: "The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the People of the several states."). But one word doesn’t prove everything, but it does propose the idea of a set of laws catered to the wealthy. A related word, “person” is mentioned fourteen times. Of those mentions of the word, none of these times it actually applies to the general populace. It relates to slaves, criminals or procedural matters (being elected to office or applying to those in public office). Another similar word is “citizen.” The word is used seven times in document and only once it applies to the all the people in America. Looking at words in the original Constitution (without amendments) isn’t even a full analysis of the document itself but it shows the people have a limited role and that that most educated are needed in power. Looking at the powers the Constitution gives the people helps further an investigation into the real intent of the Constitution. </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >I created a list of the rights the Constitution, including the amendments gives to the people [I am not counting requirements for any elected office]: </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:14.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >People can vote for Representatives every two years</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > (Article I, Section 2, Clause 1)</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:14.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >People are entitled to the same rights in every state, rights that are in the Constitution (Article IV, Section 2, Clause 1)</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:14.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >People have the freedom of religion, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of peaceable assembly and<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>right to petition government for grievances</b> (Amendment I)</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:14.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >People have the right to have guns (Amendment II) </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:14.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >No soldier may be in someone’s house without the owner’s consent (Amendment III) </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:14.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >Right of people to be secure against unreasonable search and seizure and a right to privacy (Amendment IV) </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:14.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >People cannot be charged for a capital crimes unless in the military there can be no double jeopardy for a crime and no self-incrimination (Amendment V)</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:14.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >People have the right to obtain witnesses, know why he/she is charged with a crime, have a lawyer and have a speedy public trial. (Amendment VI)</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:14.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >People can have no excessive bail, fine or cruel or unusual punishment (Amendment VIII)</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:14.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >People have rights not spelled out in the Constitution (Amendment IX) </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:14.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >Slavery or involuntary servitude is abolished unless a punishment for a crime (Amendment XIII)</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:14.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >All people born or naturalized in America are U.S. citizens (Amendment XIV)</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:14.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >People of any race or color can vote</span></b><span style=" mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > (Amendment XV)</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:14.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >Senators are elected by the people every six years</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > (Amendment XVII)</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:14.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >People of any gender can vote in elections </span></b><span style=" mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >(Amendment XIX) </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:14.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >People do not have to pay a tax or poll tax to vote (Amendment XXIV) </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:14.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >If you are 18 years or older,</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">you can vote</b> (Amendment XXVI) </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:14.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >It is implied you can vote for President and Vice President</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > in Amendment XII and in Article II Section 1 of the Constitution </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >Still, despite these powers that go to the people, only a few have to do with changing government. Many of the amendments that I mentioned only protect the rights of the people, but don’t allow them to change the system. The only power people have to change the system that is in place is to express their opinions, assemble in protest, petition the government and vote for public officials (I bolded these instances on the list above). If you boil it down, that’s not many rights available. I have some plans to help make the Constitution better and I’ll propose some amendments which I believe would give more power to the people, creating a government that works on more input from the people.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >Going through online websites I looked for Amendments and I found some promising ones. The first Amendment is by a user on <a href="http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5639497">Democratic Undeground.com</a>. I felt that the amendment had an interesting premise and I give credit to this user for coming up with the idea, but I had to change a few aspects of the Amendment itself. I do not expect this amendment to pass Congress, but it’s good to put every idea out there. Here’s the text of the Amendment, which would be Amendment XXVIII or Amendment 28:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >AMENDMENT XXVIII [The Recall Amendment] </span></b><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style=" mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" ><br /><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Section 1.</b> The President and/or Vice President shall be subject to a recall election in the event that at least thirty-seven percent of the number of persons who voted in the most recent election for Presidential and Vice-Presidential electors petition the Federal Election Commission for a special election for the President and/or Vice President. </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >Section 2.</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > If a petition is certified as valid by the Federal Election Commission, a time, place and date shall be set such an election by the Federal Election Commission with counsel from the Boards of Elections in every U.S. state and territory.<br /><br /><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Section 3.</b> Members of Congress shall be subject to a recall election in the event that at least thirty-seven percent of the number of persons who voted in the most recent election for that position petition the Federal Election Commission for such an election. </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >Section 4.</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > If the petition is certified as valid by the Federal Election Commission, a time, place and date for a special election shall be set by the Federal Election Commission with counsel from the State Board of Elections in the state that said member of Congress represents.<br /><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >Section 5.</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >I know it’s not perfect, but I tried to do the best. The amendment would give the power to the Federal Election Commission instead of the federal legislature because I feel that they are the board of elections on the federal level. Also I feared that if it went through the state legislatures, the governorship or United States Congress, that corruption could be present. I know that the Federal Election Commission could be corrupted, but I do not know any other agency to oversee this aspect of the law. It seemed to simplify the process. I would like to show another Amendment, this one proposed by U.S. representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. <a href="http://reclaimdemocracy.org/political_reform/amendment_constitutional_voting_right.html">in 2005</a>: </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latinfont-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >SECTION 1</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latinfont-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >. All citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, shall have the right to vote in any public election held in the jurisdiction in which the citizen resides. The right to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, any State, or any other public or private person or entity, except that the United States or any State may establish regulations narrowly tailored to produce efficient and honest elections. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latinfont-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >SECTION 2</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latinfont-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >. Each State shall administer public elections in the State in accordance with election performance standards established by the Congress. The Congress shall reconsider such election performance standards at least once every four years to determine if higher standards should be established to reflect improvements in methods and practices regarding the administration of elections. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latinfont-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >SECTION 3</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latinfont-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >. Each State shall provide any eligible voter the opportunity to register and vote on the day of any public election. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latinfont-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >SECTION 4</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latinfont-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >. Each State and the District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall establish and abide by rules for appointing its respective number of Electors. Such rules shall provide for the appointment of Electors on the day designated by the Congress for holding an election for President and Vice President and shall ensure that each Elector votes for the candidate for President and Vice President who received a majority of the popular vote in the State or District. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latinfont-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >SECTION 5</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latinfont-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >I don’t like Section 4 of the amendment, feeling it supports the Electoral College but an amendment that replaces Amendment 26 and is shorter would be even better. I’ll write such an amendment in the future but for now this amendment shows that reform will happen in the future. The amendment proposed by Congressman Jackson explains the point: throughout the Constitution it says that all people have the right to vote but it is not the case and none of the Constitution says that States cannot set guidelines for who can vote. So, in a sense it never really says people have a constitutional right to vote, it only says they can vote. On the other hand, there are many other amendments that I will not mention that are presented on <a href="http://movetoamend.org/democracy-amendments">motiontoamend.org</a> and <a href="http://reclaimdemocracy.org/political_reform/proposed_constitutional_amendments.html">reclaimdemocracy</a> because to would repetitive. There is one more idea I would like to put forward. I have one more idea for an amendment: </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >The Ratification Amendment</span></b></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >Amendment XXVIII or Amendment XXVIV (Amendment 24 or 25) </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0.5in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >Section 1.</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > Article V of the Constitution is hereby repealed </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >Section 2.</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > The Congress whenever fifty-one percent of both houses deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or when the people in all the states of the United States shall call a convention as implied by the freedom to assembly that is enumerated in Amendment I. </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >Section 3.</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > An amendment shall become part of this Constitution when ratified in a vote by fifty-one percent of the people in an election which the date, time and place shall be set the appropriate boards of elections of every U.S. state and territory, or by conventions organized by the people in three fourths of the states in the United States <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>or when the Congress approves an amendment by setting times to ratify such an amendment if determined to be necessary; or other methods may be proposed by the people or the Congress for the purpose of ratification.</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >Section 4.</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > During the amendment process, the Archivist of the United States shall update the people and the Congress on the status of the ratification of the amendment; if the amendment is ratified, the Archivist of the United States shall announce it to the Congress and the people. </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >Section 5.</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >I could propose even more amendments but I feel that it would make this analysis too long. Throughout the next month I’ll be posting on my blog, <a href="http://hermannview.tumblr.com/">HermannView</a>, amendments that I have written around Independence Day this year.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>One such amendment is like <a href="http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/1-government/amendments/proposed-amendments.htm"><b>H.J.RES.9</b></a> which would <b>abolish the Electoral College </b>and <b>provide for the direct popular election</b> of the President and Vice President of the United States except my amendment would make it open to all political parties rather than just Democrats and Republicans. All parties must have the right to be in elections, it’s just what’s fair for everyone. America has never been a democratic republic; it was originally a federal republic. That’s the government that created by the 55 delegates in 1787 and revised by the Bill of Rights in 1791. Today the government we have is not a federal republic much anymore it is a plutocratic republic and it’s sad to admit that. </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" > </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;font-family:Calibri;font-size:14.0pt;" >The wealthy control the political process and everyone should know it. If a politician is not aligned with the rich, they are limited by those that are rich. The only way we the people can get our power back is by protesting, speaking out against the injustice in America and promoting reform whenever possible. Don’t vote along party lines, vote for who you think is right for the job no matter what political party (Green Party, Democratic Party, Citizens Party, Republican Party, Independence Party, United Equality Party, and go to <a href="http://www.politics1.com/parties.htm">politics1 list</a> for more), who you think will help usher in reform. Those people will help make America a better place. In the end, Americans need to do all they can to reestablish the original federal republic the Constitution asked for and go even further, giving more power to people in a democratic republic. America is not a democracy, it is a plutocratic republic where the government panders to the wealthy class and that can change with citizen action. </span></p>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-83281734912475696952011-06-30T21:22:00.000-04:002011-06-30T21:24:05.994-04:00American isolationism: A false concept?<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;" id="internal-source-marker_0.005352773451120063">For a long time I have learned in U.S. history classes throughout my life, in documentaries and the popular consciousness is that for hundreds of years, up until WWI, if not continued after WWII, America was an isolationist country. I am starting to question that idea. I was trying to fact check the new controversial Time Magazine cover story that asked about the death of the Constitution and I found the United States had numerous interventions in its history. But that’s not the reason I started to question this idea. In the inaugural speech Franklin Pierce made on March 4, 1853 he made a shocking statement. When I put President Pierce’s speech and the ideas I had come up with before, I questioned this idea that is taken for granted by many people and many experts. </span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">To most people, they believe that America began to start intervening in the affairs of other countries in the Cold War. Students of history would say U.S. interventions are false in the beginning of the 1900s. Both ideas are false, as confirmed by the fateful words of President Franklin Pierce in 1853, “</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">our attitude as a nation [is to] render the acquisition of certain possessions not within our jurisdiction eminently important for our protection</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">...