Favorite fringe persuasions notwithstanding, there are only three major issues that will continue to deprive us of a free society, political morality, decent governance, and the productive role of government in our lives (e.g. a national healthcare program) enjoyed by all other industrialized societies.
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These three are:
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(1) Stopping the unjustified slaughter in Iraq. This correction is fundamental to our political morality, to regaining the respect of the people and governments of the decent family of nations, and to diverting America's resources away from war to much needed social and environmental priorities.
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(2) Ensuring honest elections. The republic model simply does not obtain without honest elections, the police state does, and is guaranteed, and is largely what we now have.
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(3) Restore the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights has been trashed as imprudent, unaffordable and wrong in the face of the treacherous "war on terror" propaganda. The Bill of Rights is the citizens' only protection from political treachery. Without it we will suffer government abuse or what may be even more pernicious to our freedom, i. e. the FEAR of abuse, which in turn makes the police state self-enforcing by the individual citizen in all our daily decisions and actions.
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Succeeding in these would allow us to move on to other priorities that we may favor as interest groups or individuals. If we do not, however, succeed in the "big three," our chances for any others are extremely remote.
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These issues are now pregnant with timeliness. Why? Because nine months ago, I and many of you voted to install an opposition political party -- the Democrats -- into the majority of both houses of our Congress with a mandate to restore constitutional governance and to stop the unconscionable slaughter.
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They, our Democrat champions, have not done what we required, and -- in spite of their lame excuses -- have not even seemed to try, but have in fact bowed in approval and cast their votes for more abuses of the electorate and more funds for slaughter at the behest of a president turned tyrant.
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And now I, a life-long Democrat, and many of you are being besieged with partisan propaganda to support this disingenuous crew again at the ballot box in 2008 -- one supposes just because they are not Republican? Certainly not this unhappy camper!
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Finally, in light of treachery on the right, and something very similar or cowardly on the left, my honest question of you is: What are we to do DIFFERENT between now and November, 2008, to install a government that will correct the abuses of the three major issues that are destroying our country?
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.........I would sincerely appreciate your serious response.........Rafe Pilgrim
Rafe Pilgrim, after "a life largely wasted on hard honest work," found himself a jungle of turkey oak, scrub pine and giant palmettos up a dirt road running east of Crystal River, Florida, which neither school busses nor the U.S. Postal Service dare to assay. Sharing a house of his own design with Spanky the cat, Darla a pit bull, and a foundling of mysterious breed named Alfalfa -- all collectively known as Our Gang -- he spends his time "productively: writing poetry, working for peace, and gazing at the sky."
Central High School of Philadelphia, University of Maryland, Syracuse University, University of Maine, Ursinus College, Air Force Intelligence (Washington D.C., Germany), Ford Motor Company, Philco-Ford Corporation, Eighth Day Gallery, Phi Kappa Phi, Romey Everdell Award for Journalism,(1988), Hole in one (1998), and struggling to find America ever since 2000.