Please help save Geronimo from voting for Kerry

[Geronimo]

I could go on and on about the many reasons I dislike Kerry as a man and my distaste for the government policies he has seen fit to pursue. However, in another thread debeest posted the following link:

Brief Cato Institute article

I was certain that by now Jose Padilla would certainly have been charged with any number of crimes. I was wrong. what the administration is doing is a bald faced rejection of our constitutional rights. A US citizen is being held without charges indefinately and without legal counsel. This is extremely dangerous. In fact I honestly believe that it should be regarded as an impeachable offense.

What I would like is for someone to explain how the Cato article is wrong (I've had no luck so far) so as to spare me the indignity of having to vote for Kerry. As it stands, the current administrations offense is so grave that I cannot even allow myself to consider voting for some third candidate. An offense of this magnitude would demand the most effective response which (tragically) would seem to be casting my vote for Kerry.

I'm still having trouble believing that the executive is getting away with unilaterally suspending habeas corpus for US citizens with no apparent opposition from the other two branches of government whatsoever. Scary.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

dont vote kerry, vote badnarik.

www.lp.org , click on badnarik, top left.

[Drake Tungsten]

dont vote kerry, vote badnarik.

Yeah, don't vote for the douchebag, vote for the criminal.

[GePap]

There are always plenty of candidates on the ballot. And you oculd write in any name you wanted.

[Whoha]

I can't explain why they are wrong without getting into conspiracy theories and crazy talk.

[Shi Huangdi]

"Please help save Geronimo from voting for Kerry"

Consider this. As problematic as this current President has been at times, the Next President will likely appoint several Supreme Court Justices, and the effect of that will continue long after Bush and Kerry's political careers have ended. Supreme Court justices have the ability to make rulings that have far reaching effects and can set the national pollicy for a long time. With the parties generally deadlocked right now, it seems the judiciary will be far more likely to be able to make the big decisions on national issues such as States Rights, Affirmative Action, etc. Kerry would appoint left-wing justices who would move our country in the wrong direction.

[Geronimo]

I have often voted for 3rd party candidates and even wrote in candidates when I couldn't stomach any of the options listed but this situation is different. I normally vote for the candidate that I would most like to win but I find this Jose Padilla situation so appallingly dangerous that for the first time it seems obvious that I should vote against Bush rather than voting for someone else.

I recognize that in principle "voting against" a candidate is contrary to the spirit of both democracy and the ideal of a republic but I find the principle of protecting the constitution from all critical assaults to be even more important than this.

Can't anybody explain how Jose Padilla's incarceration is consistent with our constitution effectively neutralizing this entire dilema?

[Shi Huangdi]

Before you change your vote on this issue, has Kerry publicly asked for the release of Padilla?

[Ben Kenobi]

So vote for the candidate who closely approaches your ideas. This way, no matter what, you win. If you vote for Kerry, and he turns out to be just as bad as Bush, what have you gained?

[GePap]

Originally posted by Geronimo

I recognize that in principle "voting against" a candidate is contrary to the spirit of both democracy and the ideal of a republic but I find the principle of protecting the constitution from all critical assaults to be even more important than this.

What!? Since when?

Voting is the act of chosing a leader. Voting in order to depose a leader is the very foundation of democracy. If you think on leader has failed his mandate, why on Earth would you vote to return him to power? You will have ta least 5 choices for president whereever you are.

I find this statement just utterly silly.

[GePap]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
So vote for the candidate who closely approaches your ideas. This way, no matter what, you win. If you vote for Kerry, and he turns out to be just as bad as Bush, what have you gained?

Nothing- but of course, you lost nothing and you gave it a chance. And four years later you get a choice again.

[Shi Huangdi]

Originally posted by GePap
There are always plenty of candidates on the ballot. And you oculd write in any name you wanted.

Would you be giving this same advice to someone who was going to vote for Nader?

[GePap]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi


Would you be giving this same advice to someone who was going to vote for Nader?

Like I care what people vote for. I want Bush to lose dearly, but I am not on the same level as loathsome republicans, giving money to candidates they don;t support simply under the idea of sucking votes from others.

So at least I can say I am better than republicans

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
Before you change your vote on this issue, has Kerry publicly asked for the release of Padilla?

Releasing Padilla would be preferable to the current situation but it would still suck. I simply want him charged with a crime. He broke a number of laws and it would be easy to put him away. The fact that there is so little reason to hold Padilla without charges only serves to make the situation more frightening.

Frustratingly, none of the candidates seem to have really addressed this issue (excluding possible write ins) but Kerry's campaign does cite the Padilla case as an example of erosion of our basic rights.

[Shi Huangdi]

Originally posted by GePap


Like I care what people vote for. I want Bush to lose dearly, but I am not on the same level as loathsome republicans, giving money to candidates they don;t support simply under the idea of sucking votes from others.

So at least I can say I am better than republicans

Someone forgot to tell Joe Hoeffel that Democrats don't do that.