[They] should...be obtained...in a manner </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">entirely consistent with the strictest observance of national faith</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">...no act within the legitimate scope of my constitutional control will be tolerated.” </span><a href="about:blank"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">(http://millercenter.org/scripps/archive/speeches/detail/3553)</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. I had no idea it stretched back that far and was shocked when I found out the truth. A Congressional Research report confirmed that what Mr. Pierce had stated was correct. These </span><a href="http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/crs/rl30172.htm"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">types of interventions</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> had been happening for years and years:</span><ul><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1810 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">West Florida (Spanish territory)</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. Gov. Claiborne of Louisiana, on orders of the President, </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">occupied with troops territory</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> in dispute east of the Mississippi as far as the Pearl River, later the eastern boundary of Louisiana. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">He was authorized to seize </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">as far east as the Perdido River.</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1812 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Amelia Island and other parts of east Florida, then under Spain</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Temporary possession was authorized by President Madison and by Congress</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, to prevent occupation by any other power; but possession was obtained by Gen. George Matthews in so irregular a manner that his measures were disavowed by the President.</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1813 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">West Florida (Spanish territory)</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. On authority given by Congress, General Wilkinson </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">seized Mobile Bay</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> in April with 600 soldiers. A small Spanish garrison gave way. Thus </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">US advanced into disputed territory</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> to the Perdido River, as projected in 1810. No fighting.</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1813-14 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Marguesas Islands</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">US forces built a fort on the island of Nukahiva</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> to protect three prize ships which had been captured from the British.</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1814 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Spanish Florida</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. Gen. Andrew Jackson </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">took Pensacola</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> and drove out the British with whom the United States was at war.</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1816-18 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Spanish Florida - First Seminole War</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">The Seminole Indians</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, whose area was a haven for escaped slaves and border ruffians, </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">were attacked by troops under Generals Jackson and Gaines</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> and pursued into northern Florida. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Spanish posts were attacked and occupied</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, British citizens executed. In 1819 the Floridas were ceded to the United States.</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1818 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Oregon</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. The USS </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Ontario</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> dispatched from Washington, landed at the Columbia River and in August </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">took possession of Oregon territory</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. Britain had conceded sovereignty but Russia and Spain asserted claims to the area.</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1836 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Mexico</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">General Gaines occupied Nacogdoches (Tex.), disputed territory</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, from July to December during the Texan war for independence, under orders to cross the "imaginary boundary line" if an Indian outbreak threatened.</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1844 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Mexico</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">.</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> President Tyler deployed US forces to protect Texas against Mexico</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, pending Senate approval of a treaty of annexation. (Later rejected.) He defended his action against a Senate resolution of inquiry.</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1858-59 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Turkey</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. The Secretary of State requested a display of naval force along the Levant after a massacre of Americans at Jaffa and mistreatment elsewhere </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">"to remind the authorities (of Turkey) of the power of the United States." </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"></span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1865 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Panama</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. - March 9 and 10. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">US forces protected the lives and property of American residents</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> during a revolution.</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1867 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Nicaragua</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. Marines </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">occupied</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> Managua and Leon. </span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1871 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Korea</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. - June 10 to 12. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">A US naval force attacked and captured five forts </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">to punish natives for depredations on Americans, particularly for murdering the crew of the </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">General Sherman</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> and burning the schooner, and for later firing on other American small boats taking soundings up the Salee River.</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1876 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Mexico</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. - May 18. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">An American force was landed to police</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> the town of Matamoras temporarily while it was without other government. </span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1893 --</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> Hawaii</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. - January 16 to April 1. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Marines were landed ostensibly to protect American lives and property, but many believed actually to promote a provisional government</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> under Sanford B. Dole. This action was disavowed by the United States.</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1903-14 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Panama</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. US forces sought to protect American interests and lives during and following the revolution for independence from Colombia over construction of the Isthmian Canal. With brief intermissions, United States Marines were stationed on the Isthmus from November 4, 1903, to January 21, 1914 </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">to guard American interests.</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1918-20 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Soviet Russia</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. Marines were landed at and near Vladivostok in June and July </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">to protect the American consulate and other points in the fighting</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> between the Bolshevik troops and the Czech Army which had traversed Siberia from the western front. A joint proclamation of emergency government and neutrality was issued by the American, Japanese, British, French, and Czech commanders in July. In August 7,000 men were landed in Vladivostok and remained until January 1920, as part of an allied occupation force. In September 1918, 5,000 </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">American troops joined the allied intervention force at Archangel</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> and remained until June 1919. These operations were in response to the Bolshevik revolution in Russia and were partly supported by Czarist or Kerensky elements.</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1970 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Cambodia</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">US troops were ordered into Cambodia</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> to clean out Communist sanctuaries from which Viet Cong and North Vietnamese attacked USand South Vietnamese forces in Vietnam. The object of this attack, which lasted from April 30 to June 30, was to ensure the continuing safe withdrawal of American forces from South Vietnam and to assist the program of Vietnamization.</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1983-89 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Honduras</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. In July 1983 the </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">United States undertook a series of exercises in Honduras</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> that some believed might lead to conflict with Nicaragua. On March 25, 1986, unarmed US military helicopters and crewmen ferried Honduran troops to the Nicaraguan border to repel Nicaraguan troops.</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">1988 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Panama</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. In mid-March and April 1988, during a period of instability in Panama and as pressure grew for Panamanian military leader General Manuel Noriega to resign, </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">the United States sent 1,000 troops to Panama</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, to "further safeguard the canal, US lives, property and interests in the area." The forces supplemented 10,000 US military personnel already in Panama. </span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">2001 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Afghanistan [war]</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. On October 9, 2001, President George W. Bush reported to Congress, "consistent with the War Powers Resolution," and "Senate Joint Resolution 23" that on October 7, 2001, US Armed Forces</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> "began combat action in Afghanistan against Al Qaida terrorists and their Taliban supporters."</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> The President stated that he had directed this military action in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on US "territory, our citizens, and our way of life, and to the continuing threat of terrorist acts against the United States and our friends and allies." This military action was "part of our campaign against terrorism" and was "designed to disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base of operations." [this war has continued onto the present-day]</span></li><li style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">2003 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Iraq War</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. On March 21, 2003, President Bush reported to Congress, "consistent with the War Powers Resolution," as well as P.L. 102-1 and P.L. 107-243, and "pursuant to" his authority as Commander-in-Chief, that he had "</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">directed US Armed Forces, operating with other coalition forces, to commence operations on March 19, 2003, against Iraq."</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> He further stated that it was not possible to know at present the duration of active combat operations or the scope necessary to accomplish the goals of the operation "to disarm Iraq in pursuit of peace, stability, and security both in the Gulf region and in the United States." [this war still continues tody]</span></li></ul><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I found that as history came closer to the present, more so-called police actions were committed by the U.S. armed forces. That’s why it gets thin in the way of possessions of land. From evidence I reviewed, I believe the American Empire started to protect its citizens starting in the 1890s and increasing after the 1920s. During Pierce’s Administration (1853-57) there wasn’t acquisition of possessions as he exclaimed in his inauguration speech, but it was in the spirit of what he said. It was basically police actions to protect American interests: </span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">- 1852-53 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Argentina</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. - February 3 to 12, 1852; September 17, 1852 to April 1853. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Marines were landed and maintained</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> in Buenos Aires t</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">o protect American interests </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">during a revolution.</span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">- 1853 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Nicaragua</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. - March 11 to 13. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">US forces landed to protect American lives and interests </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">during political disturbances.</span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">- 1853-54 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Japan</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. Commodore Perry and his expedition</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> made a display of force</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> leading to the "opening of Japan."</span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">- 1853-54 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Ryukyu and Bonin Islands</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. Commodore Perry on three visits before going to Japan and while waiting for a reply from Japan made a naval demonstration, </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">landing marines twice, and secured a coaling concession </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">from the ruler of Naha on Okinawa; he also demonstrated in the Bonin Islands with the purpose of securing facilities for commerce.</span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">- 1854 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">China</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. - April 4 to June 15 to 17. American and English ships landed forces to protect American interests in and near Shanghai during Chinese civil strife.</span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">- 1854 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Nicaragua</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. - July 9 to 15. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Naval forces bombarded and burned San Juan del Norte </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">(Greytown) to avenge an insult to the American Minister to Nicaragua.</span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">- 1855 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">China</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. - May 19 to 21. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">US forces protected American interests</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> in Shanghai and, from August 3 to 5 fought pirates near Hong Kong.</span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">- 1855 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Fiji Islands</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. - September 12 to November 4. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">An American naval force landed to seek reparations </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">for depredations on American residents and seamen.</span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">- 1855 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Uruguay</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. - November 25 to 29. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">United States and European naval forces landed to protect American interests </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">during an attempted revolution in Montevideo.</span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">- 1856 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Panama, Republic of New Grenada</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. - September 19 to 22. U</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">S forces landed to protect American interests</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> during an insurrection.</span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">- 1856 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">China</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. - October 22 to December 6. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">US forces landed to protect American interests</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> at Canton during hostilities between the British and the Chinese, and </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">to avenge an assault upon an unarmed boat displaying the United States flag</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">.