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| Author: Posted: Sep. 8, 2002 | This Page Viewed: 20,957,098 |
Question of the Week: 1 - 8/7/2000 Who are you going to vote for and why? Which political platform or candidate are you leaning towards? Do you think that a level of political involvement is important to pagans? Are you registered to vote, will you vote and who -if you don't mind telling the world- are you planning to vote for (or against)? |
| Reponses: There are 233 responses posted to this question. | Reverse Sort |
| O.k., John Ashcorrupt (90%) Beat Mark Perkell (10%) In Tuesdays Primaries (mo... | Aug 10th. at 2:13:59 pm EDT |
| Silver MayKitten (springfield, Missouri US) | Age: 55 - Email |
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O.K., John Ashcorrupt (90%) beat Mark Perkell (10%) in Tuesdays primaries (MO 7th district Congress -- see post 67) I really don't see anyone in the majority parties to vote for, so I guess I will vote libertarian just to register my dissapointment with the candidates available. (Besides I kinda, sorta, maybe like brown.) Merry meet and merry part untill we merry meet again, Blessed be. MayKitten |
| Green Party...ralph Nader...although I Could Very Well Vote For Gore... | Aug 10th. at 4:32:35 pm EDT |
| Suzanne R. (Franklin, Massachusetts US) | Age: 32 |
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Green Party...Ralph Nader...although I could very well vote for Gore to prevent Bush from getting in. I think it's very important for Pagans to be politically aware and active. I am registered to vote. |
| The Libertarian Party. Need I Say More? No Other Party Enforces Personal... | Aug 10th. at 4:34:23 pm EDT |
| Kate (Dallas, Texas US) | Age: 20 |
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The libertarian party. Need I say more? No other party enforces personal freedom, including religious, as much. The Republicans have become more the extreme Christian party and the Democrats... though they are often tagged as the "party for the people and minorites" are almost as close minded as the Republicans when it comes to personal freedoms and religious beliefs. I believe it is important for any non-mainstream religious group, like pagans, to get involved in protecting their freedoms. Especially now as the Christian right has moved heavily into politics. The libertarian party is the only one that leaves morals and beliefs up to the individual instead of legislating on what personal practices are right and wrong. The government has no place in my personal life as long as I don't harm anyone else. Anyway, I don't want this little post to become a large essay on libertarianism so I suggest that everyone go read http://www.libertarian.org and http://www.harrybrowne2000.org :) And if it isn't obvious by now, I'll definitely be voting for Mr. Harry Browne for president this year. |
| Yes, I Think We Should Be More Involved In The Political Process... | Aug 10th. at 4:46:39 pm EDT |
| Karen Shoemaker (Arlington, Virginia US) | Age: 52 - Email |
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Yes, I think we should be more involved in the political process. As I have gotten older, I have become much more politically aware and active, and seldom hesitate in identifying my religious affiliation. As a pagan, and therefore nature-based, I am heartily behind Al Gore. I may not entirely agree with all of his political agendas, but without a healthy environment, nothing else will matter much anyway. |
| I Am Registered To Vote, And Plan On Voting For Gore/lieberman... | Aug 10th. at 4:50:37 pm EDT |
| ShaylaB (Phoenix, Arizona US) | Age: 34 - Email |
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I am registered to vote, and plan on voting for Gore/Lieberman. I feel it's necessary to have a Democrat in the office in lieu of any viable third-party alternative. I do approve of both Gore and Lieberman's voting record in Congress, for the most part. |
| I Am Wholeheartedly On The Side Of The Green Party And Ralph... | Aug 10th. at 5:06:16 pm EDT |
| Holly Deal (Nashville, Tennessee US) | Age: 21 - Email |
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I am wholeheartedly on the side of the Green Party and Ralph Nader! This is the only platform that makes any sense at all, and I am proud to be an active member of the Tennessee State Green Party. Yes, political involvement is important to Pagans, assuming they want to maintain and strengthen their already seemingly shaky rights in this country. It's time we stood up to be counted. It's easy to oppress a people you don't even see. And, naturally, I am registered to vote. This is supposed to be a participatory government. The way I see it, if you willingly do not take part, you give up your right to complain about the state of that government. Only by participating can you bring about any real change. www.votenader.org "You can have no daily democracy without daily citizenship"-Ralph Nader |
| I Am A Registered Democrate. I Will Be Voting. Because I Feel... | Aug 10th. at 5:15:11 pm EDT |
| Susann Cobb aka Peri Wyrrd (Granville, Vermont US) | Age: 37 - Email |
