We have a unique opportunity to make some real changes come Tuesday, November 4, 2008. This election year is critical to this country and people have been adamant about wanting change, yet they are still aligning themselves with the very culprits that put us in this mess in the first place. With all the House seats and one-third of the Senate seats up for re-election and the Presidential election at hand, there is no time like the present to take charge of our future! One of the things that just floors me is how little the dedicated people working for these candidates knows about what the candidates support. For instance, I have received calls from and seen canvassers for several of the candidates. They are very friendly people, just trying to lend support the person they think is best in this election. Yet, as volunteers for their candidate of choice, they don't know key things that, as free US Citizens, they should.
Early in the summer, I received a call from the Clinton campaign. Upon finding out that I had no intention of supporting her, the caller starting asking other questions. So I took the opportunity to let her know that I did political research for a living and while she was telling me one thing I knew it to be different. She seemed unaware of Ms. Clinton's voting record with regards to our freedoms. Taking the opportunity to inform her about her loss of liberties with regard to the passing, and Ms. Clinton's support of, the USA PATRIOT Act, she didn't know what to say. She hung up, however, telling me she would look into it.
Canvassers from the Ron Paul campaign, whom I feel is more highly qualified than our current choice from the Republican Party, stopped by in early summer, as well. I took the opportunity to ask why Dr Paul missed a few very key votes, with regard to our freedoms. This volunteer had no idea what I was talking about. I then informed him that Dr. Paul missed voting for HR 1955, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Act of 2007. I don't care if he misses a vote for whom to name a post office, but this is a key piece of legislation. Since that time, he has also missed voting on another key piece of legislation, HR 6304, the FISA Amendment Act of 2008.
Sunday, November 2nd, someone from the Obama campaign dropped by asking if Obama could count on my support on Tuesday. I said, "Absolutely not!" He looked astounded that I was so firm, so I told him not to worry, I wouldn't be voting for McCain, either. At this point he looked even more astonished and asked, "So you are not going to vote?" I assured him I planned to vote, just not for a Democrat or a Republican. At this point, I could actually see the "why throw your vote away" question dancing in his head.
As we stood there for a moment, I realized he needed some information. This information is good for all Democrats and Republicans, so I will address those people now.
Your candidate does not support you. Your candidate is not looking out for your best interests. If you value your civil liberties, the Constitution and your God-given rights, your candidate does not support you. The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 and its Re-Authorization are one of the earliest pieces of nefarious legislation during the Bush administration. The name itself was likely chosen to instill "patriotism." This legislation either negates or undermines at least 6 of our beloved liberties, including the Free Speech, Privacy and Due Process. It saw librarians being required to turn over records of their patrons, without their knowledge, at the request of the FBI. It saw the implementation of the reprehensible Sneak and Peak provision, the loss our right to due process if we are even THOUGHT to be a terrorist, said "terrorists" can be held indefinitely without the chance to contact a lawyer or the opportunity to face our accuser. In addition, being held indefinitely would certainly fall under the category of unusual punishment, to be sure, depriving us of our 13th Amendment rights, as well! Yet, with all of that, our Democratic and Republican hopefuls for President voted FOR this legislation and against our liberty.
(Technically, Obama wasn't in office for the first one but voted for its re-authorization. McCain and Biden voted for it both times!)
These people do not represent you!
While Obama says he will bring the troops home, he voted for several emergency appropriations bills, keeping our troops in Iraq. This war is not even legal, as Congress never declared it a war (and the President cannot declare war!), yet we are pouring billions and billions of dollars into this wicked black hole and losing good men and women in a "war" that we clearly should not have started. We know McCain supports the war, as he says it at every turn. Yet people across the nation are ready to end this atrocity and bring the troops home. Are the candidates listening?
These people do not represent you!
