Politics And Our Issues: Who’s With Us?

By Chris McConnell

February 24, 2004


Well, folks, it’s time once again for me to weigh in on an important part of
our fight for America’s ultimate freedom. I have always heard before the
complaints from users of this site that politics plays no part in our fight.
And I will always come back with the same response: It has EVERYTHING to do
with our fight. If we do not have the higher-ups on our side, we will never
have a fair chance to get our issues dealt with.

With all the talk of politics lately, I’ve seen a great response. I’ve seen a
lot of questions about who stands where on certain issues. This tells me that
it has become imperative to issue an updated article to address the issues at
hand.

The candidates are as follows:

George W. Bush

John Kerry

John Edwards

Dennis Kucinich

Al Sharpton

Howard Dean

Ralph Nader

(I have included Dean despite popular opinion that he is no longer in the
race.)

The issues are as follows:

Patriot Act & Patriot Act 2

Copyright Reform & Intellectual Property

Corporate Power

Education

(I have included Education because it is important to make sure that children
get the best education possible. This will make sure that they are able to
gain the book smarts needed to fight the wrongs of society from the inside.)

- Patriot Act & Patriot Act 2 -

This is one of the worst things to come from the Bush administration. For
example, the sentence before this could get me labeled as a terrorist or enemy
combatant under the Patriot Act and Patriot Act 2. If you think that the
Patriot Act makes you safer, think again. You could suffer the same wrath if
Boycott RIAA was to be called a terrorist organization. Don’t think this could
happen? Rod Paige, Education Secretary, called the NEA (National Education
Association), the nation’s largest teachers union, a terrorist organization.
Now, if they are labeled a terrorist organization, we could be labeled one as
well. We’re in danger, alright.

[George W. Bush]

There is no research needed to find the answer to this one. By signing it, he
violated the Constitution and took away our sacred right to privacy. And with
Patriot Act 2, he’s ensuring that all Americans lose their basic rights. While
he thinks it’s a great measure to protect the country, he doesn’t realize what
it’s doing to instill fear in the minds of the innocent. He is also trying to
get some provisions renewed before they expire next year.



[John Kerry]

“We must never forget that the rights guaranteed us in the Constitution are
precious, and one of the very first things that the terrorists we’re fighting
would destroy. We do not need to give away our personal liberties to protect
our country. We must defend our freedoms and defend ourselves against
terrorism.”

It’s important to note that Senator Kerry voted FOR the Patriot Act even
though he knew how wrong it was.

[John Edwards]

“America must always be safe and free. The administration has sacrificed our
freedoms – without even advancing our security. While they are not taking
needed steps for our homeland security, they have taken steps that endanger
our most fundamental liberties.”

John Edwards also voted FOR the Patriot Act even though he knew how wrong it
was.

[Dennis Kucinich]

“I am the only presidential candidate to vote against the misnamed “Patriot
Act”. I am proud of that vote. As President, I will push to revoke it. And I
will challenge any Patriot II sequel, because I know that America is a great
country when Americans feel free to dissent, to advocate for reform –
Americans like Tom Paine, the abolitionists, the suffragists, the early union
organizers, Cesar Chavez, Rachel Carson, the women’s movement, Rosa Parks, and
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”



[Al Sharpton]

“They seem to be a throwback to the COINTELPRO days of J. Edgar Hoover, Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Black Panthers – making legal today what was
illegal then. These ‘Patriot Acts’ appear to be using the legitimate fear of
9/11 to pass illegitimate legislation. This legislation is unpatriotic in the
most unpatriotic sense.”

[Howard Dean]

“As President, I will repeal those parts of the Patriot Act that undermine our
constitutional rights, and will stand against any further attempts to expand
the government’s reach at the expense of our civil liberties.”

[Ralph Nader]

Ralph Nader is against the Patriot Act. He called it the “Patriot(less) Act”.
It is clear that he takes the same stance as the Democrats. I could not find a
direct quote, but from what I did find, he would most likely repeal it.

