Slashdot Mirror

In other words:
BUSH '04!

If you candidate wont carry your state, just stay home or vote for Bush! YEEHAH! ..

You can vote for a person you despise, I'll vote for someone I like and agree with.

Ah, the critical difference between voting to let the President go to war and voting for the war itself. How could I have missed such an important distinction?

Maybe it's this quote from the Post that has me confused:

"Responding to President Bush's challenge to clarify his position, Sen. John F. Kerry said Monday that he still would have voted to authorize the war in Iraq even if he had known then that U.S. and allied forces would not find weapons of mass destruction."

I guess I thought authorizing a war was the same as voting for it. My bad.

Badnarik Last Anti-War Candidate Left Standing

Yours truly,
Mr. X

...voting Badnarik...

Why just the Libertarian party? Why not other third parties too. Personally I couldn't vote for the Democrats or Republicans in good conscience. But I couldn't vote for the Libertarians either. Check out all the parties that you can. Don't just latch onto the first one that's "Not Republicrat". That would be as bad as being in the "Not Bush" party.

There's David Cobb the Green Party candidate, Michael Peroutka the Constitution Party candidate, Ralph Nader the Reform Party candidate (no, I'm not kidding), and as mentioned, Michael Badnarik the Libertarian Party candidate.

Those are just the four parties I've heard the most mention of. If you don't like any of them, keep looking. If you're really interested in them, there are even Socialist and Nazi parties.

If you want a quick intro to the Green and Libertarian parties, search the videos on C-Span for the Cobb/Badnarik debate. It's very informative and gives you in a nutshell what the policies of the two parties are, and helps to highlight the problems of having just two major parties.

I decided to go third party long ago (reform for me). So I'll forward my own personal agenda here. We have two guys who have had a silver spoon shoved in their mouths all of their live bickering over issues of "the common man", and I'm surprized anyone even believes them.

Maybe some people at slashdot would be interested in the Libertarian candidate who actually WORKED for a living as a programmer. You'd think Slashdot would be all over a candidate who can actually write code, but I suppose it's the two party system that's so entrenched that it's even prevelent here.

Kerry supported giving the President the authority to initiate the war in Iraq. That's not the same as launching the war. When Bush and his campaign say that Kerry "voted to go to war," they are lying.

Not only did Kerry support going to war, he's since said publicly that he'd do it again, even in hindsight.

The war was a mistake. Still is. Why should I vote for a candidate who can't see that? Why should I vote for a candidate who can't even give a cogent answer to his own question from that 1971 Senate testimony?

"How do ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?" - John Kerry

Kerry's answer? He hopes to get our troops out by 2008. That's not an answer.

Michael Badnarik's answer?

"Thirty years ago, John Kerry asked 'how can you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?' It was a good question. His answer, and President Bush's, seems to be that you don't -- that you just let the killing go on and on rather than admit the mistake and put an end to it. Bush says 'stay the course.' Kerry says he hopes to have the troops out four years from now. I say 90 days, and only that long because it takes time to move troops out of hostile territory safely, displacing by echelon and providing mutual security." - Full Story

I know which answer sounds better to me.

Yours truly,
Mr. X

...support our troops, bring them home...

Just out of curiosity, if they've so much money, why are we leading one of the biggest grass-roots campaigns? And why is our presidential candidate touring the country in a cramped sedan? And why are we scraping money together for tv ads in select cities because we cant afford national advertising? Even if your completely unfounded Republocrat FUD was justified. Id rather live in a cardboard box than a pine box in the ground. Theres only one anti-war anti-draft Candidate and its Michael Badnarik Dont let the biased, bi-partisan news system tell you otherwise.

Am I the only one who thinks that it doesn't matter what Bush or Kerry did or did not do 30 years ago?

What does matter to me is that they both support sending my family members in the Army to Iraq to fight a war we shouldn't be fighting.

The death toll for American soldiers just passed 1,000 and neither Bush nor Kerry will get us out of there. That's a lot more important to me than how Bush got into the Air National Guard.

Yours truly,
Mr. X

...disgusted...

If you oppose the Iraq war, don't vote for someone who supported and continues to support it.

We know Bush supports it.

We also know that Kerry supports it. In the Washington Post article, In Hindsight, Kerry Says He'd Still Vote for War, Kerry makes it abundantly clear that he is not an anti-war candidate.

"Responding to President Bush's challenge to clarify his position, Sen. John F. Kerry said Monday that he still would have voted to authorize the war in Iraq even if he had known then that U.S. and allied forces would not find weapons of mass destruction."

Michael Badnarik is the only national anti-war candidate. Don't waste your vote on one of those two other guys.

Yours truly,
Mr. X

Technically, and even Michael Moore stated this when questioned, F9/11 is an Op-Ed piece. Moore admitted, when certain questions were presented to him, that many of the things in the film were his opinions and therefore it was not a documentary but an Op-Ed piece.

Vote Badnarik!!

Michael Badnarik will be on the ballot in all of those states listed (except OK, where the issue is in court).

Badnarik opposes the war in Iraq.

Badnarik opposes the war on drugs.

Badnarik supports gay marriage.

Badnarik opposes the Patriot Act.

Don't waste your vote on Bush or Kerry, vote your hope, not your fear.

Yours truly,
Mr. X

...beating the drum...

Where is the Michael Badnarik symbol. Ironic to have a market without a Libertarian, non?

Yours truly,
Mr. X

...curious...

That's why I support the third party.

Right on!

Badnarik 2004

Furthermore, why, when several of the "third party options" are on the ballots in all 50 states ... why are they not allowed to be in the "official" presidential debates?

Just FYI, the first Presidential debate occurred this past weekend, between the Green Party candidate David Cobb and the Libertarians' Michael Badnarik. C-Span covered it -- there's still an audio/video link from their homepage.

Not that the current duopoly will ever allow a third-party player in the debates again. But they're very handy on the local level. A friend of mine, Gary Page, ran as a Green against a shoe-in Republican, a placeholder Democrat, and a lost-in-the-clouds Libertarian. A local group (Realtors, I think) held a debate with all four. Though the Republican won, Gary's performance was so strong that the Democrats recruited him to run for Congress on their behalf this year.

Keep an eye on the grass roots... they're coming up Green.