</span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">- 1857 -- </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Nicaragua</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. - April to May, November to December. In May </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Commander C.H. Davis of the United States Navy, with some marines, received the surrender of William Walker, who had been attempting to get control of the country</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, and protected his men from the retaliation of native allies who had been fighting Walker. In November and December of the same year United States vessels </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Saratoga</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Wabash</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, and </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Fulton</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> opposed another attempt of William Walker on Nicaragua. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Commodore Hiram Paulding's act of landing marines and compelling the removal of Walker to the United States</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, was tacitly disavowed by Secretary of State Lewis Cass, and Paulding was forced into retirement. </span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">These actions in the 1850s made America into the so-called “global policeman”, years before Teddy Roosevelt’s Big Stick Policy, to use the U.S. Navy to gain global supremacy and keep the Western hemisphere under control of the federal government. As a result, America was not an isolationist state, rather it was involved in affairs of the world if it concerned the United States of America, its citizens or its interests. The report released by the Congressional Research Service last year </span><a href="http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:IfbLbe2shlEJ:www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R41677.pdf+Instances+of+Use+of+United+States+Armed+Forces+Abroad,+1798+-+2004&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgQzz15rf-8W3SqVPaudSNAahrunc3Tc5NToi3aGuLw2HqLqYzlXFhacYIvHeDO2kFHtMlCPdOOBCvNXzdC02DkW_D7QzUu8uZMhXvKBx9inppe5H0hBHk3ZH6xjZu-3A6EJKdp&sig=AHIEtbSeL3MOpX_mr5ccYBrJFkb1JGRGPw"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">confirmed these facts</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> as valid. To justify this, let me define two terms: interventionism and isolationism. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Isolationism</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, according to </span><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/isolationism"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">dictonary.com </span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">is: “the policy or doctrine of </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">isolating one's country from the affairs of other nations </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">by </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">declining to </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, etc., seeking to </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> and </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">remain at peace </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">by avoiding foreign entanglements and responsibilities.” By contrast interventionism is defined as “the </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">use or threat of force or coercion to alter a political or cultural situation</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> nominally outside the intervenor’s moral or political jurisdiction.” </span><a href="about:blank"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">(http://www.iep.utm.edu/interven/)</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. The United States did try to advance itself, but not all of its resources were devoted to betterment of the whole country. In addition, the U.S.A. did not isolate itself from the affairs of other nations and did not decline to enter foreign alliances, agreements, etc... as long as these affairs benefited the state of America. Efforts in what would now be called </span><a href="http://www.yourdictionary.com/police-action"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">‘police actions’</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, the U.S. military made sure that the U.S. never really remained at peace, even if it seemed there was peace. Peace means no war, and there have been armed conflicts throughout U.S. history. Before I get into more current arguments about isolationism and politics, I wanted to debunk another part of history many are thought in the classroom. </span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">On </span><a href="http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=184152%20"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">Randi Forums</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> a user commented: “Discussion "elsewhere" has made me aware that the idea that the US was strongly isolationist before Dec. 7th, 1941 still holds for some people. I'd like to take this opportunity to point out </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">the results of polls taken by the Gallup organization and the </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Public Opinion Quarterly</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> during 1939-1941 show that the US was NOT primarily isolationist</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. The fact of the matter is that </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">many people were aware</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> that we had to face up to the fact </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">that we would drawn into the war</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, and, albeit it reluctant to face the maelstrom yet again, </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">knew that we would have to fight the Axis</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">.” I looked up the source that was quoted, the public opinion quarterly to see if this user was correct. I didn’t find that source exactly, but i found </span><a href="http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:6Mvkfx-wT8sJ:web.mit.edu/berinsky/www/APO.pdf+public+opinion+quarterly+1939-1941&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgPxl_qbz5gtabl8od0IY5e8OjEWm8xO-_wZDC6i0FdE_hFZSrdjXIbwP8b8s52eoii2G_-VqIxg3UfxZXLmT4KR1FKRWlCZREnWm0r-WOUHzYjZovM-Ct9EwgmPMpJY-z0PYMg&sig=AHIEtbT5d3I5Dve_dip1MaYjPToYEk59BQ"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">an essay </span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">about supposed isolationism before WWII: “</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">At first glance, the empirical evidence seems to support this hypothesis. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Polls taken from 1938 to late 1941 show that an overwhelming majority of the American public opposed direct U.S. involvement on the side of the allies...For example, a Gallup poll in June 1940 found that </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">72 percent of the respondents supported drafting men into the army</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> “if enough men do not volunteer.” Moreover, a series of 10 Gallup polls from June to October of 1940 found that between </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">62 and 76 percent of respondents agreed that, “every able-bodied American boy</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> twenty years old </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">[should] be required to go into the army or navy</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> for one year.” I tried to look more in depth on this issue and couldn’t find much more. Even if you were able to prove that America was isolationist in public opinion, the federal government continued a policy of interventionism. Even the government that we trust believes this is not true as conveyed on the State Department website. The website </span><a href="http://history.state.gov/milestones/1937-1945/AmericanIsolationism"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">states</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">: “During the 1930s, the combination of the Great Depression and the memory of tragic losses in World War I </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">contributed to pushing American public opinion and policy toward isolationism.</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> Isolationists advocated non-involvement in European and Asian conflicts and non-entanglement in international politics. Although the United States took measures to avoid political and military conflicts across the oceans, </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">it continued to expand economically and protect its interests</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> in Latin America.” Interestingly enough, the State Department goes against its own argument. From a source I used earlier, a 2004 Congressional Research Service report, it mentions four interventions in the 1930s </span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">- 1932 and 1934 (China)</span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">- 1933 (Cuba)</span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">After 1934, there is a gap in U.S. involvement until 1940, which should show isolationism, accompanied by the end of an intervention in the Dominican Republic that year </span><a href="about:blank"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">(http://www.maps.com/ref_map.aspx?cid=726,741,1029&pid=11333)</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. So, America may have been isolationist for six years, from 1934 to 1940, but otherwise, the U.S. was not isolationist in its history. However, this led to war as </span><a href="http://www.academicamerican.com/worldwar2/topics/1920WWII1940.htm"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">acedemicamerican</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> stated. That war was WWII. </span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">The myth of isolationism up until 1941 in U.S. history is false but it is brought up again and again in political talk today. John McCain recently talked about parts of the Grand Old Party, or the Republicans, that oppose the current war in Libya. </span><a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/06/22/gop_not_isolationist_110308.html%20"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">Real Clear Politics</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> quotes him as saying: </span><br /><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“Well, I was more concerned about what the candidates in New Hampshire the other night said [about the Libyan war]. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">This is isolationism. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">There's always been </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">an isolation strain</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> in the Republican Party -- the Pat Buchanan wing of our party.” At the end of the article it concludes: “This is </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">not isolationism</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">;</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> it is a rational effort </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">at judging how best to advance American values and interests in an ever-more witheringly dangerous world.</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> The charge of isolationism should be reserved</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> for the genuine article. Such </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">name-calling advances</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> neither rational debate nor national interest.” I believe that America being isolationist (as it was for six years of its history (1934-1940)) could be disastrous, but complete interventionism is not good either. The American empire must balance it’s ability to stand up for human rights around the world and respect the sovereignty of other countries. In order for this to occur, America would have to close many if not all of its military bases across the world, military spending, material, and manpower would have to be reduced. The American government must remember “the best defense is the best offense.” In the end, like every empire, America’s stretching of armed forces will break the country as a whole and cause it to decline 20-30 years in the future, if not sooner.</span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-38707918766660700932011-06-26T20:10:00.001-04:002011-09-05T11:28:51.565-04:00The others: Democrats running for President in 2012<span id="internal-source-marker_0.7499749306932312" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I keep hearing about the Democratic party and how there is only one candidate running as the President, Barack Obama, but that’s not true. There is 22 Democrats are candidates in the 2012 Presidential race. I wanted to highlight the six I found that had websites. The others do not have websites and could be formidable candidates, which are all on the site, </span><a href="http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P12/candidates.phtml#DEM.2"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">thegreenpapers.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. I compiled information on the political positions of each candidate by looking through each website. I also compiled the same information on Mr. Obama and will publish it soon. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’ll start with Jeff Boss. </span><a href="http://www.jeffbossforpresident.org/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Jeff Boss </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">has very different positions from the average candidate. Mr. Boss believes NSA</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “ARRANGE [d] THE 911 ATTACK and has…WITNESSED THE TOP HIGHEST CLEARANCE IN THE NSA CALLING THE 911 HIJACKERS IN MARCH 2001 [from the evidence of] 212 NSA AGENTS ON DVD.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> He seems to be very interested with this subject on the homepage of his campaign website. He even thinks the NSA is trying to kill him (maybe because he felt they would not like his challenge to their authority). Along with that, he has filed a court case against the NSA in the past because he is so passionate about this issue. In addition, he seems to be very paranoid about the NSA spying on him, but that could be because he filed a court case against them. Also, Mr. Boss believes </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“The NSA controls the media and prevents Jeff Boss’ message from being heard.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I think the media rejects him because they don’t think he is real candidate and seems a bit crazy or would not be accepted by enough of the population. I think that he may have trouble on the campaign trail. In a sort of conservative position he is against bailouts of any kind which I agree with because those companies should deal with themselves. If they broke apart, then that’s just what happens. On the economy, he has a free market perspective that rejects socialism (equality of all people for monetary purposes and according to </span><a href="http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/Socialism.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Economics and Liberty</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> is a “centrally planned economy in which the government controls all means of production”). He [believes] </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“when the government controls the big companies [it] is Russian style communism.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> So this makes him a hard-nosed civil libertarian, with a position like some constitutionalists in Congress and elsewhere. He has a Ron Paul-like position on the country, as he stated that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Our Civil liberties</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, Constitution, and Democracy </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">are rapidly disappearing</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> It sounds similar to </span><a href="http://joerobertson.com/ron-paul/ron-paul-the-last-nail-into-the-coffin-of-the-republic"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Ron Paul’s words</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“…</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">our liberties are rapidly fading</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> before our eyes…rule of law is constantly rejected [in America] and authoritarian answers [are accepted as valid]…acceptance of…dictatorial powers to the President.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> My conclusion is that he is a candidate who wants the truth, but is one who doesn’t agree with the American government’s narrative about the 9/11 attacks and he wants to tell what he says is the real story. Wille Felix Carter on the other hand is not a one issue candidate as Mr. Boss and covers almost all the issues. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Willie Felix Carter’s administration there would be a government </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> (I went through his positions to see if this was true). He promises on the </span><a href="http://www.williecarterforpresident.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">homepage of his campaign website</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> saying he </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“will take the God fearing approach, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">addressing the needs of all the people of our nation</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, the homeless, jobless, the elderly, the business community, moving forward to</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> reduce our national debt</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">dependency on foreign resource</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">s, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">fair</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> international </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">trade</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">maintaining a strong military</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">strong</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> foreign </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">diplomacy</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, and</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> stopping the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cycle of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">violence </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">across our nation.