(Let it be said that both John Kerry and John Edwards, although they voted for
the Patriot Act, they did what they could to try to get the questionable parts
removed before it was passed.)

- Copyright Reform & Intellectual Property -

The number one priority for Boycott RIAA is Copyright Reform. Or it should be.
We all know the system is broken to the point where, in order to fix it, we’d
have to start over. But there is something to make it better without starting
over. There are many different views on what should be done, but until we get
an administration that would help fix this problem, we cannot start to work
out the details.

[George W. Bush]

We’ve seen what’s been done under this administration, and we know that we
don’t like it. I did searches and checked his official re-election site, and I
found nothing pertaining to copyright reform. And when a search is done for
intellectual property as it pertains to file-sharing, I can only find
something from the election year of 2000 when Napster was a big deal. All that
said was that the Bush/Cheney ticket didn’t have a stance on the issue.

[John Kerry]

When a search is done on Google for ‘John Kerry copyright reform’, the first
result you get is CodeWarrior’s article titled, “Update On The John Kerry
Board”. Congratulations, Code. Now everyone who runs that search will see a
sentence that says the following: “Kerry is bought and paid for by corporate
America”.

Another result shows the following statement: “In the meantime, Larry Lessig
points out that John Kerry has been tone deaf so far to the copyright issues
raised by the copyright reform movement, which is a disappointment.”

Everything on Kerry’s site mentions intellectual property piracy overseas in
countries like China. You’ll find nothing on file-sharing there, so I’ll give
you the statement by Kerry in the Hollywood Reporter interview that upset
Lessig:

“I think any kind of mass file sharing that goes beyond the normal
college-dorm, room-to-room, person-to-person, friend-to-friend kind of sharing
is a violation of the law. I believe in copyright. I think we would have
complete disorder in the marketplace if you don’t enforce copyright. Copyright
is the way you create order out of chaos in the marketplace. Otherwise, you
diminish the value of intellectual property and artistic property, and you
wind up not enforcing the rules by which people are compensated for their
work. I think the US has been very lax in dealing with China and other
countries on intellectual property regulations, and I have long argued that we
ought to be enforcing those measures very, very strictly. Now, I have worked
hard with the industry to try to find some ways to create an appropriate
technology that allows people to share. The problem, obviously, in the digital
world, is that one tap of a button on a Web site and you can transmit to
millions a perfect copy. So I think we have to find a technological fix, and
frankly, it has been economic self-interest that has prevented people at
arriving at an appropriate compromise...”

[John Edwards]

I found nothing about copyright reform on Google or his official website. A
search for intellectual property found his comments in Lessig’s blog: “Several
people wanted to hear more about intellectual property, so I thought I would
focus on that today. The first priority of intellectual property law is to
foster innovation and progress for our society. To achieve that goal, the law
must protect the rights of inventors. And there must be a fair balance between
the scope of those rights and the public interest.”

[Dennis Kucinich]

His comments in Lessig’s blog bring me this quote:

“As a good friend of many artists and engineers, I understand and support
their need to make a living. As a father, I don’t believe our government has
any business locking up kids for sharing files on the internet. As a
Congressman, I have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United
States, which states very clearly in Article 1, Section 8, that “The Congress
shall have the Power: To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by
securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to
their respective Writings and Discoveries”.”

Further down is the following:

“The framers knew the importance of the progress of science and useful arts.
Their intention was clear. Unfortunately, corporate interests have intruded on
our process of government. The overwhelming influence of political money from
corporate interests has corrupted the ability of Congress to protect science
and the arts. Today, much of our science and useful arts is coming forth from
sources independent of monopolies, thanks to people like you. Yet Congress
continues to try to limit certain activities of inventors and artists in order
to preserve corporate power and domination. We must, once again, move to
reclaim the promise inherent in Article 1, Section 8.”

 [Al Sharpton]

I could not find anything on copyright reform or intellectual property.

[Howard Dean]

A search for copyright reform and intellectual property brought me the
following quote from Wired magazine: “Dean has been reluctant to take a
position on core Net issues like copyright law and peer-to-peer file-sharing.”

