Mike Gravel. Have you heard of this guy? I sure hadn't. I happened to cross paths with CNN last night — unusual for me; what do I care which highway O.J. is currently driving down or who's going to be the non-entity to win American Idol? — but I was surfing last night just as they happened to highlight what this man stands for.
Earlier in the day I'd been watching Jesus Camp, the movie about how evangelicals brainwash elementary school kids into perfect, unthinking, unquestioning, militaristic, scripture-parroting little robots, and I was just about at the point of writing the United States off to its fate altogether and urging Ottawa to build the Windsor Wall as soon as we can... and then they blindside me by showing me this gentleman.
Mike Gravel is a former United States Senator from Alaska. He's a Democrat who was instrumental in ending the draft in 1972, and thus hastening the end of US involvement in Vietnam. He's currently running to be the Democratic nominee for the US presidential election next year. I listened to him tear a strip off the other so-called Democrats on YouTube, and I went to his website to read his platform. It's jaw-dropping in its wisdom. It's like God is playing some mean trick on us... there's no way this guy can get elected POTUS. ...Or is there?
All I know is, the United States deeply, badly needs this man. Hell, Canada could use him. I only wish I could vote for him. Check out some of what he advocates...
IRAQ WAR
Senator Gravel's position on Iraq remains clear and consistent: to commence an immediate and orderly withdrawal of all U.S. troops that will have them home within 60 days. The sooner U.S. troops are withdrawn, the sooner we can pursue aggressive diplomacy to bring an end to the civil war that currently consumes Iraq...
IRAN
Senator Gravel firmly opposes a military confrontation with Iran and advocates a diplomatic solution to the current situation... The threat of war against another sovereign nation while wars continue to rage in Iraq, the Palestinian Authority and Afghanistan, only serves to further threaten global stability.
FAIR TAX
There is only one one entity in the U.S. that pays taxes: the individual. Businesses and corporations do not, they merely collect taxes from consumers of their products and pass on the taxes to the government. The Fair Tax proposal calls for eliminating the IRS and the Income Tax and replacing it with a progressive national Sales Tax on new products and services...
GLOBAL WARMING/CLIMATE CHANGE
Senator Gravel believes that global climate change is a matter of national security. As President, he will act swiftly to reduce America's carbon footprint in the world bypassing legislation that caps emissions... However, any legislation will have little impact on the global environment if we do not work together with other global polluters. Fighting global warming can only be effective if it is a collective global effort.
UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE VOUCHERS
Senator Gravel advocates a National Health Care Voucher plan that will give every American health care. Using a voucher paid for by the government, Americans are free to choose their own doctor...
LGBT RIGHTS
Senator Gravel supports same-sex marriage and opposes the Defense of Marriage Act. He supports expanding hate-crime legislation and opposes laws that allow discrimination against sexual orientation...
PRISON/DRUG REFORM
The United States incarcerates more people and at a higher rate than any other peacetime nation in the world. According to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics the number of US residents behind bars has now reached more than 2.3 million... We are losing an entire generation of young men and women to our prisons. Our nation’s ineffective and wasteful “war on drugs” plays a major role in this. We must place a greater emphasis on rehabilitation and prevention. We must de-criminalize minor drug offenses and increase the availability and visibility of substance abuse treatment and prevention in our communities as well as in jails and prisons...
2ND AMENDMENT RIGHTS
While Senator Gravel fully supports the 2nd Amendment, he believes that fundamental change must take place with regards to gun ownership. The senator advocates a licensing program where a potential gun owner must be licensed as well as properly trained with a firearm before they may own one.
There's more, and a lot more. Do yourself a favour — particularly if you're an American citizen — and check out his website.
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1 comment:
Sounds good except for the taxes. Sorry, but if IBM, Apple, Exxon, and Starbucks don't have to pay taxes, then neither should I. My belief is we need to increase the taxes on big buiness, cut out thier loopholes, and then, cut the taxes of the middle class Americans.
Oh, and Gravel has about a good a shot as I do of winning the nomination. And about the same chance of getting a VP nomination.
Stike one: the guy's from Alaska, which has 3 electoral votes.
Strike two: the guy's been out of office since, like what, reagan was in the WHite house?
Strike Three:becuase of strike one and strike two, no one will take him seriously, nor even really listen to what he's saying.
He says these things because he knows he's not got a chance at all. If he had a shot, his positions would be much more....finessed, moderated. I'm not saying it a good thing, I'm just saying it's the way it is.
The Dem's nominee is gonna be Hillary, Obama, or Edwards...or Gore if he decides to enter the race. And those, realisitically, are it. Again, I'm not saying it's a good thing, I'm saying it's just the way it is.
HUGS...
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