| Sonoma County, CA | March 2, 2004 Election |
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Random Thoughts BlogBy Michael J. SandlerCandidate for Green Party Member County Council At-Large-Grn; County of Sonoma |
This information is provided by the candidate | |
Here are some thoughts on 2004, and being American.Since this website is called "smart voter," I figured I should use some of the space allotted for a few thoughts which have been swimming around in my head during the past 3 years of Bush-9-11-Rumsfeld-oil-war-strict father-bombing-nonsense that passes for politics and news in this day and age. Thanks for bearing with me. This is blog-style, and I am trying to emulate my blogging heroine: Georgy Russell, who valiantly represented the 20-something hottie constituency in the Recall Madness. Anyway, this election will hopefully result in a new president being elected, and hopefully the new president will guide the nation away from pre-emptive warfare into a more multi-lateral, post-cold war, actual 21st century world. Right now, it is clear that we are building a bridge to the 19th century, and possibly even earlier. Mercantilist, Hobbesian, perhaps French Revolution-Ashcroft-Guantanamo guillotines and star chambers with no habeus corpus. Death penalty instead of the 1st amendment, etc. Anyway, I also hope that 2004 can be a time of healing between the Greens and the progressives in the Democratic party, because divided not much gets accomplished. It is a good time for unity, 2004. Still, young people who feel abandoned by the Dems should not feel compelled to vote for them necessarily. The Green party could use your vote, and it would go to a good cause. Matt Gonzalez set a great example in the San Francisco mayor's race by bringing a very high level of integrity to every interview, and by reaching out across party lines and every other line. We need to reinvigorate the depressed non-voters. They are depressed for good reason (it's depressing out there), but using your vote is a good first step toward taking respnsibility toward fixing it. Or you could let it continue to suck. But what does that accomplish? Finally, climate change is looming, we have a lot of work to do to switch ourselves off this 150 year oil addiction, with renewable energy, economic incentives which reward efficiency and conservation, and new institutions which preserve the commons. Personally I like the Sky Trust, described in the book "Who Owns the Sky" by Peter Barnes. Also, more on American politics can be found in "Moral Politics" by George Lakoff and "Fixing Elections" by Steven Hill. My political views are not radical in Canada or Europe. Hopefully Americans will see that we are a lone bastion of fear (as in "Bowling for Columbine") and we need to chill out and come together. We can do it! Go team! Thanks for bearing with my stream of consciousness. Feel free to write to me with your thoughts: mike@rumsfeldinvaders.com. If a single person sells their Hummer and buys a Prius because of this essay, I will have felt it was a worthwhile 15 minutes. Peace out, Mike. |
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