It’s interesting that he used the Internet to bolster support, yet he refuses
to speak on one of the most important issues at the heart of most of his
initial supporters.

[Ralph Nader]

I am still waiting for a response from Mr. Nader on this issue. When I receive
a response, you will be the first to be notified.

As a bonus, I will add the comments from CPTech (Consumer Project on
Technology), started by Ralph Nader in 1995, on the Intellectual Property
section of the FTAA (Free Trade Agreement of the Americas):

“The chapter on intellectual property should be eliminated altogether. Every
significant economy is already subject to the WTO TRIPS Agreement, and it is
not appropriate to require that countries adhere to strict TRIPS-Plus rules on
intellectual property, even before they have implemented the TRIPS agreement,
or when high levels of IP protection are inconsistent with social or economic
development objectives. The draft FTAA would require members to abide by
dozens of IP treaties that are now voluntary and not required by the WTO,
including, in some proposals, treaties that have yet to be written. By placing
non-WTO IP treaties in the FTAA, the ability of countries to opt-out of
treaties is eliminated, and the provisions are subject to new dispute
resolution provisions that will impose new costs on even the poorest members
of the FTAA. Also, many of the new FTAA IP obligations go far beyond anything
that currently exists in any multilateral IP agreement.”

Also, from the same document, I give you a statement about the copyright terms
granted to the copyright owners by enacting the FTAA:

“The proposed text extends minimum terms for copyright and related rights, far
beyond the TRIPS agreement, shrinking the public domain. The minimum term of
copyrights would be extended from the 50 years required by TRIPS to 70 to 120
years, including a 95 year term for corporate works-for-hire where the authors
receive zero royalties. The protection for photographs would be extended by 25
years, the term of protection for broadcasting would be extended from 20 years
to 50 years. Industrial designs would be extended from 10 years to 15 years.”

Below that, they go on to say:

“Untested and highly controversial requirements for digital rights management
would be required, many of which require costly public enforcement measures,
and undermine traditional fair use rights.”



- Corporate Power -

This is another issue we feel strongly about. The recording industry is trying
to completely take control of the radio, internet, internet radio, and
television. Not to mention the retail market. The movie industry is trying to
do the same on a smaller level. Microsoft has a monopoly, and has taken over
the majority of homes via Windows. This operating system is the most readily
available OS in the world, rendering the consumer fairly helpless when
shopping for a computer.



[George W. Bush]

Halliburton. That says it all. Bush gave no-bid cost-plus contracts to
Halliburton. He’s allowing corporations to profit from the reconstruction of a
foreign country. The only thing he vows to do with corporations is punish the
bad CEOs that poison (my own word) the business world (i.e., Kenneth Lay, Sam
Waksal, etc.).

[John Kerry]

Kerry wants to clean up the acts of CEOs and the rest of the board room. He
also wants better relationships between workers and employers. There was
nothing I could find directly related to this issue. There may have been a few
tiny things floating around about certain guidelines, but I didn’t see any.

[Dennis Kucinich]

“Despite overwhelming influence which corporations have in the life of our
nation, I see a new era of corporate accountability. I see a new horizon in
America where ethics, sustainability, and sensible priorities guide corporate
conduct in cooperation with vigilant, fair-minded, government regulation.”

Further down, we find the best quote: “We cannot stand by idly while powerful
economic engines – virtually unregulated corporations – violate workers’
rights, human rights, and the environment, sweeping aside antitrust laws,
eliminating competition.”

Dennis’ past shows that he has and will always stand up to corporations in
order to keep them in line. He does not want them taking over the old ways of
American life.

[Al Sharpton]

In 1991, he founded NAN (National Action Network) which aims to provide
economic support for small community businesses, among other things. I think
it’s easy to see where he stands on this issue.