Please don't resort to name calling. I'm not ignorant and I do vote in all local and national elections.

Kerry has said many times that he would have attacked Iraq, but only with backing of the UN and international community. Basically Kerry's plans only differ from Bush's plans superficially. Kerry's argument is that Bush is incompentent. Vote for Kerry if you want more of the same, just done better.

Republicans got the prescription medication bill through. That's as close as we've ever been to universal healthcare. I have no reason to believe that the republicans won't move closer to universal healthcare. You can't say the republicans are against it, if they obviously are actively moving us toward it. The Democrats have shown a failure to deliver on this promise of universal healthcare. You can claim the republicans blocked them out, or whatever. It doesn't matter. The point is *both* parties are for healthcare right now. (Ignoring what they may have been for/against 10 years ago).

'size of government' is not that broad of an area. Whenever you add a new agency, it increases the size of the government. That is immediately reflected in the amount of money the government is spending. If you simply look at how much the government spends each year, adjust for inflation (to be fair). You realize that government only gets larger. Be it under the dems or under the repubs. If you're for lower taxes, sound fiscal policy, and smaller government you can't in good conscience vote for either party.

I'm hoping that in 20-50 years the dems and repub merge into one party so we can finally call a spade a spade.

ps- I'm voting for Badnarik. But since I'm in California my vote will be converted, against my wishes, into a Kerry vote. But you can't fault me for trying to do the right thing.

That's a distortion of Kerry's position. He voted to give the president the authority to use force but only on the condition that (1) we went in with global support (2) it was honestly the only option left, and (3) they posed an immediate threat. Kerry opposed the war because, well, we went in unilaterally, we didn't exhaust diplomatic means, and Iraq posed no immediate threat. Disagree all you want with his position (I know I do) but don't distort it.

According the Washington Post, it's not a distortion:

In Hindsight, Kerry Says He'd Still Vote for War

Responding to President Bush's challenge to clarify his position, Sen. John F. Kerry said Monday that he still would have voted to authorize the war in Iraq even if he had known then that U.S. and allied forces would not find weapons of mass destruction.

Michael Badnarik is the only national anti-war candidate.

Yours truly,
Mr. X

Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik's issue papers:

• Deficit Spending - A nation's money is its economic lifeblood. Passing on our debt to future generations, or defrauding the people and the government's creditors with inflation, are not options. Those paths lead inevitably to economic collapse; mine leads to long-term prosperity.
• Immigration, Borders and National Security - Immigration and borders are two separate issues. When they are mixed, the result is both deadly to peaceful immigrants and subversive of the security of the United States.
• Civil Liberties - The erosion of our civil liberties since 9/11 does not represent a new phenomenon. It represents an acceleration of long-existing trends.
• Rights of the Accused - Of all the infringements upon our Constitutionally protected rights, the most egregious in living memory may be the post-9/11 "detention" of individuals--American and non-American--in secrecy and without charges or access to counsel.
• The Draft - If a free America were ever subjected to attack, most Americans would be more than willing to defend themselves, their homes, and their families against the foreign aggressors.
• Free Trade vs. State Corporatism - The twin tenets of peace and free trade are mutually dependent. As French visionary Frederic Bastiat once said, "If goods don't cross borders, soldiers will." When countries rely upon each other in peaceful commerce, the people of those countries have every incentive to avoid violent conflict.
• How to Stop Crime Before It Starts - "Crime rates go down when offenders must compensate their victims and responsible citizens are permitted to carry concealed weapons. Privatizing police gives them incentive to emphasize prevention and focus on violent, rather than victimless, crimes."
• Military Policy and the War in Iraq - More and more Americans are coming to oppose the war, the war hawks and high government officials are beginning to distance themselves from the president, and the U.S. seems more willing than ever to pull out of Iraq.
• How to Make Health Care Affordable - "Health care and insurance costs will plummet if excess regulation is eliminated and malpractice awards are made only on the basis of strict liability. Lower costs, along with the savings from downsizing regulatory bureaucracy, will fund tax credits for those who establish Health Savings Accounts for themselves, their families, Medicare/Medicaid recipients, and the needy."
• Gun Control Means Being Able to Hit your Target - If I have a "hot button" issue, this is definitely it. Don't even THINK about taking my guns! My rights are not negotiable, and I am totally unwilling to compromise when it comes to the Second Amendment.
• How to Empower Minorities Without Reverse Discrimination! - "Prejudice is fading, yet minorities still lag behind economically. A labyrinth of licensing laws and regulations constitute the hidden roots of modern racial and ethnic discrimination."
• Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry? - "Marriage partners, not government, should define the terms and spiritual orientation of their union in accordance with our nation's guarantee of religious freedom."
• How to Keep the Economy

Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik's issue papers:

• Deficit Spending - A nation's money is its economic lifeblood. Passing on our debt to future generations, or defrauding the people and the government's creditors with inflation, are not options. Those paths lead inevitably to economic collapse; mine leads to long-term prosperity.
• Immigration, Borders and National Security - Immigration and borders are two separate issues. When they are mixed, the result is both deadly to peaceful immigrants and subversive of the security of the United States.
• Civil Liberties - The erosion of our civil liberties since 9/11 does not represent a new phenomenon. It represents an acceleration of long-existing trends.
• Rights of the Accused - Of all the infringements upon our Constitutionally protected rights, the most egregious in living memory may be the post-9/11 "detention" of individuals--American and non-American--in secrecy and without charges or access to counsel.
• The Draft - If a free America were ever subjected to attack, most Americans would be more than willing to defend themselves, their homes, and their families against the foreign aggressors.
• Free Trade vs. State Corporatism - The twin tenets of peace and free trade are mutually dependent. As French visionary Frederic Bastiat once said, "If goods don't cross borders, soldiers will." When countries rely upon each other in peaceful commerce, the people of those countries have every incentive to avoid violent conflict.
• How to Stop Crime Before It Starts - "Crime rates go down when offenders must compensate their victims and responsible citizens are permitted to carry concealed weapons. Privatizing police gives them incentive to emphasize prevention and focus on violent, rather than victimless, crimes."
• Military Policy and the War in Iraq - More and more Americans are coming to oppose the war, the war hawks and high government officials are beginning to distance themselves from the president, and the U.S. seems more willing than ever to pull out of Iraq.
• How to Make Health Care Affordable - "Health care and insurance costs will plummet if excess regulation is eliminated and malpractice awards are made only on the basis of strict liability. Lower costs, along with the savings from downsizing regulatory bureaucracy, will fund tax credits for those who establish Health Savings Accounts for themselves, their families, Medicare/Medicaid recipients, and the needy."
• Gun Control Means Being Able to Hit your Target - If I have a "hot button" issue, this is definitely it. Don't even THINK about taking my guns! My rights are not negotiable, and I am totally unwilling to compromise when it comes to the Second Amendment.
• How to Empower Minorities Without Reverse Discrimination! - "Prejudice is fading, yet minorities still lag behind economically. A labyrinth of licensing laws and regulations constitute the hidden roots of modern racial and ethnic discrimination."
• Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry? - "Marriage partners, not government, should define the terms and spiritual orientation of their union in accordance with our nation's guarantee of religious freedom."
• How to Keep the Economy

Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik's issue papers:

• Deficit Spending - A nation's money is its economic lifeblood. Passing on our debt to future generations, or defrauding the people and the government's creditors with inflation, are not options. Those paths lead inevitably to economic collapse; mine leads to long-term prosperity.
• Immigration, Borders and National Security - Immigration and borders are two separate issues. When they are mixed, the result is both deadly to peaceful immigrants and subversive of the security of the United States.
• Civil Liberties - The erosion of our civil liberties since 9/11 does not represent a new phenomenon. It represents an acceleration of long-existing trends.
• Rights of the Accused - Of all the infringements upon our Constitutionally protected rights, the most egregious in living memory may be the post-9/11 "detention" of individuals--American and non-American--in secrecy and without charges or access to counsel.
• The Draft - If a free America were ever subjected to attack, most Americans would be more than willing to defend themselves, their homes, and their families against the foreign aggressors.
• Free Trade vs. State Corporatism - The twin tenets of peace and free trade are mutually dependent. As French visionary Frederic Bastiat once said, "If goods don't cross borders, soldiers will." When countries rely upon each other in peaceful commerce, the people of those countries have every incentive to avoid violent conflict.
• How to Stop Crime Before It Starts - "Crime rates go down when offenders must compensate their victims and responsible citizens are permitted to carry concealed weapons. Privatizing police gives them incentive to emphasize prevention and focus on violent, rather than victimless, crimes."
• Military Policy and the War in Iraq - More and more Americans are coming to oppose the war, the war hawks and high government officials are beginning to distance themselves from the president, and the U.S. seems more willing than ever to pull out of Iraq.
• How to Make Health Care Affordable - "Health care and insurance costs will plummet if excess regulation is eliminated and malpractice awards are made only on the basis of strict liability. Lower costs, along with the savings from downsizing regulatory bureaucracy, will fund tax credits for those who establish Health Savings Accounts for themselves, their families, Medicare/Medicaid recipients, and the needy."
• Gun Control Means Being Able to Hit your Target - If I have a "hot button" issue, this is definitely it. Don't even THINK about taking my guns! My rights are not negotiable, and I am totally unwilling to compromise when it comes to the Second Amendment.
• How to Empower Minorities Without Reverse Discrimination! - "Prejudice is fading, yet minorities still lag behind economically. A labyrinth of licensing laws and regulations constitute the hidden roots of modern racial and ethnic discrimination."
• Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry? - "Marriage partners, not government, should define the terms and spiritual orientation of their union in accordance with our nation's guarantee of religious freedom."
• How to Keep the Economy

Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik's issue papers:

• Deficit Spending - A nation's money is its economic lifeblood. Passing on our debt to future generations, or defrauding the people and the government's creditors with inflation, are not options. Those paths lead inevitably to economic collapse; mine leads to long-term prosperity.
• Immigration, Borders and National Security - Immigration and borders are two separate issues. When they are mixed, the result is both deadly to peaceful immigrants and subversive of the security of the United States.
• Civil Liberties - The erosion of our civil liberties since 9/11 does not represent a new phenomenon. It represents an acceleration of long-existing trends.
• Rights of the Accused - Of all the infringements upon our Constitutionally protected rights, the most egregious in living memory may be the post-9/11 "detention" of individuals--American and non-American--in secrecy and without charges or access to counsel.
• The Draft - If a free America were ever subjected to attack, most Americans would be more than willing to defend themselves, their homes, and their families against the foreign aggressors.
• Free Trade vs. State Corporatism - The twin tenets of peace and free trade are mutually dependent. As French visionary Frederic Bastiat once said, "If goods don't cross borders, soldiers will." When countries rely upon each other in peaceful commerce, the people of those countries have every incentive to avoid violent conflict.
• How to Stop Crime Before It Starts - "Crime rates go down when offenders must compensate their victims and responsible citizens are permitted to carry concealed weapons. Privatizing police gives them incentive to emphasize prevention and focus on violent, rather than victimless, crimes."
• Military Policy and the War in Iraq - More and more Americans are coming to oppose the war, the war hawks and high government officials are beginning to distance themselves from the president, and the U.S. seems more willing than ever to pull out of Iraq.
• How to Make Health Care Affordable - "Health care and insurance costs will plummet if excess regulation is eliminated and malpractice awards are made only on the basis of strict liability. Lower costs, along with the savings from downsizing regulatory bureaucracy, will fund tax credits for those who establish Health Savings Accounts for themselves, their families, Medicare/Medicaid recipients, and the needy."
• Gun Control Means Being Able to Hit your Target - If I have a "hot button" issue, this is definitely it. Don't even THINK about taking my guns! My rights are not negotiable, and I am totally unwilling to compromise when it comes to the Second Amendment.
• How to Empower Minorities Without Reverse Discrimination! - "Prejudice is fading, yet minorities still lag behind economically. A labyrinth of licensing laws and regulations constitute the hidden roots of modern racial and ethnic discrimination."
• Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry? - "Marriage partners, not government, should define the terms and spiritual orientation of their union in accordance with our nation's guarantee of religious freedom."
• How to Keep the Economy

Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik's issue papers:

• Deficit Spending - A nation's money is its economic lifeblood. Passing on our debt to future generations, or defrauding the people and the government's creditors with inflation, are not options. Those paths lead inevitably to economic collapse; mine leads to long-term prosperity.
• Immigration, Borders and National Security - Immigration and borders are two separate issues. When they are mixed, the result is both deadly to peaceful immigrants and subversive of the security of the United States.
• Civil Liberties - The erosion of our civil liberties since 9/11 does not represent a new phenomenon. It represents an acceleration of long-existing trends.
• Rights of the Accused - Of all the infringements upon our Constitutionally protected rights, the most egregious in living memory may be the post-9/11 "detention" of individuals--American and non-American--in secrecy and without charges or access to counsel.
• The Draft - If a free America were ever subjected to attack, most Americans would be more than willing to defend themselves, their homes, and their families against the foreign aggressors.
• Free Trade vs. State Corporatism - The twin tenets of peace and free trade are mutually dependent. As French visionary Frederic Bastiat once said, "If goods don't cross borders, soldiers will." When countries rely upon each other in peaceful commerce, the people of those countries have every incentive to avoid violent conflict.
• How to Stop Crime Before It Starts - "Crime rates go down when offenders must compensate their victims and responsible citizens are permitted to carry concealed weapons. Privatizing police gives them incentive to emphasize prevention and focus on violent, rather than victimless, crimes."
• Military Policy and the War in Iraq - More and more Americans are coming to oppose the war, the war hawks and high government officials are beginning to distance themselves from the president, and the U.S. seems more willing than ever to pull out of Iraq.
• How to Make Health Care Affordable - "Health care and insurance costs will plummet if excess regulation is eliminated and malpractice awards are made only on the basis of strict liability. Lower costs, along with the savings from downsizing regulatory bureaucracy, will fund tax credits for those who establish Health Savings Accounts for themselves, their families, Medicare/Medicaid recipients, and the needy."
• Gun Control Means Being Able to Hit your Target - If I have a "hot button" issue, this is definitely it. Don't even THINK about taking my guns! My rights are not negotiable, and I am totally unwilling to compromise when it comes to the Second Amendment.
• How to Empower Minorities Without Reverse Discrimination! - "Prejudice is fading, yet minorities still lag behind economically. A labyrinth of licensing laws and regulations constitute the hidden roots of modern racial and ethnic discrimination."
• Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry? - "Marriage partners, not government, should define the terms and spiritual orientation of their union in accordance with our nation's guarantee of religious freedom."
• How to Keep the Economy

Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik's issue papers:

• Deficit Spending - A nation's money is its economic lifeblood. Passing on our debt to future generations, or defrauding the people and the government's creditors with inflation, are not options. Those paths lead inevitably to economic collapse; mine leads to long-term prosperity.
• Immigration, Borders and National Security - Immigration and borders are two separate issues. When they are mixed, the result is both deadly to peaceful immigrants and subversive of the security of the United States.
• Civil Liberties - The erosion of our civil liberties since 9/11 does not represent a new phenomenon. It represents an acceleration of long-existing trends.
• Rights of the Accused - Of all the infringements upon our Constitutionally protected rights, the most egregious in living memory may be the post-9/11 "detention" of individuals--American and non-American--in secrecy and without charges or access to counsel.
• The Draft - If a free America were ever subjected to attack, most Americans would be more than willing to defend themselves, their homes, and their families against the foreign aggressors.
• Free Trade vs. State Corporatism - The twin tenets of peace and free trade are mutually dependent. As French visionary Frederic Bastiat once said, "If goods don't cross borders, soldiers will." When countries rely upon each other in peaceful commerce, the people of those countries have every incentive to avoid violent conflict.
• How to Stop Crime Before It Starts - "Crime rates go down when offenders must compensate their victims and responsible citizens are permitted to carry concealed weapons. Privatizing police gives them incentive to emphasize prevention and focus on violent, rather than victimless, crimes."
• Military Policy and the War in Iraq - More and more Americans are coming to oppose the war, the war hawks and high government officials are beginning to distance themselves from the president, and the U.S. seems more willing than ever to pull out of Iraq.
• How to Make Health Care Affordable - "Health care and insurance costs will plummet if excess regulation is eliminated and malpractice awards are made only on the basis of strict liability. Lower costs, along with the savings from downsizing regulatory bureaucracy, will fund tax credits for those who establish Health Savings Accounts for themselves, their families, Medicare/Medicaid recipients, and the needy."
• Gun Control Means Being Able to Hit your Target - If I have a "hot button" issue, this is definitely it. Don't even THINK about taking my guns! My rights are not negotiable, and I am totally unwilling to compromise when it comes to the Second Amendment.
• How to Empower Minorities Without Reverse Discrimination! - "Prejudice is fading, yet minorities still lag behind economically. A labyrinth of licensing laws and regulations constitute the hidden roots of modern racial and ethnic discrimination."
• Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry? - "Marriage partners, not government, should define the terms and spiritual orientation of their union in accordance with our nation's guarantee of religious freedom."
• How to Keep the Economy

Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik's issue papers:

• Deficit Spending - A nation's money is its economic lifeblood. Passing on our debt to future generations, or defrauding the people and the government's creditors with inflation, are not options. Those paths lead inevitably to economic collapse; mine leads to long-term prosperity.
• Immigration, Borders and National Security - Immigration and borders are two separate issues. When they are mixed, the result is both deadly to peaceful immigrants and subversive of the security of the United States.
• Civil Liberties - The erosion of our civil liberties since 9/11 does not represent a new phenomenon. It represents an acceleration of long-existing trends.
• Rights of the Accused - Of all the infringements upon our Constitutionally protected rights, the most egregious in living memory may be the post-9/11 "detention" of individuals--American and non-American--in secrecy and without charges or access to counsel.
• The Draft - If a free America were ever subjected to attack, most Americans would be more than willing to defend themselves, their homes, and their families against the foreign aggressors.
• Free Trade vs. State Corporatism - The twin tenets of peace and free trade are mutually dependent. As French visionary Frederic Bastiat once said, "If goods don't cross borders, soldiers will." When countries rely upon each other in peaceful commerce, the people of those countries have every incentive to avoid violent conflict.
• How to Stop Crime Before It Starts - "Crime rates go down when offenders must compensate their victims and responsible citizens are permitted to carry concealed weapons. Privatizing police gives them incentive to emphasize prevention and focus on violent, rather than victimless, crimes."
• Military Policy and the War in Iraq - More and more Americans are coming to oppose the war, the war hawks and high government officials are beginning to distance themselves from the president, and the U.S. seems more willing than ever to pull out of Iraq.
• How to Make Health Care Affordable - "Health care and insurance costs will plummet if excess regulation is eliminated and malpractice awards are made only on the basis of strict liability. Lower costs, along with the savings from downsizing regulatory bureaucracy, will fund tax credits for those who establish Health Savings Accounts for themselves, their families, Medicare/Medicaid recipients, and the needy."
• Gun Control Means Being Able to Hit your Target - If I have a "hot button" issue, this is definitely it. Don't even THINK about taking my guns! My rights are not negotiable, and I am totally unwilling to compromise when it comes to the Second Amendment.
• How to Empower Minorities Without Reverse Discrimination! - "Prejudice is fading, yet minorities still lag behind economically. A labyrinth of licensing laws and regulations constitute the hidden roots of modern racial and ethnic discrimination."
• Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry? - "Marriage partners, not government, should define the terms and spiritual orientation of their union in accordance with our nation's guarantee of religious freedom."
• How to Keep the Economy

Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik's issue papers:

• Deficit Spending - A nation's money is its economic lifeblood. Passing on our debt to future generations, or defrauding the people and the government's creditors with inflation, are not options. Those paths lead inevitably to economic collapse; mine leads to long-term prosperity.
• Immigration, Borders and National Security - Immigration and borders are two separate issues. When they are mixed, the result is both deadly to peaceful immigrants and subversive of the security of the United States.
• Civil Liberties - The erosion of our civil liberties since 9/11 does not represent a new phenomenon. It represents an acceleration of long-existing trends.
• Rights of the Accused - Of all the infringements upon our Constitutionally protected rights, the most egregious in living memory may be the post-9/11 "detention" of individuals--American and non-American--in secrecy and without charges or access to counsel.
• The Draft - If a free America were ever subjected to attack, most Americans would be more than willing to defend themselves, their homes, and their families against the foreign aggressors.
• Free Trade vs. State Corporatism - The twin tenets of peace and free trade are mutually dependent. As French visionary Frederic Bastiat once said, "If goods don't cross borders, soldiers will." When countries rely upon each other in peaceful commerce, the people of those countries have every incentive to avoid violent conflict.
• How to Stop Crime Before It Starts - "Crime rates go down when offenders must compensate their victims and responsible citizens are permitted to carry concealed weapons. Privatizing police gives them incentive to emphasize prevention and focus on violent, rather than victimless, crimes."
• Military Policy and the War in Iraq - More and more Americans are coming to oppose the war, the war hawks and high government officials are beginning to distance themselves from the president, and the U.S. seems more willing than ever to pull out of Iraq.
• How to Make Health Care Affordable - "Health care and insurance costs will plummet if excess regulation is eliminated and malpractice awards are made only on the basis of strict liability. Lower costs, along with the savings from downsizing regulatory bureaucracy, will fund tax credits for those who establish Health Savings Accounts for themselves, their families, Medicare/Medicaid recipients, and the needy."
• Gun Control Means Being Able to Hit your Target - If I have a "hot button" issue, this is definitely it. Don't even THINK about taking my guns! My rights are not negotiable, and I am totally unwilling to compromise when it comes to the Second Amendment.
• How to Empower Minorities Without Reverse Discrimination! - "Prejudice is fading, yet minorities still lag behind economically. A labyrinth of licensing laws and regulations constitute the hidden roots of modern racial and ethnic discrimination."
• Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry? - "Marriage partners, not government, should define the terms and spiritual orientation of their union in accordance with our nation's guarantee of religious freedom."
• How to Keep the Economy

Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik's issue papers:

• Deficit Spending - A nation's money is its economic lifeblood. Passing on our debt to future generations, or defrauding the people and the government's creditors with inflation, are not options. Those paths lead inevitably to economic collapse; mine leads to long-term prosperity.
• Immigration, Borders and National Security - Immigration and borders are two separate issues. When they are mixed, the result is both deadly to peaceful immigrants and subversive of the security of the United States.
• Civil Liberties - The erosion of our civil liberties since 9/11 does not represent a new phenomenon. It represents an acceleration of long-existing trends.
• Rights of the Accused - Of all the infringements upon our Constitutionally protected rights, the most egregious in living memory may be the post-9/11 "detention" of individuals--American and non-American--in secrecy and without charges or access to counsel.
• The Draft - If a free America were ever subjected to attack, most Americans would be more than willing to defend themselves, their homes, and their families against the foreign aggressors.
• Free Trade vs. State Corporatism - The twin tenets of peace and free trade are mutually dependent. As French visionary Frederic Bastiat once said, "If goods don't cross borders, soldiers will." When countries rely upon each other in peaceful commerce, the people of those countries have every incentive to avoid violent conflict.
• How to Stop Crime Before It Starts - "Crime rates go down when offenders must compensate their victims and responsible citizens are permitted to carry concealed weapons. Privatizing police gives them incentive to emphasize prevention and focus on violent, rather than victimless, crimes."
• Military Policy and the War in Iraq - More and more Americans are coming to oppose the war, the war hawks and high government officials are beginning to distance themselves from the president, and the U.S. seems more willing than ever to pull out of Iraq.
• How to Make Health Care Affordable - "Health care and insurance costs will plummet if excess regulation is eliminated and malpractice awards are made only on the basis of strict liability. Lower costs, along with the savings from downsizing regulatory bureaucracy, will fund tax credits for those who establish Health Savings Accounts for themselves, their families, Medicare/Medicaid recipients, and the needy."
• Gun Control Means Being Able to Hit your Target - If I have a "hot button" issue, this is definitely it. Don't even THINK about taking my guns! My rights are not negotiable, and I am totally unwilling to compromise when it comes to the Second Amendment.
• How to Empower Minorities Without Reverse Discrimination! - "Prejudice is fading, yet minorities still lag behind economically. A labyrinth of licensing laws and regulations constitute the hidden roots of modern racial and ethnic discrimination."
• Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry? - "Marriage partners, not government, should define the terms and spiritual orientation of their union in accordance with our nation's guarantee of religious freedom."
• How to Keep the Economy

Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik's issue papers:

• Deficit Spending - A nation's money is its economic lifeblood. Passing on our debt to future generations, or defrauding the people and the government's creditors with inflation, are not options. Those paths lead inevitably to economic collapse; mine leads to long-term prosperity.
• Immigration, Borders and National Security - Immigration and borders are two separate issues. When they are mixed, the result is both deadly to peaceful immigrants and subversive of the security of the United States.
• Civil Liberties - The erosion of our civil liberties since 9/11 does not represent a new phenomenon. It represents an acceleration of long-existing trends.
• Rights of the Accused - Of all the infringements upon our Constitutionally protected rights, the most egregious in living memory may be the post-9/11 "detention" of individuals--American and non-American--in secrecy and without charges or access to counsel.
• The Draft - If a free America were ever subjected to attack, most Americans would be more than willing to defend themselves, their homes, and their families against the foreign aggressors.
• Free Trade vs. State Corporatism - The twin tenets of peace and free trade are mutually dependent. As French visionary Frederic Bastiat once said, "If goods don't cross borders, soldiers will." When countries rely upon each other in peaceful commerce, the people of those countries have every incentive to avoid violent conflict.
• How to Stop Crime Before It Starts - "Crime rates go down when offenders must compensate their victims and responsible citizens are permitted to carry concealed weapons. Privatizing police gives them incentive to emphasize prevention and focus on violent, rather than victimless, crimes."
• Military Policy and the War in Iraq - More and more Americans are coming to oppose the war, the war hawks and high government officials are beginning to distance themselves from the president, and the U.S. seems more willing than ever to pull out of Iraq.
• How to Make Health Care Affordable - "Health care and insurance costs will plummet if excess regulation is eliminated and malpractice awards are made only on the basis of strict liability. Lower costs, along with the savings from downsizing regulatory bureaucracy, will fund tax credits for those who establish Health Savings Accounts for themselves, their families, Medicare/Medicaid recipients, and the needy."
• Gun Control Means Being Able to Hit your Target - If I have a "hot button" issue, this is definitely it. Don't even THINK about taking my guns! My rights are not negotiable, and I am totally unwilling to compromise when it comes to the Second Amendment.
• How to Empower Minorities Without Reverse Discrimination! - "Prejudice is fading, yet minorities still lag behind economically. A labyrinth of licensing laws and regulations constitute the hidden roots of modern racial and ethnic discrimination."
• Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry? - "Marriage partners, not government, should define the terms and spiritual orientation of their union in accordance with our nation's guarantee of religious freedom."
• How to Keep the Economy

Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik's issue papers:

• Deficit Spending - A nation's money is its economic lifeblood. Passing on our debt to future generations, or defrauding the people and the government's creditors with inflation, are not options. Those paths lead inevitably to economic collapse; mine leads to long-term prosperity.
• Immigration, Borders and National Security - Immigration and borders are two separate issues. When they are mixed, the result is both deadly to peaceful immigrants and subversive of the security of the United States.
• Civil Liberties - The erosion of our civil liberties since 9/11 does not represent a new phenomenon. It represents an acceleration of long-existing trends.
• Rights of the Accused - Of all the infringements upon our Constitutionally protected rights, the most egregious in living memory may be the post-9/11 "detention" of individuals--American and non-American--in secrecy and without charges or access to counsel.
• The Draft - If a free America were ever subjected to attack, most Americans would be more than willing to defend themselves, their homes, and their families against the foreign aggressors.
• Free Trade vs. State Corporatism - The twin tenets of peace and free trade are mutually dependent. As French visionary Frederic Bastiat once said, "If goods don't cross borders, soldiers will." When countries rely upon each other in peaceful commerce, the people of those countries have every incentive to avoid violent conflict.
• How to Stop Crime Before It Starts - "Crime rates go down when offenders must compensate their victims and responsible citizens are permitted to carry concealed weapons. Privatizing police gives them incentive to emphasize prevention and focus on violent, rather than victimless, crimes."
• Military Policy and the War in Iraq - More and more Americans are coming to oppose the war, the war hawks and high government officials are beginning to distance themselves from the president, and the U.S. seems more willing than ever to pull out of Iraq.
• How to Make Health Care Affordable - "Health care and insurance costs will plummet if excess regulation is eliminated and malpractice awards are made only on the basis of strict liability. Lower costs, along with the savings from downsizing regulatory bureaucracy, will fund tax credits for those who establish Health Savings Accounts for themselves, their families, Medicare/Medicaid recipients, and the needy."
• Gun Control Means Being Able to Hit your Target - If I have a "hot button" issue, this is definitely it. Don't even THINK about taking my guns! My rights are not negotiable, and I am totally unwilling to compromise when it comes to the Second Amendment.
• How to Empower Minorities Without Reverse Discrimination! - "Prejudice is fading, yet minorities still lag behind economically. A labyrinth of licensing laws and regulations constitute the hidden roots of modern racial and ethnic discrimination."
• Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry? - "Marriage partners, not government, should define the terms and spiritual orientation of their union in accordance with our nation's guarantee of religious freedom."
• How to Keep the Economy

Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik's issue papers:

• Deficit Spending - A nation's money is its economic lifeblood. Passing on our debt to future generations, or defrauding the people and the government's creditors with inflation, are not options. Those paths lead inevitably to economic collapse; mine leads to long-term prosperity.
• Immigration, Borders and National Security - Immigration and borders are two separate issues. When they are mixed, the result is both deadly to peaceful immigrants and subversive of the security of the United States.
• Civil Liberties - The erosion of our civil liberties since 9/11 does not represent a new phenomenon. It represents an acceleration of long-existing trends.
• Rights of the Accused - Of all the infringements upon our Constitutionally protected rights, the most egregious in living memory may be the post-9/11 "detention" of individuals--American and non-American--in secrecy and without charges or access to counsel.
• The Draft - If a free America were ever subjected to attack, most Americans would be more than willing to defend themselves, their homes, and their families against the foreign aggressors.
• Free Trade vs. State Corporatism - The twin tenets of peace and free trade are mutually dependent. As French visionary Frederic Bastiat once said, "If goods don't cross borders, soldiers will." When countries rely upon each other in peaceful commerce, the people of those countries have every incentive to avoid violent conflict.
• How to Stop Crime Before It Starts - "Crime rates go down when offenders must compensate their victims and responsible citizens are permitted to carry concealed weapons. Privatizing police gives them incentive to emphasize prevention and focus on violent, rather than victimless, crimes."
• Military Policy and the War in Iraq - More and more Americans are coming to oppose the war, the war hawks and high government officials are beginning to distance themselves from the president, and the U.S. seems more willing than ever to pull out of Iraq.
• How to Make Health Care Affordable - "Health care and insurance costs will plummet if excess regulation is eliminated and malpractice awards are made only on the basis of strict liability. Lower costs, along with the savings from downsizing regulatory bureaucracy, will fund tax credits for those who establish Health Savings Accounts for themselves, their families, Medicare/Medicaid recipients, and the needy."
• Gun Control Means Being Able to Hit your Target - If I have a "hot button" issue, this is definitely it. Don't even THINK about taking my guns! My rights are not negotiable, and I am totally unwilling to compromise when it comes to the Second Amendment.
• How to Empower Minorities Without Reverse Discrimination! - "Prejudice is fading, yet minorities still lag behind economically. A labyrinth of licensing laws and regulations constitute the hidden roots of modern racial and ethnic discrimination."
• Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry? - "Marriage partners, not government, should define the terms and spiritual orientation of their union in accordance with our nation's guarantee of religious freedom."
• How to Keep the Economy

Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik's issue papers:

• Deficit Spending - A nation's money is its economic lifeblood. Passing on our debt to future generations, or defrauding the people and the government's creditors with inflation, are not options. Those paths lead inevitably to economic collapse; mine leads to long-term prosperity.
• Immigration, Borders and National Security - Immigration and borders are two separate issues. When they are mixed, the result is both deadly to peaceful immigrants and subversive of the security of the United States.
• Civil Liberties - The erosion of our civil liberties since 9/11 does not represent a new phenomenon. It represents an acceleration of long-existing trends.
• Rights of the Accused - Of all the infringements upon our Constitutionally protected rights, the most egregious in living memory may be the post-9/11 "detention" of individuals--American and non-American--in secrecy and without charges or access to counsel.
• The Draft - If a free America were ever subjected to attack, most Americans would be more than willing to defend themselves, their homes, and their families against the foreign aggressors.
• Free Trade vs. State Corporatism - The twin tenets of peace and free trade are mutually dependent. As French visionary Frederic Bastiat once said, "If goods don't cross borders, soldiers will." When countries rely upon each other in peaceful commerce, the people of those countries have every incentive to avoid violent conflict.
• How to Stop Crime Before It Starts - "Crime rates go down when offenders must compensate their victims and responsible citizens are permitted to carry concealed weapons. Privatizing police gives them incentive to emphasize prevention and focus on violent, rather than victimless, crimes."
• Military Policy and the War in Iraq - More and more Americans are coming to oppose the war, the war hawks and high government officials are beginning to distance themselves from the president, and the U.S. seems more willing than ever to pull out of Iraq.
• How to Make Health Care Affordable - "Health care and insurance costs will plummet if excess regulation is eliminated and malpractice awards are made only on the basis of strict liability. Lower costs, along with the savings from downsizing regulatory bureaucracy, will fund tax credits for those who establish Health Savings Accounts for themselves, their families, Medicare/Medicaid recipients, and the needy."
• Gun Control Means Being Able to Hit your Target - If I have a "hot button" issue, this is definitely it. Don't even THINK about taking my guns! My rights are not negotiable, and I am totally unwilling to compromise when it comes to the Second Amendment.
• How to Empower Minorities Without Reverse Discrimination! - "Prejudice is fading, yet minorities still lag behind economically. A labyrinth of licensing laws and regulations constitute the hidden roots of modern racial and ethnic discrimination."
• Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry? - "Marriage partners, not government, should define the terms and spiritual orientation of their union in accordance with our nation's guarantee of religious freedom."
• How to Keep the Economy

Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik's issue papers:

• Deficit Spending - A nation's money is its economic lifeblood. Passing on our debt to future generations, or defrauding the people and the government's creditors with inflation, are not options. Those paths lead inevitably to economic collapse; mine leads to long-term prosperity.
• Immigration, Borders and National Security - Immigration and borders are two separate issues. When they are mixed, the result is both deadly to peaceful immigrants and subversive of the security of the United States.
• Civil Liberties - The erosion of our civil liberties since 9/11 does not represent a new phenomenon. It represents an acceleration of long-existing trends.
• Rights of the Accused - Of all the infringements upon our Constitutionally protected rights, the most egregious in living memory may be the post-9/11 "detention" of individuals--American and non-American--in secrecy and without charges or access to counsel.
• The Draft - If a free America were ever subjected to attack, most Americans would be more than willing to defend themselves, their homes, and their families against the foreign aggressors.
• Free Trade vs. State Corporatism - The twin tenets of peace and free trade are mutually dependent. As French visionary Frederic Bastiat once said, "If goods don't cross borders, soldiers will." When countries rely upon each other in peaceful commerce, the people of those countries have every incentive to avoid violent conflict.
• How to Stop Crime Before It Starts - "Crime rates go down when offenders must compensate their victims and responsible citizens are permitted to carry concealed weapons. Privatizing police gives them incentive to emphasize prevention and focus on violent, rather than victimless, crimes."
• Military Policy and the War in Iraq - More and more Americans are coming to oppose the war, the war hawks and high government officials are beginning to distance themselves from the president, and the U.S. seems more willing than ever to pull out of Iraq.
• How to Make Health Care Affordable - "Health care and insurance costs will plummet if excess regulation is eliminated and malpractice awards are made only on the basis of strict liability. Lower costs, along with the savings from downsizing regulatory bureaucracy, will fund tax credits for those who establish Health Savings Accounts for themselves, their families, Medicare/Medicaid recipients, and the needy."
• Gun Control Means Being Able to Hit your Target - If I have a "hot button" issue, this is definitely it. Don't even THINK about taking my guns! My rights are not negotiable, and I am totally unwilling to compromise when it comes to the Second Amendment.
• How to Empower Minorities Without Reverse Discrimination! - "Prejudice is fading, yet minorities still lag behind economically. A labyrinth of licensing laws and regulations constitute the hidden roots of modern racial and ethnic discrimination."
• Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry? - "Marriage partners, not government, should define the terms and spiritual orientation of their union in accordance with our nation's guarantee of religious freedom."
• How to Keep the Economy

It'd be nice if this guy had any chance of winning. But he doesn't.

