Mike Gravel in 2008

OttOtt Posts: 403
edited July 2007 in A Moving Train
Granted, he's a loooooong shot, but it is refreshing to hear someone speak the truth for a change. I've been reading up on him lately, and as far as I can tell, he'll be getting my support. Wasted vote or not. Bottom line, give the power back to the people. What a novel idea. What's your take?

Ott
'Give me some music; music, moody food/ of us that trade in love'
-Shakespeare
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Eliot RosewaterEliot Rosewater Posts: 2,659
    Ott wrote:
    Granted, he's a loooooong shot, but it is refreshing to hear someone speak the truth for a change. I've been reading up on him lately, and as far as I can tell, he'll be getting my support. Wasted vote or not. Bottom line, give the power back to the people. What a novel idea. What's your take?

    Ott
    No vote is a wasted vote. And if he's your guy then good luck to you both.
  • Bu2Bu2 Posts: 1,693
    To me, though, he is a long shot.
    Feels Good Inc.
  • jeffbrjeffbr Seattle Posts: 7,177
    No vote is a wasted vote. And if he's your guy then good luck to you both.

    I agree with this. But I'm going to have to disagree with Bu2. His rock & fire ads convinced me he is a loon. Until then, I thought he was onto something.
    "I'll use the magic word - let's just shut the fuck up, please." EV, 04/13/08
  • OttOtt Posts: 403
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sen-mike-gravel/why-hillary-scares-me_b_53586.html

    Mike Gravel:
    WHY HILLARY SCARES ME

    During one of the debates I mentioned that my fellow Democratic candidates scare me. Hillary's speech last week to the Take Back America conference gives me yet another reason to be afraid.

    In an indignant voice she decried the Bush administration's ''stunning record of secrecy and corruption, of cronyism run amok. . . It is everything our founders were afraid of, everything our Constitution was designed to prevent.'' Actually, our Constitution grants Congress the power to prevent these ills but Hillary and her colleagues weren't up to the task.

    Our founders' legacy did not stop Hillary from voting for the Patriot Act and then supporting its renewal in 2006 despite revelations that the government was using it to infringe on the very liberties that our founders held sacred. Where was her commitment to our founders when she voted to gut our habeas corpus protections?

    As for cronyism -- Hillary has repeatedly authorized billions that the Pentagon gave in no-bid contracts to Halliburton. Even though the Democrats have been in control of Congress for months, they still haven't summoned Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld and the other usual suspects to account for the missing millions in reconstruction funding.

    When I think about how Congress enabled Bush's corruption and cronyism, I'm reminded of the lines from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar:



    And why should Caesar be a tyrant then?
    Poor man! I know he would not be a wolf,
    But that he sees the Romans are but sheep:
    He were no lion, were not Romans hinds.

    In the same frightening speech, Hillary went on the blame the Iraqis for the mess in their country: "The American military has succeeded. It is the Iraqi government which has failed to make the tough decisions that are important for their own people.''

    Let me get this straight. The Iraq disaster is not the fault of the delusional neo-cons, the greedy oil companies, or the gullible and cowardly Congressional warhawks. (Most senators including Clinton didn't even bother to read the 90-page National Intelligence Estimate). According to Hillary, the real culprit is the Iraqi government that we created virtually overnight and left to govern a fractured, impoverished society. Talk about blaming the victim!

    Hillary, as an active supporter of the war, you are one of many Americans who are guilty. And now all Americans are left responsible, regardless of whether we supported or opposed he war. When we pull out, our hands will drip with the blood of the tens of thousands of American casualties and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi dead. The Iraqi government didn't start this, we did.

    Of course we can continue to compartmentalize ourselves from the truth, remove the troops and blame the rubble on the Iraqis. We can feed the collective fantasy that our good intentions and heroic efforts were thwarted by the cowardice and incompetence of others. But if that's what we take from our experience in Iraq, we will never learn the true lessons and we will be condemned to repeat the same mistakes.

    The inability to admit a mistake and assume responsibility is not just a morally bankrupt way to walk through life; it is a dangerous and deadly way to lead a nation. When I am president, I will open up all secret files relating to the Iraq war and expose all officials who lied to the public in promoting it. (That's right, Dick, your files too.) My Justice Department will prosecute everyone who lied under oath or ripped off the American taxpayer by exploiting the Iraq reconstruction effort. And I will pardon to no one.
    'Give me some music; music, moody food/ of us that trade in love'
    -Shakespeare
  • OttOtt Posts: 403
    'Give me some music; music, moody food/ of us that trade in love'
    -Shakespeare
  • CorporateWhoreCorporateWhore Posts: 1,890
    Hillary is a terrifying character. How has she obtained power? It's amazing!

