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PUBLISHED: 09-29-08
Letter to the Editor
Time to talk about the issues
At the Democratic National Convention, I marched down to the Pepsi Center with Rage Against the Machine, The Coup and Flobots in support of Iraq Veterans Against the War and their demands for Sen. Barack Obama to support immediate withdrawal from Iraq, reparations for Iraqis and benefits to veterans returning home. Our presence forced Obama to accept a letter from IVAW.
At the Republican National Convention, I witnessed what government at all levels will do to silence people who feel compelled to use their First Amendment rights. On Sept. 4, the city deployed more than 100 police with gas masks to trap about 250 people intent on marching. Bicycles, horses, batons, dump trucks and bulldozers were used in a standoff that ended with police deploying chemical weapons and arresting and detaining press and protesters who had been trapped.
Both showed how Republicans and Democrats will fund the suppression of free speech.
Both gave me the chance to go to Nader Super Rallies to support the opening of the presidential debates.
Closed debates, excluding Cynthia McKinney, Bob Barr, Chuck Baldwin and Ralph Nader, are scheduled to begin Sept. 27. I’m tired of Coke and Pepsi and was thrilled when Rep. Ron Paul called on people to vote third party weeks ago. The four third-party options being whitewashed by the media in this election united behind four issues are foreign policy, civil liberties, national debt and the Federal Reserve.
After more than seven years of Bush, I refuse to do some mathematical equation to come up with who I have to vote for in order for such and such to not happen and will not vote for a candidate who calls upon the people to compromise with corporatists on the “war on terror,” Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, offshore drilling and, now, solutions to our broken economy.
Do a Google search. Since 2000, Nader has been predicting this Wall Street disaster. Sen. John McCain and Obama have been silent, and worse, they are now allowing Bush to swindle the American people by bailing out the corporations responsible. Do you really want to bail out gamblers who created this mess?
When 81 percent think this country is heading in the wrong direction and 60 percent think the two parties are failing us, that signifies the need for a certain agenda-one which involves the people inventing a new way forward instead of being cynical about the future.
The Chronicle has highlighted how students should be electrified and thrilled to be voting in their first election.
The Chronicle should highlight more than just the politics of the possible-or the terms for change set by McCain or Obama.
Kevin Gosztola
Junior
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Sep 29th 2008
Thanks for publishing this. I wanted to point out an error that I will call a result of poor proofreading—
I checked what I wrote and sent in. This sentence should read like this:
The four third-party options being whitewashed by the media in this election united behind four issues: foreign policy, civil liberties, national debt and the Federal Reserve.
There should be no “are” between issues and foreign policy.
I’m making this note for people who read this on the web.
Sep 29th 2008
Right on !
Until the people’s blood is stirred
little will be done.
So express this appeal repeatedly as a flag to follow,
better even than a general strike
OWEN
Sep 29th 2008
(please publish this revised version)
Kevin is right on the issues and money and an astute observer of the intense Washington crime, corruption, and hypocracy that diminshes our democracy and creates tremendous injustice against our nation.
Free speech repression is just one of the ways to silence the righteous dissent of an oppressed people. Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! is a fully credentialed journalist who was also at the Republican convention. She was abused by riot police even after showing her full credentials and security clearance. Her press colleagues were also beaten and bloodied by the riot police for covering the protesters instead of cooing at McCain and Palin. On the media site (OnTheMedia.org) details the abuse and suppression of journalists just doing their job.
Ballot access obstruction against third party and independent candidates such as Ralph Nader is another means of protecting the incumbancy and cheating both voters and politicians of fair and equal access in our democracy.
Fortunately, Ralph Nader will be on the ballot in 45 states and a write-in in 4 states. Only repressive Oklahoma prohibits all and any write-in candidates out of fear that they will win.
More voices and more choices are always welcome in any legitimate democracy, help create a more vigorous public debate about the issues, and are necessary to insure that elected officials actually comply with public sentiment and work for the good of our nation. Guaranteed incumbancy and special protected status against competition in politics tends to create laziness, corruption, and unearned entitlement.