[Howard Dean]

“When the balance of power in Washington shifts and private interests trump
the common good American capitalism has been betrayed. Over the last 30 years,
we have allowed multinational corporations and other special interests to use
our nation’s government to undermine our nation’s promise. They have brought
access to power with their campaign contributions and their lobbyists. And
they’ve used that access to ensure that the laws – and most importantly the
tax code – benefit them.”

[Ralph Nader]

It’s easy to find Ralph’s stance on this issue. His many writings on
corporations show that he is against their virtual takeover of the United
States government. He admires Kucinich for standing up to corporations and
will no doubt do so himself.

- Education -

Education is the most important fundamental institution in America’s history.
You may not think it is important to us, but that’s not true. If the children
are taught and prepared for life as it may become, there is a bright future
for our country. That bright future will probably bring the freedom we’re
fighting for now. If the school system has teachers like I did, the country
will be better for it.

[George W. Bush]

He promises to make educating every child his top domestic priority. His ‘No
Child Left Behind Act’ supports early learning, regular measuring of students’
progress, detailed report cards about the schools, helping children stuck in
failing schools to find a better school, and ensures more resources for
schools.

(It should be noted that he still hasn’t followed through with his promise
thus far, and has let the schools continue to decline in quality.)

[John Kerry]

John Kerry believes that we need to invest in our schools instead of giving
tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. John Kerry also believes that given the
demands of a global economy, every single child has to be able to reach high
standards in order to prosper. John Kerry will support teachers, reduce class
sizes, and rebuild crumbling schools.

[John Edwards]

From his official site:

“John Edwards knows that a good public education can help a young person
overcome tremendous odds and reach his or her potential. As president, John
Edwards will end the shame of the two public school systems in America where
the quality of education too often depends on the affluence of the
neighborhood. That is why John Edwards has a comprehensive plan to strengthen
our schools, support our teachers, expand after-school programs, and improve
our high schools. He also has offered a plan called "College for Everyone"
which would make college tuition free for the first year for every person who
is qualified to attend a public college and is willing to work part-time.”

[Dennis Kucinich]

Dennis believes in the right of every American child to a high-quality free
public education. He intends to improve the quality of public education in
those schools that are struggling, and to expand public education to include
pre-Kindergarten beginning at age 3 for any families that want it, as well as
tuition-free college for millions of students.

[Al Sharpton]

Sharpton believes that educations should be a constitutional right. “One of
the things that I’ve said is that we need to deal with the structure of how we
deal with rights in this country. We have to have the right to education from
the Constitution, the right to health care. I’m talking about fundamental
rights. I’m not talking about just new programs.”

[Howard Dean]

“Education must be a broad, evolving process, beginning not from the moment a
child enters the classroom, but from the moment that child enters the world.
It requires early preparation for success, assurance of health and learning
throughout the school years and a commitment to the accessibility and
affordability of high education is that every student has the chance to live
out America’s promise.

[Ralph Nader]

Back in 2000, he had an idea that was great. And every kid I knew in school
would have loved it: Get rid of standardized testing and teach civil skills.
And by looking at his stance now, it appears he still stands by that
statement. There is a quote at his official site.

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There you have it. Every candidate on each and every issue that is, or should
be, important to us. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone
for the compliments and encouragement in the past with every article I’ve
written. And I’d like to thank those who run this site for allowing me to
express my creativity. It’s because of my articles being here that I continue
to work towards my ultimate goal of becoming successful because of my writing.

To everyone who reads this:

GET OUT THERE AND VOTE WITH YOUR HEART!

Your mind cannot be counted on when there is deception around every corner.
Make a wise decision.
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Links For Further Information

George W. Bush - georgewbush.com
John Kerry - johnkerry.com
John Edwards - johnedwards2004.com
Dennis Kucinich - kucinich.us
Al Sharpton - sharpton2004.org
Howard Dean - deanforamerica.com
Ralph Nader - votenader.org
CodeWarrior's article - http://news.dmusic.com/article/10591
Hollywood Reporter's Kerry Interview - hollywoodreporter.com/thr/business/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2077032
Lessig's Blog - lessig.org/blog