[Peace-discuss] McCain, the peace candidate (on Pakistan)

[E. Wayne Johnson]

- for clarity's sake---below the news release I quoted.
Neither Obama nor McCain nor their running mates support _/*ANY*/_ of 
these 4 vital principles which
I personally believe should be important to and supported by the 
majority of Americans.

The four candidates - Independent Ralph Nader, the Green nominee Cynthia 
McKinney, the Constitution Party's Chuck Baldwin and the Libertarian 
Party's Bob Barr along with Ron Paul agreed on the following four key 
principles:

*Foreign Policy:*
The Iraq War must end as quickly as possible with removal of all our 
soldiers from the region. We must initiate the return of our soldiers 
from around the world, including Korea, Japan, Europe and the entire 
Middle East. We must cease the war propaganda, threats of a blockade and 
plans for attacks on Iran, nor should we re-ignite the cold war with 
Russia over Georgia. We must be willing to talk to all countries and 
offer friendship and trade and travel to all who are willing. We must 
take off the table the threat of a nuclear first strike against all nations.

*Privacy:*
We must protect the privacy and civil liberties of all persons under US 
jurisdiction. We must repeal or radically change the Patriot Act, the 
Military Commissions Act, and the FISA legislation. We must reject the 
notion and practice of torture, eliminations of habeas corpus, secret 
tribunals, and secret prisons. We must deny immunity for corporations 
that spy willingly on the people for the benefit of the government. We 
must reject the unitary presidency, the illegal use of signing 
statements and excessive use of executive orders.

*The National Debt:*
We believe that there should be no increase in the national debt. The 
burden of debt placed on the next generation is unjust and already 
threatening our economy and the value of our dollar. We must pay our 
bills as we go along and not unfairly place this burden on a future 
generation.

*The Federal Reserve:*
We seek a thorough investigation, evaluation and audit of the Federal 
Reserve System and its cozy relationships with the banking, corporate, 
and other financial institutions. The arbitrary power to create money 
and credit out of thin air behind closed doors for the benefit of 
commercial interests must be ended. There should be no taxpayer bailouts 
of corporations and no corporate subsidies. Corporations should be 
aggressively prosecuted for their crimes and frauds.



C. G. Estabrook wrote:
> It's not too hard to imagine circumstances (they may even exist now) 
> when the peace movement should back a presidential candidate.
>
> First, lesser-evil arguments do work. Second, even if the two 
> business-party candidates are equally bad (i.e., so l-e arguments 
> don't work), there's still Nader/McKinney/Paul/Barr. (See the 
> excellent -- and authentically anti-war -- joint statement that Wayne 
> posted).
>
> It's a prudential (perhaps tactical) judgment as to whether the peace 
> movement's support for any given candidate or none will further the 
> anti-war cause, and it changes with circumstances. But I've thought 
> for most of the last twenty years that support for the Democratic 
> party candidate was a snare and a delusion for the peace movement -- a 
> way to bleed off energy -- and I think it is now. (There may of course 
> be lesser-evil arguments in favor voting for him in some places -- a 
> different matter.) --CGE
>
>
> Karen Medina wrote:
>> Ricky [below] points out the very reason that the peace movement 
>> cannot, should not, and must not back a presidential candidate.
>> We, as individuals, can support a candidate, but we as a group cannot.
>>
>> -karen medina
>> ----
>> Ricky Baldwin wrote: >These are the policies we need to oppose, 
>> whoever the president is, and let anti-imperialist pressure get 
>> narrowed into electoral politrics (sic) alone.
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