These are good times. Ralph Nader announced that he's running as an independent for the office of President of the United States. As long as he gets on the ballot, which will be a tough road to travel in Illinois and everywhere else, Nader will bring a much-needed choice to our electoral process, and his candidacy will raise issues that the duopolists skirt or avoid entirely. Sure, sure, the Democratic front-runners (Kerry, Edwards) and the sitting neo-con puppet (Bush) will float Naderesque rhetorical balloons that corporate-owned media outlets will snatch from the air and hang on their respective mailboxes, but will The Chosen Ones earnestly try to do anything about the issues that are important to the ones who don't follow the Dem or GOP herds? Considering their past deeds and current "stamped with Corporate Party approval" wind-bagging, will Kerry, Edwards, or Bush honestly:
1. Restore and expand civil liberties and constitutional rights: As Nader writes on his website VoteNader.org, "[...] repeal the Patriot Act, end secret detentions, arrests without charges, no access to attorneys and the use of secret 'evidence,' military tribunals for civilians, non-combatant status and the shredding of 'probable cause' determinations, (contract the) concentrated power in the executive branch, and [...] expand civil liberties to include basic human rights in employment and truly equal rights regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race or religion."
2. Remove the inherent media bias in public elections. As Nader writes, "(This is) real campaign finance reform, which means public financing of public elections; some free access to ballot qualified candidates on television and radio; vigorous antitrust regulation and enforcement; ending broadcasters' free licensed use of the public airwaves; and the reversion of some organized time on our publicly owned airwaves to establish audience-controlled radio and TV networks to ensure the diversity of voices and solutions necessary for a really free press and a true civic democracy."
3. Introduce true electoral reform that encourages participatory Democracy and opens the doors for more choices on the ballots
4. Punish corporate crime, fraud, and abuse (including compaines that incorporate in tax haven countries and territories such as Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Luxembourg, etc.) (For more details, see Globalpolicy.org)
5. Remove "person" status and "equal rights" protection for corporations [Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad (1886), where Chief Justice Morrison Waite dictated off-handedly that corporations were deemed "persons" and, thus, protected under the 14th Amendment's "Equal Protection" Clause]
6. Remove big business from agriculture policy and pass legislation that protects and empowers non-agribusiness farms
7. Strive toward better consumer justice and halting predatory practices of big business (see Starbucks and Wal-Mart)
8. Remove insurance and drug companies from the administation of health care and provide coverage for all Americans
9. Pass a federal budget that puts the citizenry ahead of corporations
10. Institute a fair tax where the wealthiest people and corporations pay their fair share, the burden is not placed on the broad middle class, the poorest pay little to nothing until they reach an income milestone
11. Create jobs by investing in Americans in both the manufacturing ("blue collar") and office ("white collar") worlds
12. Strive to end poverty in the US by creating a "living wage," implementing a more progressive tax system, providing more affordable or free education to the lower to middle classes, and creating more affordable housing so that lower classes eventually may own in their neighborhoods and take advantage of our most accessible tax shelter, the writing off of home mortgage and equity loan interest
13. Establish fair trade practices that protect the environment, labor rights and consumer needs
14. Oppose the invasion and occupation of Iraq, Afghanistan, and any other sovereignties
15. Reform the racist and classist criminal justice system
16. End the war on drugs
17. Create environmental and energy policies that protect citizens, especially the less fortunate and disenfranchised, and punish violators
All of these stances have been clipped or summarized for this entry, but are explained in much more detail on Nader's candidacy website: VoteNader.org
Now, some may be thinking, "Wait a second, bucko, didn't you write that the 'herds' must not get their info from candidate-generated websites like JohnKerry.com? You're doing the very thing that you admonished--nay, ridiculed--now that your candidate threw his hat into the ring. Hypocrite! Sophist! Charlatan!"
The difference is that those who have paid attention to the issues of consumer rights, upholding civil liberty, citizen democracy, corporate crime and welfare, corporate-owned media, free trade, etc. realize that Nader has been TAKING ACTION on these issues for over FORTY years! What you read on his campaign website is the SAME INFO that has been in his writings, speeches, and activism for over FORTY years. In 1959, when Nader was taking on the auto industry, making a name for himself, and pissing off Corporate America, Bush and Kerry were still in prep school, living off the family fortunes and taking advantage of the family connections!