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> My question is: What is a strong military? Will the military be kept at current levels? It seems unsustainable at this time, but his other ideas could balance out a strong military. Also I fear that what he says is too broad and could led to more trampling on the Constitution by him if he was President and interpreting it in a way that does not help the American people. For those that want to reform the military, this is not your President. In his own words, he </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“believe[s] that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">we should leave the military forces intact</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> as they are...concentrating...energy [on] </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">strong diplomacy</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and [keep our] intelligence capabilities [intact, while]...</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">reserving the military for greater force </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">application when necessary.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> On reference to the homeless he states: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We must work together to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">create a business friendly community</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, with incentives to encourage hiring, and working to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ensure affordable housing</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I’ve read Michael Harrington’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Other America </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">and I believe that Mr. Carter’s plan is not enough to help the homeless. Housing must match the housing that is destroyed and more resources should be given to poor and the homeless to help them live better lives. On another subject, he promises to make affordable healthcare by </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“work[ing] with Congress [with the interest of cooperate America [in mind] and [insuring] small businesses that we not drive them out of competition in the process [of creating affordable healthcare].”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> This plan is nothing like Mr. Obama’s plan for healthcare but is sounds a lot like Mr. Obama’s plan in the sense of how it was constructed. So, I fear that this candidate will not change the healthcare system in place or could erase the current healthcare system and put in something much worse. In terms of the one of the chief concerns of Americans, jobs, he has an interesting tact. Mr. Carter states: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“There must be a</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> balance to insure</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">while creating jobs</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">we do not send businesses out of the market</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. I will work to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">insure fairness in the work place,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and at the same time</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> allowing for healthy business growth</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I feel that more must be done than Mr Carter suggests. Unemployment insurance must be extended to 99 weeks as it will help boost the economy, an idea this candidate would not warm up to. On a hotly debated topic in Congress these days because of the Libyan war, he is not completely antiwar, by partly. He states: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“I will </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">work diplomatically to resolve conflicts</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, and only with a clear vision </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">resort to military power to protect </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">freedom</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> of our nation, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">and our interest abroad</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I feel his approach could provoke interventions in other parts of the world, possibly. He takes an approach on crime that is different than most others. He wants to</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “improv[e] methods used in courts to properly </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">identify those individuals that are a constant and dangerous threat with permanent residence in prison</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">giving those who need minor adjustments opportunity to return to society</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, equipped to successfully restart their lives.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I don’t like the idea of permanent residence in prison or identifying individuals that are a threat, but I like the rest of his statement and I think that giving criminals an opportunity to return to society is step in the right direction. The multitude of positions he supports makes him like a Blue Dog Democrat in Congress. In addition, he is anti-abortion which could turn off certain people that could support him. On another hotly debated topic, taxes, his tax policy is bit obscure: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“I believe that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">with proper involvement</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">we can make </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">our </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">taxes fairer, and simplified</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> It is hard to know if Mr. Carter wants to support the fair tax, have a surtax on millionaires or what his exact tax policy is. What is sure is that he wants reform of the tax system in place. He believes in education the importance of employment should be stressed and that every student needs a support network. On marriage, he takes a strong Christian position that a man and woman married can not have sexual relation outside a marriage. While Mr. Carter supports immigration law reform (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">United States Immigration Law that needs to be seriously addressed</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> as we see tension mounting about the responsibilities of maintaining our Federal laws”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">), he supports the current immigration laws that are on the books at this time. He is planning to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">reduce taxes</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">...to give taxpayers more buying power...[and to help solve the national debt].”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Mr. Carter’s hope is that for self-sufficiency of the people of America to give “relief to the national debt.” To create jobs, he will call upon the American business community and educators. Like the rhetoric Presidents have repeated since Richard Nixon’s Administration, he wants to end dependence on foreign oil, in part by telling OPEC countries to cut production if they want stable prices and he will increase domestic production of energy. Despite what was said earlier, he promises to have just laws in place, but what he is proposing as just laws? In his mind, his proposals (such as punishing those who do not follow U.S. law, protecting the environment, ending war in Iraq and protecting U.S. industry) seem to be just. On the other hand, Dee Neveu is completely different candidate than Mr. Carter. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The next candidate was </span><a href="http://www.deonianeveu.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Deonia P. “Dee” Neveu </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">who said she was a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“real vote for the people.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Ms. Neveu said she would be accountable to the people and work only with the people, not corporations. She says </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“At times...if you want something done right, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">you have to do it yourself</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">...is an ultimate truth and necessity.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I believe that this statement implies that she supports self-sufficiency. Its not usually a left-leaning position, but its the direction her policies could be headed. Like every candidate, she promises to uphold what she says in the campaign in office. To further this concept, she states sincerely: "</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I don’t want to make a false promise</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> that I can’t keep, or lead any person to deception on a promise.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Her first promise is an idea that has its origins in Thomas Jefferson being a supposed vote for the people. Its an idea that dictates that she doesn’t</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “want to live in the White House [so]...</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">part of the White House [can] host Fund Raising events</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> for America [a process that] the citizens of America can help with...[when Ms. Neveu doesn’t live in the White House, it will] offer American citizens the glorious privilege and experience of the White House.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I believe that having a house for just the President is a bit much, as its seems like a King’s Castle. So, I agree that a President should live in a normal house, like everyone else and that it should be completely open to the American people while holding fundraising events. Also to support the American people, she is against outsourcing. Enthusiastically she states </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“American jobs need saving” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">which almost every American citizen would agree with. Every candidate and many politicians want to save American jobs, but like the others who have talked about American jobs, she doesn’t lay out a plan to save American jobs. But that plan could be coming in the future possibly. On another note, she wants to encourage service and volunteering by American citizens to help America. In addition, Ms. Neveu stated </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“I do believe that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">a President should be for helping everyone</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, both rich and poor [by having fair tax laws and through other means].”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I agree that the President should help everyone, but he/she should also help themselves. I feel that Ms. Neveu would be fit to fulfill this idea of a President that helps the country. As an antiwar position, she says if America is provoked then we should attack that country and the borders of U.S. need to be protected. I do not completely agree with this because I think U.S. borders should be open and the U.S. should only attack countries if it is attacked itself (self-defense). Later on she states the often used point:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “How can we continue to help everywhere else...when we need to help ourselves again right here in America [?]”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> On a personal level she doesn’t agree with abortion and same-sex marriage, but she won’t force her view on anyone else while believing that all people should be respected and live happily. On a final note, her views are different than the average candidate, making her have some promise as a Democratic candidate for U.S. President, even the next U.S. President and views very different from John Sawyer. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">John W. Sawyer, III </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">calls himself a conservative on </span><a href="http://www.sawyer2012.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">his homepage</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. But, Mr. Sawyer states: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“I </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">support Unions.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I'm </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">against reducing Capital Gains taxes</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> to create jobs (it doesn't), and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">against the death penalty</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But, Mr. Sawyer doesn’t support every union as for religious reasons he takes an anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage stance. Also, I believe that being against the death penalty is very liberal stance, so he is not a complete conservative. In addition, he respects religious beliefs of all (I hope so! Every candidate should support religious beliefs of all.) As President and in life, he </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">will “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">never...ASSUME ANYTHING</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. IF I DIDN'T KNOW THE FACTS, I WOULD KEEP MY THOUGHTS TO MY SELF.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> It is good to not assume anything and I commend him for his words, but you can’t always keep your thoughts to yourself. In a cynical position, he believes </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Our elected officials don't know what they are doing”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> because of all the problems that exist in America at this current time. I think that is not putting faith in elected officials and is a pessimistic view of the world, not having the optimism that things will change. On foreign affairs, he dislikes Saudi Arabia and thinks they are duplicity driven because they say they are fighting terror when they support it (Osama Bin Laden was a Saudi national). In the same tune, Mr. Sawyer needs to come up with a Mideast policy to counter the current Mideast policy, since it world make him a stronger candidate. Later on in his blog, he even questions the government’s narrative relating to Osama’s death, thinking that the U.S. government may not be telling the truth or not the whole truth. I am a bit cynical of the government’s narrative myself, but I don’t want to take sides at this time saying that I support Mr. Sawyer’s statement or the government’s narrative. In addition, he proposes that Osama Bin Laden was taken alive from his compound which could be possibility, but not enough details have been released so it is hard to know the truth. But sometimes he too cynical, saying he dislikes all the Republican candidates other than Mitt Romney and that Congressman Paul Ryan’s plan would “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">drastically slash Medicare benefits</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">...[they never] ask[ed] Seniors what THEY thought of their ideas [that] are </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">based on one premise - Social Security and Medicare are going broke</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">...Well, then by all means, cut the programs [but no one has the courage to cut them].” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I believe that these programs should be reviewed to see if they can be limited to help solve the deficit, then the debt, but they should not be destroyed. Mr. Sawyer takes a good position on Mr. Ryan’s plan. In a somewhat downing note, he enthusiastically says </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“American is governed by losers”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and concludes that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You're a loser. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So am I. We continually make the same mistakes, over and over...[so] </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">America [is not] great</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> This is the saddest part of his website. It makes him seem like he doesn’t even have confidence in himself to win the election for U.S. President. But, he has the confidence to attack a sitting President.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In a attacking statement, Mr. Sawyers says President Obama </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">sandbagged [Israeli] Prime Minister Benjamin Netahayhu</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> [when he announced the idea of Israel possible going back to pre-1967 borders].”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> This shows he is veriantly anti-Obama (and from his other comments from his blog proves this point) and hates Obama as a President. Hating a sitting President that much can be bad because when you get in office and see that what you wanted to cut or hated isn’t that bad after all then you may even up being like the previous President. I said earlier he hated Mr. Ryan’s plan. Well, made a plan to counter Mr. Ryan’s proposal: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Fund the existing programs</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">...prosecute...$50 Billion in Medicare fraud...[Imprison]...freeloaders who subsist off SSI payments...</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cut Medicaid.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Along with that, he states a unbelievable concept: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“The Medicare and Social Security systems are NOT broke, they were burglarized...Th[ose] in both [political] parties stole those funds when no one was looking.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I don’t completely agree with his idea about Medicare and Social Security, but at times I don’t trust either political party, so I agree with the concept that the political parties are somewhat corrupt, corrupted by the lobbying efforts of other organizations. It cannot be argued that he is very passionate about this issue and wants to improve the Medicare and Social Security systems. As part of improving both systems he would </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“change the dynamics of the discussion by </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">separating the terms 'Medicare' from 'Medicaid'</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> [since] Medicaid is welfare - paid for by someone else [and not] pay[ing] medical costs for those here illegally.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I agree that both concepts should be seperated, but I think his way of thinking is bit cynical. In a completely different political position, wars and how they should be thought, his position is different than the average candidate. His position on war, partly antiwar related takes about:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Invoking the Sawyer Doctrine (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Go to war only if it is in our best interest, and if you go to war - WIN</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">), there should be </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">no [un]intended consequences in war, unless the unthinkable happens and the United States actually loses</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> - an unlikely scenario if the enemy is Moammar Gadhafi, even with a liberal President. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We: attack...invoke martial law...install a puppet government </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">until they are ready to rule on their own...in OUR best interest; then we leave.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I am scared if this Sawyer Doctrine when into effect because the U.S. could be going into countries even if they didn’t attack us, for American national interest. This is not a good thing. Installing puppet government is unacceptable and should result in jail time. The assumption that the U.S. will win every war is silly. However, later he violates his support of Libya as implied in the previous statement, saying he opposes the Libyan war: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Better that Libyans die for Libyan causes. Stay out of it</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, Mr. President [because those who live in the Mideast hate America].”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I believe this flip-flopping is part of political discourse, but could be dangerous because maybe he will flip on his other political views throughout his term as President. In another note, he is against government expansion and is wary of any unnecessary expansion of government, an idea that is usually accepted by conservatives against big government. Strangely enough, he thinks some of those in the Tea Party are idiots and that liberal politicians don’t solve any problems in America as he is a conservative Democratic candidate (like a Blue Dog) even though he supports some of their policies! In the end, his political positions are a mixed bag, with him supporting the Arizona law, SB 1070, that allows racial profiling of illegal immigrants, so they can be questioned on their citizenship. Mike Maloney, is a very different candidate who doesn’t have Mr. Sawyer’s radical positions. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mike Maloney, as the next President promises to “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Bring the Troops Home Now and take care of social justice and financial sanity at home!”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> The money toward Mr. Obama’s campaign (supposedly up to a $1 billion) for his reelection in 2012 will be “from the super rich to promote their own interests” and Mr. Maloney will run a campaign that works for the people. He will only accept donations from people, not corporations or political action committee (PACS). In order to enact healthcare reform he says that there must be “a Legitimate Debate on Health Care Reform Must Include Medicare for All.” On the economy he has varied views, saying </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“[the] government cannot plan and direct the economy</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and cannot be seen as the “creator” of jobs...</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">government must constrain businesses</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> to some extent for the General Welfare, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">government officials [cannot] direct...business</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Government intervention to prop up failing businesses [is inefficient and [destroys]...productive segments of the economy.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Even though I am traditionally a progressive who wants to move forward, I think that government intervention in the economy, especially with stopping companies from bankruptcy is unacceptable. I believe the big companies should have never got money from the government and I believe it was the first major mistake by President Obama. Along with this, he even says that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“History Shows Government Intervention Makes Recession Longer.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I can’t agree on the basis of history, but I believe that government intervention is the wrong idea to fix an economy (the stimulus bill did not lead to a recovery). Even though he is anti-bailouts as implied in the previous statement, he believes “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Government Must Protect Free People from the Power of Great Combinations</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> [in business such as monopolies and trusts].”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I do not like monopolies or trusts so I was happy to see a candidate who would crack down on these companies, instead of sleeping at the wheel as the Obama administration and other government agencies have done. Along with all this talk, he proposes five ways to control the national debt: </span><a href="http://mikemoloneyforpresident.com/ourmainproblem.php"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://mikemoloneyforpresident.com/ourmainproblem.php</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In a similar tune, he opposes so-called ‘trickle-down economics’ because it does not allow the the greatest </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“National prosperity [is] when the working poor and the middle class prosper.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> This situation is not happening today and I confident that Mr. Maloney will change it. In a darker note, he attempts to see into the secretiveness and leadership class of the world. According to him, each President in recent times is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“[controlled by] some great power elite operating behind the scenes.” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He states he will not be a President controlled by the elite, a change from our current President which at times seems under control of the elite. Along with the previous view of a world leadership class, Mr.. Maloney states that:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Big Oil...banks [and] media dismantled antitrust laws</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">...Big Corporations pushed [for] free trade treaties...[that the</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">] Super Rich hide their wealth</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> offshore to escape taxation.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> All of his statement are true as I can tell and I believe that the elite should be controlled for the betterment on the country. As one might not expect, he is a constitutionalist. In 2008, the year America’s current President was elected, he writes: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">the President is not above the Rule of Law</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> [so] President Bush should be indicted for violating the Constitution. As President he has violated it numerous times: torture, illegal wiretapping, illegal wars...In my opinion President Bush has turned my country into a rogue nation, a terrorist nation.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I also hold President Obama totally responsible for continuation of the Bush practices. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We must indict Bush and [remove] Obama [from office]”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> One of the harshest criticisms I have of Mr. Obama is continuing Bush’s policies. I agree that Mr. Obama cannot be President for another four years and Mr. Maloney should be chosen instead. Along with that, according to a voter’s letter to the editor he concludes: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Mike [Maloney] has said for a long time </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">we have to: bring the troops home </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">from around the world, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cut the military budget in half </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">to have money for critical domestic needs, (roads, bridges, water, and sewer systems),</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> protect American jobs, replace a health care system</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> built to generate profits and bonuses...</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">restore due process, rights of habeus corpus</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and security from unwarranted search…</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">restore the Eisenhower tax brackets</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> that [America] prospered with...and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">replace the private Federal Reserve</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> that charges...government interest for imaginary money.” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">All of these plans, that the voter lays out seem to be reasonable about would lead to an America that is more prosperous. Along with these comments on Mr. Maloney, many are confirmed in his plan for President in </span><a href="http://mikemoloneyforpresident.com/first100.php"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">his first 100 days</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> which he displays for every person to see. But, some positions weren’t included in my previous writing about Mr. Maloney included his views on how to: reform how candidates get campaign contributions, stop torture, uphold international law, restore America as a beacon of liberty and have just immigration reform. I think Mr. Mike Maloney is a very capable candidate for President of all of those I have reviewed.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I went through all the candidates for President except one, Randall A. Terry (</span><a href="http://links/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.terryforpresident.com/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">). Why didn’t I look into Randall Terry’s positions? Well, for one, most people already know who he is. Mr. Terry is an anti-abortion activist. A </span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A32934-2004Apr21?language=printer"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Washington Post article</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> notes the history of Mr. Terry and his positions: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Randall Terry [talks] proudly extreme politics...founded Operation Rescue...denounce[s] murderous abortionists and demonic homosexual sodomites...he calls [Islam a] religion [of] “murderers” and “terrorists”...he described Planned Parenthood's founder, Margaret Sanger, as a “whore” and “adultress”...[he believes the Bible] condemn[s] homosexuality.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> In an accompanying article by </span><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2010/09/11/118467/quran-destroyer-randall-terry-dismisses-911-families-concerns-about-politicizing-terror-anniversary/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">ThinkProgress</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> (liberal-leaning) it says </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“[the] infamous Christian-right activist</span><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/tag/randall-terry"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Randall Terry</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> followed through on</span><a href="http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/6985714950.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">his scheme</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> to destroy the Islamic holy book, tearing pages from an English copy this morning in front of the White House...saying protests related to the proposed Islamic community center near ground zero...“disrespect the memories of our loved ones on this sacred day...veteran right-wing rabble rouser.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><a href="http://www.forerunner.com/forerunner/X0471_Randall_Terry_Interv.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Forerunner</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> has even more information about Mr. Terry: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“[Terry’s] Operation Rescue activists have been successful in closing down major clinics in cities such as Cherry Hill, New Jersey; Philadelphia, and New York City...[in response to a question he said] God never gave the government a blank check to do what it wants to do. It is a heresy to teach Christians to obey a law which runs counter to His law.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> From my analysis of all the candidates I have decided that Jeff Boss is too extreme with his idea that the NSA planned 9/11,Willie Felix Carter’s positions on issues that are across the map like a Blue Dog Democrat, Dee Neveu who has some good ideas like not living in the White House but doesn’t go into detail about her positions and John Sawyer is too skeptical of everything. In conclusion, I believe that Mike Maloney is the best candidate to challenge Mr. Obama because he is the most promising with his ideas on how to change America. </span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-11330697314829165352011-06-18T17:45:00.013-04:002011-06-18T18:30:00.430-04:00Is Russia Today a mouthpiece of the Kremlin?<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I come upon this news service, Russia Today (RT), thinking it showed views other news didn't show. However, I was reading an article and from its conclusions I decided to look into the bias of th</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">e news channel. The description of their channel already shows their perspective: "RT is the first <span style="font-weight:bold;">Russian</span> 24/7 English-language news channel which brings the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Russian</span> view on global news" (from their <a href="http://rt.com/">official site</a>.). Some argue what is said on this news channel is in line with the Russian government and the Kremlin.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Its hard to find articles that articulate RT's bias, but there is a few, such as Rightside News. In a long, almost angry rant against the owner of RT (Adam Kohesh), Rightside News says Russia Today serves interests of the Kremlin. They <a href="http://www.rightsidenews.com/2011060113714/editorial/us-opinion-and-editorial/who-is-behind-adam-kokesh-and-russia-today-television.html">stated</a>, “A closer look at the Moscow-funded Russia Today television channel...reveals some interesting and disturbing corporate and foreign intelligence connections...Russia Today....regularly features Marxist groups on the air...western intelligence services have been wary about Russia Today’s correspondents.” I looked into the claims made against RT by doing a thorough investigation.</span><span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);" class=" down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link"><img src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" alt="Link" class="gl_link" border="0" /></span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I started with article titles. Some were very critical of America, while others weren’t. The ones that critiqued the U.S. were made everything seem like a crisis or that everything was lost:</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <a href="http://rt.com/news/anthony-weiner-media-frenzy/">Headline-grabbing gossip replaces news in US</a></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <a href="http://rt.com/usa/news/panetta-set-senate-confirmation/">Panetta may be just like Gates</a></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <a href="http://rt.com/usa/news/us-economy-cuts-fail-spending/">US must make cuts or risk economic failure</a></span><span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);" class=" down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link"><img src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" alt="Link" class="gl_link" border="0" /></span></span><br /><span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The title I found the most strange and peculiar was: <a href="http://rt.com/usa/news/hitler-bush-yearbook-list/">Bush, Cheney listed alongside Hitler, Bin Laden</a>. That seems a bit extreme. I know Bush and Cheney expediated the decline of the American federal republic, but I wouldn’t say they compare equally to Hitler or Bin Laden. In some ways they are comparable but in other ways they are not. But, every news source has a unfairness to it, so that’s not that extreme. However, more of their headlines showed that everything was crisis:</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <a href="http://rt.com/politics/budanov-reportedly-killed-moscow/">Former colonel convicted of killing girl in Chechnya, shot dead in Moscow</a></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <a href="http://rt.com/usa/news/bilderberg-meeting-global-strife/">Bilderberg meets amid growing global strife</a></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <a href="http://rt.com/news/fukushima-ukraine-contaminated-cars/"> Fukushima disaster drives into Ukraine</a></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">It’s those key words that clued me in that something could be very prejudice in their articles. It’s also possible they are like the U.S. news media that show their biases with flying colors. I kept digging deeper to see if it really was related to the Kremlin or if they are outwardly bias. Looking into what guests come on their TV network could show the opinion of this news organization.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Guests on Russia Today’s program in the past week, according to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/RussiaToday#g/u">their youtube page</a>. I added quotes next to each person on the list [Radical= Name bolded]:</span><br /><span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);" class=" down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link"><img src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" alt="Link" class="gl_link" border="0" /></span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Saifedean Ammous</span> (Quote from <a href="http://thesaifhouse.wordpress.com/2009/01/16/israel-hamas-and-civilians/">his personal blog</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“Israel already has destroyed Palestine. Israel is the aggressor and occupier here. Israel is the result of a Zionist project whose stated aim is to destroy the livelihood of Palestinians who do not belong to the Jewish religion. Israel has ethnically cleansed more than a million Palestinians from their homes over the years, murdered tens of thousands, and made freedom and self-determination impossible for all Palestinians everywhere.