    She's not a pro-freedom candidate in the least. I do like her focus on the middle class, but her ideas about helping them are not entirely right. Certainly, exporting american jobs is wrong, but her husband's administration supported NAFTA. If you want to export american jobs, that's how you do it.

    Americans first! Not Iraqis or Mexicans first!
    All I know is that to see, and not to speak, would be the great betrayal.
    -Enoch Powell
  • jrb112476jrb112476 Posts: 43
    im ready for Ron Paul!!
  • Mike Gravel cost Al Gore Florida in 200.
    Teamwork. Rawk. Pwnage. Infinite Possibilities. YIELD. Hells yeah.
  • Mike Gravel cost Al Gore Florida in 200.
    Or 2000.
    Teamwork. Rawk. Pwnage. Infinite Possibilities. YIELD. Hells yeah.
  • Teamwork. Rawk. Pwnage. Infinite Possibilities. YIELD. Hells yeah.
  • kenny olavkenny olav Posts: 3,319
    He's earned my total support.
  • kenny olavkenny olav Posts: 3,319
    this video is great

    Gravel comes in at 3:22

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pcRST4SL5o&NR=1

    he's absolutely right about the Federal income tax. it's a total scam and corrupt at it's core. the reaction to what Gravel says is interesting. it's very positive. a lot of folks seemed surprised to hear it, but immediately liked what they heard.

    the solution (or at least a much better plan):
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_tax
    (although it has the misfortune of being associated with Neal Boortz)
  • OttOtt Posts: 403
    'Give me some music; music, moody food/ of us that trade in love'
    -Shakespeare
  • OttOtt Posts: 403
    'Give me some music; music, moody food/ of us that trade in love'
    -Shakespeare
  • OttOtt Posts: 403
    Sucks that the media buries these guys. He, Kucinich, and Richardson seem a whole hell of a lot more genuine, and interested in running things for the sake of changing things. As I see it, Gravel really speaks like a true American Patriot, in the truest sense of the word. He killed at the last, um, "Debate." That YouTube debacle. Again, it's a shame that the candidates who speak the truth get no run in the media, while they keep throwing Hillary and Obama at us, basically telling us to choose from them. Why? Because you say they have a better chance of winning? Probably because that's who is getting the incessant coverage. Of course they have a better chance-no one hears the other sides. Sorry, had to get it off my chest.

    Ott
    'Give me some music; music, moody food/ of us that trade in love'
    -Shakespeare
  • CorporateWhoreCorporateWhore Posts: 1,890
    Ott wrote:
    Sucks that the media buries these guys. He, Kucinich, and Richardson seem a whole hell of a lot more genuine, and interested in running things for the sake of changing things. As I see it, Gravel really speaks like a true American Patriot, in the truest sense of the word. He killed at the last, um, "Debate." That YouTube debacle. Again, it's a shame that the candidates who speak the truth get no run in the media, while they keep throwing Hillary and Obama at us, basically telling us to choose from them. Why? Because you say they have a better chance of winning? Probably because that's who is getting the incessant coverage. Of course they have a better chance-no one hears the other sides. Sorry, had to get it off my chest.

    Ott

    Congrats on 1001 posts.

    Yeah, I know what you mean. It's sort of a circular arrangement that the media has.

    "These are the only candidates that can win."
    "Why are they the only candidates who can win?"
    "Because they're the only candidates we cover."
    "Why are they the only candidates you cover?"
    "Because they're the only candidates who can win."

    ...and so on...
    All I know is that to see, and not to speak, would be the great betrayal.
    -Enoch Powell
  • OttOtt Posts: 403
    Congrats on 1001 posts.

    Yeah, I know what you mean. It's sort of a circular arrangement that the media has.

    "These are the only candidates that can win."
    "Why are they the only candidates who can win?"
    "Because they're the only candidates we cover."
    "Why are they the only candidates you cover?"
    "Because they're the only candidates who can win."

    ...and so on...
    Sooooo frustrating.

    I noticed my post number after that last one. I don't know what my 1000th was, probably something inane.
    And, strange how we congratulate each other. On being message pit "devotees." I still shrink when I tell people I got some info off "that PJ message pit thing I'm on all the time." But, that being said, I do get a ton of useful (as well as much pointless) info here. And good vibes. And book reccomendations. And jokes. And, yeah...Thanks, I guess. :)

    Ott
    'Give me some music; music, moody food/ of us that trade in love'
    -Shakespeare
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