The "planks" in Nader's "platform" have been publicized long before the 1992 NH write-in initiative and the 1996, 2000, and 2004 campaigns. All of you have to do is build your awareness of Nader's life-long activism and social criticism, activites executed not just for the sake of getting elected to an office. Need proof? Here are two places to check out:
Citizen.org
and
The Ralph Nader Reader, 2000, Seven Stories Press
As for me, I'll do everything that I can to get Nader on the Illinois ballot, and, if successful, he will get my vote, whether it supports or defeats the Bush re-election campaign.
1. Restore and expand civil liberties and constitutional rights: As Nader writes on his website VoteNader.org, "[...] repeal the Patriot Act, end secret detentions, arrests without charges, no access to attorneys and the use of secret 'evidence,' military tribunals for civilians, non-combatant status and the shredding of 'probable cause' determinations, (contract the) concentrated power in the executive branch, and [...] expand civil liberties to include basic human rights in employment and truly equal rights regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race or religion."
2. Remove the inherent media bias in public elections. As Nader writes, "(This is) real campaign finance reform, which means public financing of public elections; some free access to ballot qualified candidates on television and radio; vigorous antitrust regulation and enforcement; ending broadcasters' free licensed use of the public airwaves; and the reversion of some organized time on our publicly owned airwaves to establish audience-controlled radio and TV networks to ensure the diversity of voices and solutions necessary for a really free press and a true civic democracy."
3. Introduce true electoral reform that encourages participatory Democracy and opens the doors for more choices on the ballots
4. Punish corporate crime, fraud, and abuse (including compaines that incorporate in tax haven countries and territories such as Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Luxembourg, etc.) (For more details, see Globalpolicy.org)
5. Remove "person" status and "equal rights" protection for corporations [Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad (1886), where Chief Justice Morrison Waite dictated off-handedly that corporations were deemed "persons" and, thus, protected under the 14th Amendment's "Equal Protection" Clause]
6. Remove big business from agriculture policy and pass legislation that protects and empowers non-agribusiness farms
7. Strive toward better consumer justice and halting predatory practices of big business (see Starbucks and Wal-Mart)
8. Remove insurance and drug companies from the administation of health care and provide coverage for all Americans
9. Pass a federal budget that puts the citizenry ahead of corporations
10. Institute a fair tax where the wealthiest people and corporations pay their fair share, the burden is not placed on the broad middle class, the poorest pay little to nothing until they reach an income milestone
11. Create jobs by investing in Americans in both the manufacturing ("blue collar") and office ("white collar") worlds
12. Strive to end poverty in the US by creating a "living wage," implementing a more progressive tax system, providing more affordable or free education to the lower to middle classes, and creating more affordable housing so that lower classes eventually may own in their neighborhoods and take advantage of our most accessible tax shelter, the writing off of home mortgage and equity loan interest
13. Establish fair trade practices that protect the environment, labor rights and consumer needs
14. Oppose the invasion and occupation of Iraq, Afghanistan, and any other sovereignties
15. Reform the racist and classist criminal justice system
16. End the war on drugs
17. Create environmental and energy policies that protect citizens, especially the less fortunate and disenfranchised, and punish violators
All of these stances have been clipped or summarized for this entry, but are explained in much more detail on Nader's candidacy website: VoteNader.org
Now, some may be thinking, "Wait a second, bucko, didn't you write that the 'herds' must not get their info from candidate-generated websites like JohnKerry.com? You're doing the very thing that you admonished--nay, ridiculed--now that your candidate threw his hat into the ring. Hypocrite! Sophist! Charlatan!"
The difference is that those who have paid attention to the issues of consumer rights, upholding civil liberty, citizen democracy, corporate crime and welfare, corporate-owned media, free trade, etc. realize that Nader has been TAKING ACTION on these issues for over FORTY years! What you read on his campaign website is the SAME INFO that has been in his writings, speeches, and activism for over FORTY years. In 1959, when Nader was taking on the auto industry, making a name for himself, and pissing off Corporate America, Bush and Kerry were still in prep school, living off the family fortunes and taking advantage of the family connections!
The "planks" in Nader's "platform" have been publicized long before the 1992 NH write-in initiative and the 1996, 2000, and 2004 campaigns. All of you have to do is build your awareness of Nader's life-long activism and social criticism, activites executed not just for the sake of getting elected to an office. Need proof? Here are two places to check out:
Citizen.org
and
The Ralph Nader Reader, 2000, Seven Stories Press
As for me, I'll do everything that I can to get Nader on the Illinois ballot, and, if successful, he will get my vote, whether it supports or defeats the Bush re-election campaign.
posted by Brian at 12:18 PM
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