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I am a registered democrate. I will be voting. Because I feel that Leiberman is too right wing, I will not be voting for the democratic party in 2000. I will be voting for Ralph Nader (www.votenader.org). I like where he satnds on many issues, namely Genetically Engineered Food, which is a frightening thing. I believe that everyone should exercise their right to vote, but especially minority groups, which we as Pagans are. Further, I personally believe that being a Pagan or in my case, a Witch, is as much a political statement as it is a religious or spiritual one, therefore, I do believe it is important for us to be as active in the political arena, even if only on a local or community level, as we can. I am personally trying to become more active in my small, rural town, and was recently elected, Cemetery Commissioner, which does suit me, I must admit! |
| I Think The Best Candidate Currently Running Is John Hagelin, Formerly Of... | Aug 10th. at 5:29:25 pm EDT |
| Potter (Dallas, Texas US) | Age: 45 |
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I think the best candidate currently running is John Hagelin, formerly of the Natural Law party, and lately of the anti-Buchanan section of the Reform party. Unfortunately, with the Reform party fight, I don't think he has much of a chance, so I'm going with the Gore ticket, more as a vote against Shrub (as we call him here in Texas) than for Gore. |
| I Am Registered To Vote And I Will Be Voting For Bush... | Aug 10th. at 5:38:53 pm EDT |
| billie (pittsburg, Kansas US) | Age: 48 |
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I am registered to vote and I will be voting for Bush, as I feel truth is more important than political expediency....and it has always seemed to me that gore just tells 'em what they want hear! |
| Since Before The Campaigning Started I Knew I Was Voting For The... | Aug 10th. at 5:49:14 pm EDT |
| Jennifer Ventola (Peekskill, New York US) | Age: 29 - Email |
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Since before the campaigning started I knew I was voting for the democratic party.I feel voting and political involvment is very important and necessary. Voicing your opinion as a pagan, especially being women is something women have fought and died for for centuries. The one if the reasons I am voting for the Democratic party (AL Gore) is that the next President has 2 supreme court appointee's. If these two people are not chosen with women's issues in mind, a women's right to choose to have an abortion or not will be taken away, plus Al Gore's environmental stand is much more favorable than George Bush |
| Think Globally, Act Locally, The Rrr Has Learned To Twist To Abuse... | Aug 10th. at 6:01:07 pm EDT |
| Terry Smith (.., Connecticut US) | Age: 43 - Email |
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Think globally, act locally, the RRR has learned to twist to abuse civil rights rather than protect them, while trying to hide from the press as they try to pressure us all into their Procrustean bed. The importance of that concept applies at least as much to those of us interested in preventing discrimination via zoning ordinances, school boards, and local park regulations. That noted, it's a lot easier to discuss more distant national issues online. As a constituent of Joe Lieberman, I have a collection of position letters from him over some years. He's forthright enough to state his views more directly than Bush lite or AlGore, but skillful enough at political weasel games to claim to support rights enumerated in the 1st, 2nd, or other Constitutional Amendments, but then prove that he actually strongly opposes actually protecting civil rights in real practice. Make flag burning a Federal crime more serious than aggravated assault. Reclassify all firearms as Class III NFA items, and call that "reasonable" rather than a Constitutional end run. On local discussion forums, many Bush supporters think Lieberman is suited for their ticket, due to his pro-censorship conservative Judaic notions of imposed social order, even when he attempts to temper some of them with an awareness of the importance of tolerance for diversity from the other side of his mouth. Strange as it may sound, history suggests we might be better off with Bush Supreme Court nominations than Gore ones. Gore is no protector of the 1st Amendment, and has been an active advocate of the hate speech and discrimination against minority religionists embedded in censorship of art, religion, and politics. While Bush has failings with respect to the 2nd Am., Gore is onerous in that respect. Even though Bush gives a party line cowtowing to the Robertson RRR agenda, his family history rooted in ME, CT, and TX suggests ethical connections to judicial appointments like Souter, one of the more honest and aware of the present Justices, and not just hypocrites like Thomas. Too bad we can't elect NOTA (none of the above) if our only real choices are the different sects of the Republocrat Party. As minority religionists, regardless of our individual preferences, it helps to