Sep 29th 2008
I wish people would see through the BS the republicans and democrats throw out there to get the media and electorate talking about inane issues. Neither McCain nor Obama offer anything of substance. Both represent the same old policies that have led nowhere. If you went to a restaurant and received bad food and poor service for an expensive price, you would never go back to that restaurant. Why can’t we apply this logic to our politics? The democrats and republicans offer us poor results at a high cost, but we keep going back to them. If you’re looking for change in either of these candidates, you will be sorely disappointed. Obama’s nothing but a paper candidate–an attempt by democrats to pull the wool over the American public’s eyes and “take back the White House”–as if they are entitled to it. McCain is the same old republican like George Bush. Wake up and stop thinking the democrats or republicans have answers. They’re only interested in power, money, and pleasing their corporate interests. If you’re interested in real change and actual discussion of issues, go to http://www.votenader.org. Vote Nader/Gonzalez 08!
Sep 29th 2008
You all make excellent points, however, this late in the game the reality is that there is no possible way Nader can win this election. Our next president WILL be McCain or Obama. In what will likely be a VERY close race, the votes of his supporters can make the difference. Please end the GOP tyranny and support the lesser of two evils. Vote Obama!!
Sep 29th 2008
I encourage everyone to vote third party. It will send a message that there must be drastic changes our representatives will be replaced. I am voting for Nader. I encourage everyone to vote Nader or for another third party representative.
Sep 29th 2008
Why not end the tyranny of the Democrats? Look at what peace activists have had to put up with since 2006 when Democrats claimed they would end the war in Iraq and instead funded it with more money than Bush even asked for.
Why not end the tyranny of identity politics? Why vote for somebody because we have the opportunity to vote for a black man for president? It’s not who we have the opportunity to vote for but what we are voting for if we vote Obama that matters.
Why not end the fallacy of preemptive voting? Let’s end this idea that you have to vote so such and such does not happen. That’s simply not true.
What would McCain do that Obama would not do and vice versa? The corporate and special interests in Washington could get either to do their bidding.
Go to http://www.thirdpartyticket.com and pledge for open debates now. Our country needs more voices to be out there in the final days of this election.
Sep 29th 2008
Now you see why the reason is that since World War II the duopoly of official parties have moved to enact laws and restraint on third parties to be able to participate equally. Now a second book on the “Myth of Third Parties” has come out to reinforce the idea. This one by Micheal Medved. One before had come out in the 1990’s on the same subject. If they just had the ability to get their point across on the CMSM it would serve them well and decrease the forced importance of the democrat-republican (fascist) party that is in charge now. Only a few people in both parties don’t go along with it and are paralyzed because of it.
They even give us a false choice between Obama and McCain. They have too much in common and I can’t trust Obama not to go Chicago Boy on economics if he gets ‘voted’ in to power. That is the false choice dilemma and all other choices are left out. Why else do you think Jesse Ventura got elected? He was allowed in the pivotal debates that sealed the doom to the Republican and Democratic candidates. If he hadn’t been he would not have been elected. It is a conspiracy out there and it is directed against us!
Sep 29th 2008
Teri don’t waste your vote on the Democratic ticket.
Join with the rest of us Americans who are fed up with the Democrat/Republican BS and are going to vote NO to politics as usual.
Have the courage to exercise your democratic right to vote for whom best will represent you.
That old vote for the lesser of two evils reasoning doesn’t cut it anymore it’s nonsense.
The lesser of two evils is still evil!
Oct 4th 2008
Right on, folks. I’m an Illinois State Coordinator for the get out the vote efforts of the Nader/Gonzalez 2008 campaign. We’d love it if each and every one of you who care so passionately about these issues would call us or come by our Chicago office to discuss how you can get involved from now until the election. Contact me at brandon votenader org, and we’ll get moving.