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- Nigel Farage (<a href="http://www.zerohedge.com/article/nigel-farage-european-parliament-euro-game-just-who-hell-do-you-think-you-are-you-are-very-d">Zero hedge.com</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">"The Euro Game Is Up... Just Who The Hell Do You Think You Are? You Are Very Dangerous People”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- Ali Ashgar Soltanieh (<a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/06/09/russia-china-change-tune-over-irans-nuclear-program/#more-70233">National Post</a>: [<span style="font-style: italic;">“The IAEA chief] is not doing his job. Instead, with his reports, he is paving the way for more confrontation between member states.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Cynthia McKinney (twice)</span> (<a href="http://www.boycottliberalism.com/biographies/Mckinney.htm">Boycott Liberalism.com</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">"We know there were numerous warnings of the events to come on September 11th. What did this administration know and when did it know it, about the events of Sep</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;">tember 11th? Who else knew, and why did they not warn the innocent people of New York who were needlessly murdered? What do they have to hide?"</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- Michael O'Brien (<a href="http://www.hist.cam.ac.uk/academic_staff/further_details/obrien.html">hist.cam.ac.ak</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">"Until recently, he has mainly written about the intellectual culture of the American South, both in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: its literature, political philosophy, historical imagination, and sense of self, as it has been formed by local social experience and interactions with other cultures.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- Gennady Litvin (from Litivin Law firm <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBlvaw0dwYw">video</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“We’re being told the economy is starting to rebuild itself? We’re being told the market’s turning around, people are getting jobs again, people are making jobs again but it’s being reported by the news agencies that this year [2011] is going to be the biggest year for foreclosure sales ever. Why is that? Basically cause the banks are behind on their work.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Richard Wolf </span>(From his <a href="http://www.rdwolff.com/">official website</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“The unstable alliance of the Tea Party and corporate America will unravel. Then the left must provide an alternative to austerity.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Tony Gosling</span> (on his page on <a href="http://www.bilderberg.org/tonyhom.htm#spiritual">his site</a> about the Bilderberg Group: <span style="font-style: italic;">“World Government is moving closer all the time - and what's the chance that it will serve the people? Zero! And hardly anybody tells the public or dares to talk about how totalitarian the European Union is. We could be in for some serious skullduggery in coming years/months. A political/financial crisis, combined with spiritual disinformation could push us into a Fourth Reich, New World Order, with an official world religion that claims to represent ALL religions. This is what Prince Charles is advocating NOW. Powerful people will certainly be preparing their version of a spiritual 'panacea' to fill the spiritual gap THEY have created.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- Rick Falkvinge (From <a href="http://falkvinge.net/2011/06/17/the-imminent-dollar-collaps-explained-to-an-8-year-old/">a recent article</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“The United States is utterly bankrupt and has been living off of borrowed money since 1971, when it defaulted on its loans — though of course, it wasn’t worded like that. Not even an income tax of 100% is enough to cover the expenses, and the US is about to go the way of the Soviet Union… The world has been buying IOUs without coverage to maintain the value of the previous IOUs, with no other creditworthiness than an assumption that the US will pay back some day. That day is not going to come, and we’re all going to be poor for a while.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- Alexander Cockburn (from <a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/forman05192005.html">an interview</a> in 2005: <span style="font-style: italic;">“Yeah, globalism is great. It's been going on for hundreds of years. Oh yeah, I'm against globalism of the bad sort: some company in America going and screwing people in the Third World and not paying them properly.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Patrick Henningsen</span> (from <a href="http://21stcenturywire.com/2011/05/05/alternative-media-scoops-corporate-media-again-no-photos-or-videos-will-be-released/">article</a> about Bin Laden: <span style="font-style: italic;">“If you have been paying attention to this story over the last 8 years, then it’s not very difficult to predict this. If you apply basic common sense, the evidence weighs in favour of Osama bin Laden having died years ago. Or you can choose to believe the Hollywood version of events that we have been fed over the years, one which requires no effort.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- Mikhail Margelov (from <a href="http://www.globalzero.org/en/who/mikhail-margelov">Global Zero</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“For more than half of a century, nuclear weapons have coexisted with us and remained the most powerful means of destruction. The “Club of Nuclear Powers” has been steadily joined by new members of whom not all can boast of internal stability or absence of conflict with neighbor-countries. Moreover, the weapons can fall into the hands of terrorists.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jean Bricmont</span> (from <a href="http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2010/bricmont230910.html">MRZINE</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“The first observation is that military interventions are not due to human rights rhetoric but to the decision, by the leaders of the countries that have the power and the means to intervene, to do so. Given the way the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been going, I do not expect the US to launch new wars in the near future, except possibly with Iran. But the human rights rhetoric will continue as a way to demonize countries whose governments are too independent from the West, like Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, China etc. It will not necessarily lead to wars, but maintain a climate of hostility and distrust.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- Markus Kerber: (<a href="http://www.euractiv.com/en/euro-finance/german-activists-quest-euro-bailouts-news-501194">EurActiv</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“Those who spit on the rules governing European Monetary Union will lose eventually.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Afshin Rattansi</span> (<a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/rattansi04022010.html">Counterpunch</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“For some reason, not one journalist saw fit to attend a gathering of those interested in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles – or drones – at the plush Waldorf Hilton in central London. Except me and my cameraman. Perhaps one shouldn’t be surprised. The corporate media doesn’t seem too interested in the so-called surgical strikes carried out by the U.S. Air force as they buzz around the skies of Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- Klaus Peter Koltermann (<a href="http://www.ozconspiracyhouse.org/frontend/2011/06/06/natural-disasters-no-more-common-it%E2%80%99s-just-mass-media-%E2%80%93-scientist/">ozconspiracyhouse</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“The [nuclear power plants in Japan] will…affect the coastline, where people live, where ports are, where railroads are, where tourism is developing. And here the direct assessment includes how this will happen, how large it will be and how much the damage will be. So we can advise for the governments’ and authorities’ planning how much the protection and preparation should be.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- Peter Schiff (from <a href="http://www.europac.net/commentaries/end_game">Euro Pacific Capital</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“Economic data over the past weeks, punctuated by last week's dismal employment reports, confirm the diminishing impact of the stimulus efforts orchestrated by the Obama Administration and the Federal Reserve. In what must be a huge disappointment to Keynesian enthusiasts, the record doses of both monetary and fiscal narcotics did not produce the desired results. In fact, the size and scope of the "recovery" of the past two years was weaker than would have been expected in a typical business cycle recovery without any stimulus whatsoever. Indeed our current recovery is the weakest on record, despite the biggest jolt of government stimulus ever administered.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- Vladmir Katalov (Question asked <a href="http://www.net-security.org/article.php?id=943">on website</a>—What do you see as the biggest security threats today? Mr. Katalov’s response: <span style="font-style: italic;">“It is definitely a human factor. There are a lot of technical measures today: you can install the words' best firewall, antivirus, anti-spyware; implement an extremely good security policy; provide a few complex levels of authentication to protect your critical data -- and still do not get the appropriate security level simply because the human nature remains the same, most of today's attacks are still based just on that.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dmitry Maslennikov</span> (<a href="http://endthelie.com/2011/06/04/smartphones-data-mines-for-the-digging/#ixzz1PXtJiTVD">Endthelie.com</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“We can forget about the idea of privacy altogether. Whenever you go on the internet, you are already revealing everything about yourself. And it is becoming that way with using your phone.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- Vitaly Churkin (<a href="http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11708">Charlie Rose’s interview</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“We need to think about the peaceful transformation [and]…reforms in Syria…and be mindful of the instability…we know there is some destructive elements of the [Syrian] opposition…[Assad’s regime has enacted reforms for his people in Syria]…our idea in [Libya] is that there must be a ceasefire as soon as possible because it can produce a situation where civilians will no longer suffer. Then there can be political process…[The United States and Russia] are cooperating on Iran…We are trying to help the Israelis and the Palestinians move toward peace in the region…[The next Russian election] might [see a contest between the President and Prime Minister].”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jean Bricmont</span> (<a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/bricmont09042007.html">Counterpunch</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“All the ideological signposts for attacking Iran are in place. The country has been thoroughly demonized because it is not nice to women, to gays, or to Jews. That in itself is enough to neutralize a large part of the American “left” [that would champion]…the right of intervention on humanitarian grounds anywhere, at any time…Israel and its fanatical American supporters want Iran attacked for its political crimes--supporting the rights of the Palestinians, or questioning the Holocaust. Both U.S. political parties are equally under the control of the Israel lobby, and so are the media.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- Max Keiser (from <a href="http://maxkeiser.com/2011/06/17/gold-remains-close-to-record-nominal-highs-in-all-major-currencies-but-media-coverage-in-the-uk-ireland-and-europe-remains-minimal-and-skeptical/">his website</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“Gold remains close to record nominal highs in all major currencies but media coverage in the UK, Ireland and Europe remains minimal and skeptical.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Michel Chossudovsky</span> (from <a href="http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=25301">globalresearch</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“While the US Congress questions the legitimacy of the war on Libya, the Canadian parliament with one dissenting voice, votes in favor of extending Canada's participation in an illegal and criminal military undertaking…The broader implications of this "humanitarian war” and Ottawa's role in the US-NATO military alliance, not to mention the cost of this military operation to Canadian taxpayers has been barely mentioned in Canada's media. The New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Bloc Quebecois, which claim to be "progressive' and “antiwar”, have given a blank cheque to the US-NATO sponsored war in North Africa.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- Chris Nineham (from <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/chrisnine">Twitter feed</a>:<span style="font-style: italic;"> “New poll: 52% in Britain want troops out of Afghanistan NOW! Independent today… Stop the war coalition have called a national demonstration for troops out of Afghanistan on October 24. Start spreading the word.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hamid Gul</span> (from one of Pakistan’s top Generals, <a href="http://socioecohistory.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/ex-isi-chief-hamid-gul-bin-laden-hoax-to-expand-war-into-pakistan-asia/">Mr. Gul</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“We are walking into an American trap [because 9/11 is a hoax].”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Adam Kohesh</span> (from his <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/adamkokesh">twitter feed</a>:<span style="font-style: italic;"> “Fox News is owned by an Australian and a Saudi. No wonder they're so anti-American!”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Marc Almond</span> (from <a href="http://markalmondoxford.blogspot.com/2011/05/nato-helps-gaddafi-look-libyans-in-eye.html">his blog</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“The humanitarian bombers are repeating the propaganda from their Kosovo intervention in 1999. Mass murder, government organised rape camps with mercenaries fired up on Viagra, and so on are the staples of Washington’s increasingly hysterical denunciations of Gaddafi as it turns out that his family has more support than the glib proponents of hellfire missiles as humanity’s preferred way to protect civilians would have had us believe.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- Matt Taibbi (from his <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/the-debate-is-anthony-weiner-an-asshole-20110616">Rolling Stone blog</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“We justices of the Supreme Court of Assholedom had an extraordinarily difficult time adjudicating the case of New York Congressman Anthony Weiner, who in recent weeks has achieved incredible notoriety for … what exactly? Even defining the nature of this scandal is problematic; it is extremely difficult to distinguish here between what he actually did wrong, and what’s merely a luridly gripping tabloid crucifixion of a guy exhibiting run-of-the-mill mongo-horniness.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pepe Escobar</span> (from <a href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/others/Escobar.html">Asia Times</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“The House of Saud is showering billions of dollars on a "new Egypt", an imploding Yemen and a suddenly more useful Muslim Brotherhood as the great Arab revolt is smothered under a mountain of oil wealth. Washington has meanwhile granted its own loaded gifts to Cairo, while quietly working with Bahrain's crown prince on the Persian Gulf American satrapy.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Seyed Mohammad Marandi</span> (from <a href="http://www.guernicamag.com/interviews/506/teaching_north_american_studie/">Guernica Magazine</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“When the U.S. is constantly trying to terrorize the nation with threats of war, students obviously take notice. When my nine-year-old-son, after watching the U.S. vice president talk on TV, sadly, asks me if the Americans are going to kill all of us, then one can expect students also to show an interest in current affairs.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- Conn Hallinan (From <a href="http://www.fpif.org/articles/irans_turmoil_at_the_top">Foreign Policy in Focus</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“On the surface, the recent turmoil in Teheran looks like a case of the clerical elite, led by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, slapping down an independent-minded President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, though the battle is couched in vocabulary that does more to obscure than to reveal… So far, the Revolutionary Guard has come down on the side of Khamenei and even issued a veiled warning to the president that it might consider releasing records from the disputed 2009 election that saw Ahmadinejad re-elected. For now, the Guard is only intervening discretely, concentrating instead on gathering greater economic power.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- Tariq Ali (From <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/may/04/bin-laden-death-no-endgame">The Guardian</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“Bin Laden had apparently been in a safe house near the Pakistan military academy for six years. Nobody believes this could have happened without the knowledge of senior intelligence officials. A meeting with one such person in 2006, which I recounted in my last book on Pakistan, confirmed that Bin Laden was in the country and being kept safe. The person concerned told me the Americans only wanted Bin Laden dead, but that it was in Pakistan's interest to keep him alive.”</span>)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">- <span style="font-weight: bold;">James Corbett</span> (From the <a href="http://www.corbettreport.com/the-last-word-on-osama-bin-laden/">Corbett Report</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">“The bin Laden family has had an intimate relationship with the upper reaches of global power politics for the past half a century…In the weeks after the attack, the Taliban offered to hand Bin Laden over if the US provided proof that he was connected to 9/11. Bush turned the offer down…The only thing we can say for certain is that the Osama Bin Laden character has now been disposed of in a far-fetched burial story only fitting of his cartoonish myth… But after finally waking from the 10 year nightmare of the Osama Bin Laden fable, are the public willing to go straight back to sleep? Or are they going to start questioning the official narratives that are cemented into place in the wake of every large-scale event…?”</span>)</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">On the list above, I bolded the names of those I thought were radical. I combined the definitions of Webster’s New World Dictionary and Roget’s II Thesaurus. A radical is defined as: “Having political views that deviate from traditional beliefs; favoring fundamental or extreme change.” 