Don't forget Badnarik, the only decent candidate of the lot.

Did they invite Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik? Why not? He will be on the ballot in 49 or 50 states, plus DC. He's polling 4-5% in some states.

Considering the clout the Libertarians are building (with Michael Badnarik in the running) lately, we are also one party away from freedom. ;)

I think that it's becoming more clear every day that the U.S. is headed in the direction of becoming a police state. The threat of "terrorism" is being used by the governemnt to expand its police powers in the name of "defending liberty." This is as good an example of double-speak as I can think of. Every step the government has taken since 9/11 has seen a reduction in the liberty of Americans to have privacy, be free from unwarranted intrusions and searches, etc.

Unfortunately, I do not think that John Kerry, if elected, will stop this trend. He has not made protection of civil liberties, except for abortion, a major issue in his campaign. He voted for PATRIOT and, AFAIK, has made no calls for it to be repealed, re-examined, sunsetted, etc. He has given me no reason to vote for him.

On the other hand, the Libertarian candidate, Michael Badnarik http://www.badnarik.org/index.php is calling for a halt to the expansion of the government's police powers. I intend to vote for him as I don't accept that a vote for a third party candidate is a wasted vote. I urge anyone concerned about the growth and misuse of governemnt power to consider a vote for Badnarik.

Just my $.02,
Ron

Of course, there is one candidate you can vote for that will lower taxes, keep the goverment out of marriage, stop the government from invading your privacy, and because of his sound economic philosophy, will keep jobs from going overseas. This candidate is Michael Badnarik.

A Hobbesian choice is one in which no choice is actually offered. You can have any color Ford you want, so long as it's black.

You are right, we do have a choice. We get to choose between midnight black and jet black.

Of course it's all a matter of opinion. For the next three months millions dollars will be spent trying to convince us there is a difference between the two candidates. They will largely fail and about half the eligible voters won't bother to choose one over the other.

Perhaps there are differences between the Bush and Kerry, but they aren't on the issues that matter to me. I'll be requesting the neon green Model T, though it's unlikely I'll get it

Maybe the gays should vote for someone that, you know, actually believes the government has no right to say who you can and cannot marry?

Well, this is what Badnarik believes about gun control :
I sincerely believe that statistical evidence supports the idea that crime increases exponentially wherever gun control is instituted as the governing policy.

So technically it's not self-contradictory. But yes, he might be completely wrong. He attempts to back up his belief with some examples here.

First he states that the crime rate in U.S. is much higher than in Europe or Japan and that "our children are even gunned down in their schools, often by other students" then his solution is more guns? I simply don't get it.

If you don't like Kerry or Bush, you might want to check out the Libertarian candidate for president, Michael Badnarik. I can almost guarantee you'll agree more with him than either Kerry or Bush even if you do consider yourself a democrat or republican.

Just remember, unless the voting results in an exact tie, you're throwing your vote out anyway, so a vote for a third party candidate is as good as any.

http://www.badnarik.org/ and http://www.kexp.org/ www.kexp.org huh/?

Here's the answer to that... yes, from the Libertarian Candidate for president.
"WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN: LIBERTARIAN DISMISSES HASTERT TAX PLAN"

I guarnatee you that if he's in the Oval Office, this BS would never pass his veto. Let's stop with the impotent protests on Slashdot and do something about this: elect an honest person to the highest office in the land.

Nader?!? He isn't even going to be on the Ballot in enough states to have a shot at winning the election!

How about taking an honest look at what Michael Badnarik, the Libertarian candidate has to say. You may disagree on some points, but at least it is moving to restore personal freedoms again.

Ryan
More Ramblings at: http://blog.rkware.com

I would be right to stay home on election day and get smashed on Listerine.*

Unfortunately, sitting home doesn't do anything to change what is happening in this country.

There are a large number of 'alternative' candidates that you can vote for.
I'm partial to Michael Badnarik, the Libertarian candidate, and every vote for is a vote for scaling government back from the HUGE monster it has become.

You may not agree with every policy, but every vote helps garner more attention. If he starts polling at 5%, the media will have to give more attention which will expose him to even more people. At which point, people who don't vote because they see it as a wasted vote jump on the bandwagon. Perhaps enough support gets him into the debates which would make for REAL interesting TV. Would you like to see Bush and Kerry have to justify the Patriot act or Gay marraige bans?

And, if you say we are going too far, perhaps... but maybe we can agree that we are heading in the right direction. We can sort out the details of how much to get rid of and how much to keep. I'd much rather see that debate then the same old 'how much should we grow government by this year'?

Honestly, it wouldn't take much to have all the disenfranchised put their foot down and put and end to it. Especially if you live in a state that is already decided... why not enter a protest vote?

RyanK
More ramblings at: http://blog.rkware.com/

"You all have a clear choice this November."

Do we? I keep forgetting that /.'ers convieniently ignore the fact that Kerry isn't repealing the PATRIOT Act.


Just because someone says "we have a choice" doesn't mean that they're voting for Kerry.

Wake up people!!!! There are more than two political parties!!!!! If you really want a change, you are never going to get it with a republican or democrat.

Vote for a third party... any third party, I don't care, just don't vote for a republican or democrat, because if you do, then you have no right to complain when things don't change, because you are too scared (or whatever reason people don't vote 3rd party) to change it.

Personally, I prefer the Libertarian Party. Their candidate this year is Michael Badnarik. Go read his site, and listen to the debates, you might be suprised to find that not all political parties (or candidates) are the same.

Way already on the bus, man.

For US voters who don't know what The Libertarian Party is, here's a good 10 second summary.

Their presidential candidate this time around is Michael Badnarik. He's a computer programmer by trade and he gets the whole "The Patriot Act really was a bad idea" argument.

FYI.

Way already on the bus, man.

For US voters who don't know what The Libertarian Party is, here's a good 10 second summary.

Their presidential candidate this time around is Michael Badnarik. He's a computer programmer by trade and he gets the whole "The Patriot Act really was a bad idea" argument.

FYI.