remember that trouncing any one civil right opens the door to treating all such rights as if mere arbitrary privileges open to regulation, including those most dear to us personally. Hagelin of the Natural Law Party (also in Reform) is an interesting character. He fronts Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Americanized commercialized, secularized pseudo-Hindu-Buddhist Transcendental Meditation as a solution to most social ills. Their ideas might even work, if widely adopted voluntarily and without government involvement to corrupt them. Nader seems to be attracting the attention of a lot of pagans. The Green Party hasn't done the consistent work of party building to even ballot qualify for a potential 270 Electoral College votes in past elections. The party platform includes anti-civil rights planks alongside some attractive environmental stances. It includes some proposals for social meddling by government which are impossible to implement without at least de facto religious discrimination. If we can't advocate moving government the other way, out of social programs and their inherent and unavoidable biases, we don't accomplish respecting and protecting that precious commodity of liberty which is essential to be able to do as one will if it harms none. That leaves the one party which has accomplished ballot status in all 50 states in recent elections, plus lower offices with real candidates in hundreds of real offices, to an extent unseen since the early 1900's. That leaves the one party which recognizes that for any of us to have liberty to live out the Rede or equivalent ethics, it takes less invasive government to preserve more freedom for individuals. That points to the party which uses no tax funding of its convention, where it debates idealistic versus pragmatic compromise approaches to legal and societal issues with a common goal of government operating within Constitutional bounds, always. That's the Libertarian party, whose slates are headed by best selling author and financial consultant Harry Browne. www.lp.org The LP actually does have a strong pro-environment stance, though it may be confusing to people who don't study the quirks of civil law instead of invasive government regulation. The LP is the only party to broadly oppose malum prohibitums, victimless crime laws often used to badger social and religious values such as speech, nudity, sexuality, and our rights to our own bodies and minds. The LP is the only party to oppose the discrimination against solitary and small coven pagans via systems of taxes and bureaucracy that some pagans jump into, but which oppress anyone not willing or able to do the work of 6 paper pushers just to qualify. The LP supports pagans not by taking postures to make public spectacles of us and shoot photo op's, but by leaving us alone to choose and shape our own paths, at home, work, or around town. Election law is a complex subject, where the rules and not just the vote shape the winners. Depending on local demographics, state and Federal laws, some voters will have little to no likely influence if they vote for a Republocrat, on a state by state basis. On the other hand, voting for a third party can have substantial impact on future ease of ballot qualification, and on future media coverage. It takes work to learn those local quirks, but the rumor that third party votes are thrown away is false. In some states they have much more influence with an established party like the Libertarians, and somewhat more influence with the Greens or Natural Law, than they do with either Republocrat. As to those important lower offices, different rules apply within the same ballot and slate. It's probably pretty clear where my leanings fall. I won't suggest that all pagans are close to agreeing on political goals. I will suggest that to truly exercise our influence responsibly, it is important to go beyond the media and learn enough about election law to make considered choices, knowing that the same vote from 5 states for major or minor parties has different impact on current and future elections. Terry |
| I Am Leaning Towards The Gore/leiberman Ticket At This Point. Since... | Aug 10th. at 6:08:57 pm EDT |
| Thomas D. Van Hook - aka "Elf" (Lewisville, Texas US) | Age: 35 - Email |
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I am leaning towards the Gore/Leiberman ticket at this point. Since McCain did not get the nomination, the candidate I would have preferred is not available. However, being a resident of Texas - I've watched the inept nature of Gov. Bush's hand in governmental workings. Therefore, Gore gets my vote by default. It's truly a shame that a wonderful candidate such as McCain, who speaks directly to the American public rather than above it, cannot get past the political machinations that have been set forth by both the Republican and Democratic parties. However, if Gore fails to inspire me enough to vote for him....well, then'ts time to vote for the greater of two evils instead of the lesser...it will be time to cast my vote once again for Cthulu... |
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