15 of the guests fulfilled this definition and that’s 44% of the guests on the show! There is nothing wrong with radicals; it could just make the news channel bias toward the radicals. Although its not the majority of those the guests, it seems to influence the content of the news network (why else would they be allowed on the show?). Recently I has a back and forth conversation with someone about Russia Today.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I was searching around Twitter and I sent another user a message asking him about RT’s bias </span><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JbWiEi5UuvA/Tf0fydJp0eI/AAAAAAAAAUc/t_rYt6YAe8k/s1600/RT%2Bconversation.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 316px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JbWiEi5UuvA/Tf0fydJp0eI/AAAAAAAAAUc/t_rYt6YAe8k/s320/RT%2Bconversation.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619682861707284962" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Even though at a first glance it seems to prove Russia Today’s bias, it really didn’t prove anything and was circumstantial evidence. There wasn’t much else until I delved into their website even more. I went on the side of their homepage and found a poll. At first there seemed nothing wrong until you look at the options presented:</span><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HNKssmibaAk/Tf0fmiUlLLI/AAAAAAAAAUU/ROQCmF2Z8wA/s1600/Libya%2Bpoll.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 195px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HNKssmibaAk/Tf0fmiUlLLI/AAAAAAAAAUU/ROQCmF2Z8wA/s320/Libya%2Bpoll.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619682656936864946" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">What’s interesting about the poll is that none of the options mentioned a cease-fire in Libya. Three of the four options I identified as “Western” positions on the Libya war (they have orange boxes around them). The first option would be a hawkish (pro-war) position for those who want to fight “terrorism” and want to gain more imperial power for their country and to dominate parts of the world. If the first option is put into place, there would be chaos across Libya and possibly a radical group could become the new leadership class of the country. The third option is a “Western” position of those called liberal constructionists or neoliberals in international politics that support the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine. If it is applied all around the world, it would justify interventions in any country at any time. The forth option would be a passive Westerner who doesn’t care about politics or world happenings at all. If everything stayed the same, it would most likely result in a stalemate and nothing would be accomplished from this unconstitutional -unlawful-costly war in Libya. The second option is only one that I believe would represent the point of view of the Russians. Russians believe the “Western” powers need to leave Libya so more civilians are not killed or injured unnecessarily (respectfully, some Americans also have this point of view). This poll criticizes those who live in “Western” countries (Western Europe, U.S. and Canada), especially American policy.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">In conclusion, I have found Russia Today (RT) is not the mouthpiece of the Kremlin, but has anti-American sentiment. The guests on the shows aren’t radical for the most part (56% are not radical, 44% are), but that’s not the reason for the bias. At every chance the hosts of RT and its affiliates can, they paint America in crisis or in distress. Despite it seeming a good alternative to the flawed corporate media, it is really a news machine that wants to make Russia like the global crusader for good. It makes America look like the evil “global policeman” who wants to terrorize the world. Supposedly, according to RT, the United States of America a police state, but it’s never mentioned that the Russian Federation is even more corrupt because of the overarching control of the wealthy in the country. As a concerned citizen, I recommend you do not watch RT unless you want to become anti-American yourself and want a perspective of the news that is not fair and balanced, but is unfair and discriminatory.</span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-13843700256163860372011-06-09T15:47:00.001-04:002011-09-05T11:29:31.221-04:00Ron Paul: Is he the right man to lead America?<div class="MsoNormal">
Since I have decided that President Barack Obama should not be elected for a second term, I have been looking at other candidates; even some in the classical right-wing area of politics. The speech Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) recently <a href="http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2011/05/ron-paul-last-nail-in-coffin-of-liberty.html?m=1">gave on the House Floor</a> was promising: "The Last Nail is being driven into the coffin of the American Republic. Yet Congress remains in total denial as our liberties are fading before our eyes." But that's the Ron Paul everyone knows. Everyone thinks he will defend liberty and support the average American. But will he really do that?<br /><br />To confirm his true feelings about government the only accurate place to look is his voting record as a U.S. representative. I compiled the highlights of his voting record by using information from <a href="http://www.opencongress.org/people/show/400311_Ronald_Paul">OpenCongress</a>. He only votes 80% of the time, meaning that for almost 1/4th of the votes he abstains (doesn't vote for or against a resolution). So, some issues he has talked about in public could be absent from his voting record.<br /><br />Mr. Paul’s voting record as a Representative in Congress (note: abstaining is not included in the voting record because it could doesn’t show what political position Mr. Paul takes, I bolded the ones I agree with) :<br /> <br /> </div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Voted for Dennis Kucinch's House Continuing Resolution 51, which would direct the President to remove U.S. forces from Libya in 14 days.</b></div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Voted for House Resolution 292 which directs the President to not send ground troops into Libya, while tacitly supporting the war. </b></div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Votes against H.R. 1954 which would "implement the President's request to increase the statutory limit on the public debt." </b></div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Voted against S 990. This bill reauthorized the provisions of the Patriot Act and extended them non-restricted for another 4 years. </b></div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Voted against the H.R. 1540, The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2012. This bill has been described me before and it would give the President the authority to engage in so-called “worldwide war” while continuing other operations such as counterdrug operations in Columbia. </b></div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Voted against <b><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h1231/show">H.R.1231</a> </span></i></b>that would “amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to require that each 5-year offshore oil and gas leasing program offer leasing in the areas with the most prospective oil and gas resources, to establish a domestic oil and natural gas production goal, and for other purposes.” Also this bill would have reversed President Obama’s oil moratorium on deepwater oil wells (it was put in place after the BP Oil spill) <i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; display: none; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt;">To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to require that each 5-year offshore oil and gas leasing program offer leasing in the areas with the most prospective oil and gas resources, to establish a domestic oil and natural gas production goal, and for other purposes.</span></i></div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Voted for <b><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h1229/show">H.R.1229</a> </span></i></b><span lang="EN">that would “amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to facilitate the safe and timely production of American energy resources from the Gulf of Mexico, to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct certain offshore oil and gas lease sales, and for other purposes.”</span></div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><span lang="EN">Voted for </span><b><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h1230/show">H.R.1230</a> </span></i></b><span lang="EN">that would<span style="color: #333333;"> </span></span><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; display: none; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt;">To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to facilitate the safe and timely production of American energy resources from the Gulf of Mexico, to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct certain offshore oil and gas lease sales, and for other purposes.</span></i>“require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct certain offshore oil and gas lease sales, and for other purposes.” </div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Voted for <b><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h3/show">H.R.3</a> </span></i></b><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; display: none; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt;">To prohibit taxpayer funded abortions and to provide for conscience protections, and for other purposes.</span></i>that would “prohibit taxpayer funded abortions and to provide for conscience protections, and for other purposes.” </div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Voted against the <b><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h1473/show">H.R.1473</a> </span></i></b><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; display: none; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt;">Making appropriations for the Department of Defense and the other departments and agencies of the Government for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2011, and for other purposes.</span></i><span lang="EN">t</span>hat would make “appropriations for the Department of Defense and the other departments and agencies of the Government for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2011, and for other purposes.” </div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Voted for <b><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h910/show">H.R.910</a> </span></i></b><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; display: none; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt;">To amend the Clean Air Act to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from promulgating any regulation concerning, taking action relating to, or taking into consideration the emission of a greenhouse gas to address climate change, and for other purposes.</span></i><span lang="EN">t</span>hat would “amend the Clean Air Act to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from promulgating any regulation concerning, taking action relating to, or taking into consideration the emission of a greenhouse gas to address climate change, and for other purposes.” </div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Voted for <b><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h872/show">H.R.872</a> </span></i></b><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; display: none; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt;">To amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify Congressional intent regarding the regulation of the use of pesticides in or near navigable waters, and for other purposes.</span></i>that would “amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify Congressional intent regarding the regulation of the use of pesticides in or near navigable waters, and for other purposes.”</div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Voted for <b><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h839/show">H.R.839</a> </span></i></b><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; display: none; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt;">To amend the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 to terminate the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to provide new assistance under the Home Affordable Modification Program, while preserving assistance to homeowners who were already extended an offer to participate in the Program, either on a trial or permanent basis.</span></i>which would “amend the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 to terminate the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to provide new assistance under the Home Affordable Modification Program, while preserving assistance to homeowners who were already extended an offer to participate in the Program, either on a trial or permanent basis.”</div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Voted for </b><b><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-hc28/show">H.Con.Res.28</a> </span></i></b><b><span lang="EN">that would require the “Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove the United States Armed Forces from Afghanistan.” </span></b></div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Voted for </b><b><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h1076/show">H.R.1076</a>: </span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; display: none; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt;">To prohibit Federal funding of National Public Radio and the use of Federal funds to acquire radio content.</span></i>that would “prohibit Federal funding of National Public Radio and the use of Federal funds to acquire radio content.”</b></div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Voted for <b><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h836/show">H.R.836</a> </span></i></b><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; display: none; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt;">To rescind the unobligated funding for the Emergency Mortgage Relief Program and to terminate the program.</span></i>that would “rescind the unobligated funding for the Emergency Mortgage Relief Program and to terminate the program.”</div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Voted against </b><b><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h514/show">H.R.514</a> </span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; display: none; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt;">To extend expiring provisions of the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 and Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 relating to access to business records, individual terrorists as agents of foreign powers, and roving wiretaps until December 8, 2011.</span></i>that would “extend expiring provisions of the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 and Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 relating to access to business records, individual terrorists as agents of foreign powers, and roving wiretaps until December 8, 2011.” </b></div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Voted for <a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h359/show">H.R.359</a> that would “reduce Federal spending and the deficit by terminating taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and party conventions.”</b></div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Voted for <a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h2/show">H.R.2</a>, a bill that would “repeal the job-killing health care law and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.”</div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Voted for <a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h292/show">H.R.292</a> which would “amend title 44, United States Code, to eliminate the mandatory printing of bills and resolutions for the use of offices of Members of Congress.” (note: 399 members of House voted for this, it passed)</b></div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Voted for a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“</i><i><span style="font-style: normal;">Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendment with an Amendment: H R 2965 Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010.” In otherwards he voted to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (<a href="http://www.opencongress.org/vote/2010/h/638">http://www.opencongress.org/vote/2010/h/638</a>) </span></i></b></div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Voted for <a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h5987/show">H.R.5987</a> that would “ensure that seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities who receive Social Security and certain other Federal benefits receive a one-time $250 payment in the event that no cost-of-living adjustment is payable in 2011.”</div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Voted against <a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s3307/show">S.3307</a>, An original bill that would “reauthorize child nutrition programs, and for other purposes.”</div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Voted against <a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-hr1735/show">H.Res.1735</a>, a resolution that would be “Condemning North Korea in the strongest terms for its unprovoked military attack against South Korea on November 23, 2010.” (The only representative in the whole House other than <a href="http://www.opencongress.org/people/show/412240_Steve_Kagen">Steve Kagen</a> and the 28 abstaining that voted against this resolution). </b></div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Voted against <a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s3729/show">S.3729</a>: “An original bill to authorize the programs of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for fiscal years 2011 through 2013, and for other purposes.” </div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Voted against <a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h5756/show">H.R.5756</a>, a bill that would “amend title I of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 to provide for grants and technical assistance to improve services rendered to children and adults with autism, and their families, and to expand the number of University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disablities Education, Research, and Service.” (I am really mad with him about this vote because I am partly autistic, luckily this bill passed the Congress). </div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Voted against <a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h5851/show">H.R.5851</a>, a bill that would “provide whistleblower protections to certain workers in the offshore oil and gas industry.” (It’s interesting Mr. Paul is against this because he supports WikiLeaks, a whistleblower group)</div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Voted for <a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-hc301/show">H.Con.Res.301</a>, a bill that is “Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove the United States Armed Forces from Pakistan.” (Mr. Paul was one of 6 Republicans to vote for this bill)</b></div>