What about Posse Comitatus? HR 5122, The John Warner National Defense Authorization Act of 2007, gave government the authority to use, for the first time since the Reconstruction, our military as police and peacekeepers. They did so in the Katrina disaster in New Orleans. While that part of the bill is said to have been rescinded with the passage of HR 4986, one has to wonder what is NorthCom doing with the Army's 3rd Infantry, First Brigade Combat Team at its command? Has Posse Comitatus really been rescinded? It certainly doesn't appear so? And, both Obama and McCain voted for this legislation, along with Biden.
These people do not represent you!
What about Torture? Do you favor water boarding or some of the other disturbing techniques used to torture foreign captives for information? Title X of HR 2863, an appropriations bill, states that while in US custody, no one will be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and that the no punishment will be used that is not specifically outlined by the U.S. Army Field Manual on Intelligence Interrogation. Only problem there is that the Field manual used to be an open book...literally. It was rewritten in some time before December 2005, and since that time 10 pages have been classified, giving us no way to know just what the DoD considers torture. With this in mind, Obama, McCain and Biden voted for this bill. Again I ask, are you in favor of water boarding?
These people do not represent you!
The FISA Amendments Act of 2008 saw sitting Congressman and women, Obama included, blatantly vote against the Constitution and their Oaths of Office and for a piece of legislation that strips US Citizens of their right to privacy. This bill gives retroactive immunity to the Telecommunications companies involved in illegally wiretapping US Citizens on American soil. There were laws in place from which any US spy agency could legally obtain what they needed, but Bush wanted to circumvent the law, and our congress let him and the telecomms off the hook. Feingold fought hard against this legislation, and in the end, stated that the passage was a shame, but the only way to turn it all around would be to vote for a Democrat for President. Perhaps Feingold missed that his parties Presidential hopeful, Obama, voted for this bill. McCain did not vote.
These people do not represent you!
Finally, we have the nasty piece of Bush/Paulson legislation, HR 1424, known "endearingly" and the Bailout Legislation, but formally entitled the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. Our Congress voted to bail out Wall Street, not you and me, Wall Street. They did not vote to aid us in our struggle to pay our mortgages or our gasoline bills or even help us put food on the table. They voted to gouge the taxpayers to help out Wall Street, with the taxpayers screaming at the top of their lungs, "hell no!" they still voted for this wicked little $700 Billion and growing piece of nonsense. And, yes, Obama, McCain and Biden all voted for this.
These people do not represent you!
It is extremely apparent that these gentlemen do not care about what is best for this nation's citizens. Our Country was founded as a Constitutional Republic for a reason. So that we do not make judgments or laws that hold us down and strip us of our freedoms, so that we will follow the rule of law in our Supreme Law, The Constitution of the United States of America, and not be governed by emotion or mob rule, so that every one of us has an equal chance. Yet, as we can see, this government, along with the Republicans and Democrats have, little by little, stripped us of what we should hold dear! It is time we send a clear message to Washington DC and the political garbage that resides there.
GET OUT!
Now will be the best time to make that change. ALL House of Representative seats are up for election, as well as one-third of the Senate, and the Presidency. You want change? Vote for change you can believe in, which clearly does not include a Democrat or Republican! This is our best opportunity to clean house and start with new blood! You better take it while you still can!
Endnotes:
HR 3162 (107) Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001
HR 3199 (109) USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005
HR 5122 (109) John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007
H.R. 4986 (110) National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 Section 1068 Rescinding changes to the Insurrection Act by passage of HR 5122
CCMRF Troops Inside US -NorthCom Denies Role (Democracy Now! interview)
Leahy Concerned About NorthCom's New Army Unit
HR 2863 (109) Department of Defense, Emergency Supplemental Appropriations to Address Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, and Pandemic Influenza Act, 2006
NY Times Dec 14, 2005 New Army Rules May Snarl Talks With McCain on Detainee Issue
HR 6304 (110) FISA Amendments Act of 2008
HR 1424 (110) Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, Co-opted and used as the vehicle to pass the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
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