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<i><span style="font-style: normal;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></i>Voted against <a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h5618/show">H.R.5618</a> which would “continue Federal unemployment programs [and] would <i><span style="font-style: normal;">Restor[e]…Emergency Unemployment Compensation.”</span><b> </b></i><i><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></i></div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Voted against <a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h3962/show">H.R.3962</a> that would “To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes.” (This is the infamous healthcare plan Mr. Obama proposed in 2009). </div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Voted against <a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h5175/show">H.R.5175</a> (also called the DISCLOSE Act) that would “amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit foreign influence in Federal elections, to prohibit government contractors from making expenditures with respect to such elections, and to establish additional disclosure requirements with respect to spending in such elections, and for other purposes.” (Note: this act passed even with Mr. Paul’s opposition).</div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Voted against <a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-hr1338/show">H.Res.1338</a>, a resolution that would be “Recognizing the significant accomplishments of AmeriCorps and encouraging all citizens to join in a national effort to raise awareness about the importance of national and community service.” </div>
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-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Voted against “<span class="billtextinserted">an Act [that would]</span> amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide for an increase in the Federal minimum wage.” (2007)</div>
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I stopped writing about his voting record because it was getting too tiring through all of those pages (if you want to keep going <a href="http://www.opencongress.org/people/voting_history/400311_Ronald_Paul/47">then do so</a>: I was on page 49 and it ends at page 156). I only went back to April 2010 in his voting record. So, to summarize from list of voting, I have learned he is anti-abortion, very antiwar (he voted against wars in Afghanistan, Libya and troops in Pakistan), anti-environment, anti-unemployment compensation and anti-Obama’s healthcare law. That’s not all, as a highlight of his voting record shows. However, you can’t judge a future candidate for public office on voting record alone, you have to judge on what they have said in public. </div>
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To figure out what he said in public, I turned to publications on the internet to get a balanced perspective. The Atlantic has the most scarring review of the political positions of Congressman Paul, explaining what they called <a href="http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/05/extreme-ron-paul-president-2012">“Ron Paul's 15 Most Extreme Positions.”</a> Of the 15 “extreme positions” I found some that I think aren’t so extreme: </div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“<b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Protect Sexual Predators' Privacy, he </span></b><a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-9829759-38.html" target="_blank">voted against</a> requiring operators of wi-fi networks who discover the transmission of child porn and other forms online sex predation to report it to the government.”</i> I think that everyone deserves their privacy and why do you need to let the government deal with sexual predation? Why can’t you take some responsibility for yourself? I am also of the belief that porn should be legalized, as should prostitution as well. It’s a stupid activity that is illegal and the laws to enforce it are almost unenforceable. </div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“<b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Rescind the Bin Laden Raid</span>:</b> Instead of authorizing the Navy Seals to take him out, President Paul would have sought Pakistan's cooperation to arrest him.”</i> What is wrong with this? I think America should have asked Pakistan first! It’s a violation of their sovereignty. It was right to get Osama (killing may have been a bit extreme), but I think that we must respect the rights of other countries when trying to make the world safe. We are not the global policeman. If Pakistani forces killed and maimed a person in American borders, we Americans would get mad, right? Well, that’s how Pakistan feels. </div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“<b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Simplify the Census:</span></b> The questions posed by the Census Bureau's annual <a href="http://www.census.gov/acs/www/about_the_survey/american_community_survey/" target="_blank">American Community Survey</a>, which collects demographics data such as age, race, and income, are "<a href="http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig8/whitehead9.1.1.html" target="_blank">both ludicrous and insulting</a>," Paul says.”</i> He is completely right. The Census does ask some questions that go too far. Do they have to know the race and age of each person? I don’t think so. We need to come into society that doesn’t track what age or ethnic group you are in. If the census tracks those demographics, it could bias those conducting the census as well (possible discrimination against minority groups or majority groups in society). However, I think that income should be mapped so that the government can map if they need to help reduce the number of impoverished people. </div>
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">“Let the Oldest Profession Be:</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Paul wants to legalize prostitution at the federal level.”</i> Why is this a problem? I think prostitution should not illegal. Its waste of the resources of government that is tracking down these officials, resources that could be better spent tracking down people such as murderers roaming the streets. The paying for sexual intercourse should not be illegal since it is your decision to pay for it anyway, so it should be not be the business of the government to regulate such a personal behavior. </div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul188.html" target="_blank">Would not have voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964</a> because it was a "massive violation of private property and contract, which are the bedrocks of a free society." </i>How is this extreme? Not everyone supported civil rights at that time. Even parts of the Democratic party broke off in the 1940s and became the “Dixiecrats” or those that supported segregation. I support civil right and equal rights for everyone, but in terms of positions of those on the right and those that are libertarian, it’s not that extreme. </div>
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Now, there were some positions of Congressman Paul that the Atlantic article articulated I thought were definitely extreme: </div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Legalize All Drugs </b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">(Legalizing pot, heroin, cocaine and meth is too much. I think it should be gradual process and there can’t be immediate legalization of pot. I do not think legalization of all drugs is a good idea)</span> </b></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Keep Monopolies Intact </b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">(Why? They cause an unfair market. I am very anti-monopoly, so this enraged me)</span></b></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Lay Off Ben Bernanke</b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> (I agree he should be kicked out) </span>and abolish the Federal Reserve </b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">(I would limit their power, but not abolish the institution)</span></b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></b></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Stop Policing the Environment </b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">(I guess he wants people to die from pollution and to help create an unlivable world in the future)</span> </b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></b></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Let Markets Care for the Disabled </b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">(If this happened, then the Americans for Disabilities Act [ADA] would suffer. I am counted under this policy, so if it was repealed, I would lose the resources for my disabilities that help me exceed. Also all the other kids around the country that have disabilities would be unable to reach their full potential.)</span></b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></b></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wants to end birthright citizenship and allow emergency centers to refuse medical care to illegal immigrants </b>(So, I wouldn’t be a citizen of the United States if this policy was enacted. That is ridiculous. It would create an unnecessary bureaucracy that every American would go through to even become a citizen. A waste of money. Also, if an illegal immigrant was dying on the street the hospital could refuse them. That is not what America should be like. We need to make sure we save the lives of all we can in America.)</li>
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Despite these severe positions on issues, some people still support Ron Paul, saying he is the only one who can save America. <a href="http://vinceiori.com/WordPress/2011/04/26/ron-paul-2012-last-chance-to-rescue-america/">Vince Iori’s Blog</a> brings about that question in his story: “Ron Paul 2012: Last Chance To Rescue America?” I don’t know if he is the only one, but too see if his point was valid, I scathed the article. </div>
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He starts off with a probable proposition: “Ron Paul…represents the United States’ last hope of preserving its position as a pre-eminent economic superpower and avoiding a Soviet-style collapse into an abyss of debt, depression and decay.” I don’t think he is the last hope of stopping America’s fall as superpower. There are 74 candidates on the Republican side and 21 on the Democratic side, with the rest as independent or other parties, adding up to 180 candidates in the Presidential race. Most people don’t know about these candidates since many are less known, so from a comprehensive site, I compiled all the candidates that are running in the 2012 Presidential race on a <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FQ-J4bshWiVHLv_5v6xxJOWHaMaZu-kNcz4b0q8B_no/edit?hl=en_US">google document</a>. Anyway, the article continues saying that Ron Paul is the only alternative to Democratic and Republican war hawks in Washington. Once again, he is not the only alternative because almost half of the candidates on the Republican side oppose the war in Afghanistan. Despite his positions that some may call wacky, he could provide the change needed in Washington.</div>
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Ron Paul has a very limited government approach, so some of his positions may seem a bit weird. There is no doubt he would change the U.S. government radically. I don’t want to endorse him at this time, but if there is no one else that can change America in way that will prevent is collapse, he may be the only one who can do it because he has such a spirit to change what is wrong and ideas that no one else would dare saying in public. </div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-28050335776889509302010-11-15T22:13:00.002-05:002010-11-15T22:22:46.438-05:00Is Microsoft's Kinect the future of gaming?Ten days after Microsoft released its new type of gaming product there has been a rather "mellow" reaction only about one million copies have been sold which if you compare it to all the people in the world who actually own a Xbox it is rather... sad?<br />
This is in fact one of the most amazing products released by a company in a really long time (I mean there is no controller!) and the last thing I am trying to do is criticizes it, all I am saying is that it is rather sad to see that not a lot of people are interested in this type of product. But hopefully it will catch on while people upload their own personal Kinect fail videos on to you tube.<br />
<br />
<object height="407" width="510"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qafmCU4LUZ8?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qafmCU4LUZ8?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="510" height="407"></embed></object>Interesting Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03810362655295438350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-78177848356990862322010-07-15T20:46:00.006-04:002010-07-16T13:50:23.035-04:00Weekly Mash Up!Here is this week mash up of all things tech and news and more!<br />
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Android now has 100,000 Apps and over 1 billion Apps downloaded<br />
Is Android catching up to Apple in the amount of Apps? well no not really the App store beat 100,000 Apps back in November of 2009 and the App store has over 3 billion Apps downloaded but Android is certainly catching up!<br />
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Looks like Facebook users found a new gaming addiction this time its called "FrontierVille" <br />
As of today over 20 Million have started to play the new online sensation which is called FrontierVille. It's still got a way to go to catch up to the other online gaming addiction FarmVille but hey it's made by the same company(zynga)<br />
so more is good right?<br />
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BP stopped the leak! <br />
Well for now anyways they are still testing it to see if its going to hold but for now at least as of 4:13-4:14 PM Eastern time they put what looks like a huge weight on it. Check out the video and watch how exactly they stopped it: <br />
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Hulu Plus exclusive on PS3 for awhile..<br />
Well it's official Sony has accomplished getting Hulu plus for the PS3 exclusively for 1 year! Adding to this just to clear out a rumor you do not have to have a playstation Plus account which you have to pay $50 for to have it running on your PS3. So congratulations Sony but we still are not getting a lot of reviews about it so if you have or have seen it in the works comment and tell us about it!<br />
Here is a pic for people who have not seen it yet:<br />
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<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/14/hulu-plus-on-ps3-hands-on/"><img alt="" border="1" height="212" hspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/07/7-14-10-huluplusps3main-copy.jpg" vspace="4" width="320" /></a><br />
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And to close of this post here are a few things I found interesting on Amazon: <iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=interesti-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B002I0J4VQ&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><br />
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=interesti-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B003O0T8KG&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe> <iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=interesti-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B002VECM6S&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Interesting Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03810362655295438350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-70966538199050199922010-07-13T22:14:00.000-04:002010-07-13T22:14:32.400-04:00iPhone carrier unlock coming soon? Even more news from Apple is coming in and apparently this time the iPhone 4 is closed to being unlocked but not just yet. According to the video the hacker (or unlocker whatever you may call them) is saying the unlock is still really buggy and it's still a work in progress but soon all iPhones will be able to be jailbroken and unlocked to run with any cell phone company which uses sim cards. But do you really want to jailbreak you iPhone and risk the chance of loosing your warranty or do you want to wait and pay for the official unlock? Well the choice is yours but whatever you may choose you will still have to wait a significant amount of time. Watch this video for more information: <object height="315" width="500"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/41rm8MCdoh8&hl=en_US&fs=1?color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/41rm8MCdoh8&hl=en_US&fs=1?color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="315"></embed></object>Interesting Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03810362655295438350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-55990306219930898232010-07-11T19:21:00.001-04:002010-07-11T19:24:05.013-04:00A new Apple device coming soon? [RUMOR]According to a Taiwanese website there are leaked pictures of a new Apple touchscreen device that is only 3cm square inches (1.18 in). Is it fake? Is it real? Well we are not exactly sure just yet but considering the sites past record (leaking the white iPhone 4) it looks kinda promising. So in the future days we will hopefully be seeing a new device maybe a iPod nano or a new shuffle- We don't know yet but here are two pictures so you can drool over whatever it is: <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/what-is-this-tiny-apple-touchscreen-that-just-leaked-in-taiwan/"><img alt="" border="1" hspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/07/07-09-10applescreen.jpg" vspace="4" /><img alt="" border="1" hspace="4" id="vimage_3159302" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/07/07-09-10applsc2.jpg" vspace="4" /></a>Interesting Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03810362655295438350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866799165704728747.post-4693233959298145062010-07-08T22:44:00.001-04:002010-07-11T19:26:02.896-04:00The future of Flash in 3D?Actually Adobe itself admitted that it is working on a 3D flash player we still don't know how this is exactly going to work but this is going to be a amazing technology that will throw us into the future. The idea is going to be coming to the table in October and we don't know how long it is going to take to actually come to the rest of us to use. Hey if Adobe comes out with this product and it actually works its really going to be amazing next thing human kind needs to discover- 4D (wonder how thats going to work).<br />
<div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0pt 0pt;">Related articles by Zemanta</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/08/flash-player-investing-in-a-3d-future-plans-coming-in-october/">Flash Player investing in a 3D future, plans coming in October</a> (engadget.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20009940-264.html?part=rss&subj=DeepTech">Adobe: Flash to take 3D graphics plunge</a> (news.cnet.com)</li>
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