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358 Comments
- kleevr, on 10/12/2007, -24/+333Could this 2008 Presidential Candidate get any better?
GO MIKE GO - fancypantscz, on 10/12/2007, -11/+185Direct link to Gravel on C-SPAN from a while ago (couldn't find the date but it is not May 1st as the blog suggests).
It is a must see for anyone interested in Gravel...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KyFRyxZp-s
and its prequel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clIDr4xVXRo&mode=related&search=
The war on drugs is as self defeating as the so called war on terror.
Its almost as if Gravel doesn't care what the mainstream public opinion (read television) dictates and simply stands for the values he believes in. It appears that he is beholden to no one and his campaign coffers support that conclusion. I am giving him my full support for speaking truth to power on nearly every issue put to him.
In a preemptive reply to comments forcing me to defend my support of Gravel I would also like to state that if a better candidate appeared tomorrow with a better stance on the issues that I find important, I will give that candidate my full support in a heartbeat. Just like Mike, i too am beholden to no one. I find it very strange that people here showing new enthusiasm for Gravel have been repeatedly labeled with the pejorative 'band wagon jumper' slander. What!?! Is there some reason why I should not change my mind. Christ, it is like I finally get a choice between some decent sounding candidates and people start criticizing me for exercising my freedoms.
Repeatedly echoing that a Gravel nomination is a long shot serves what purpose? I am actually capable of thinking for myself and passionate enough about my convictions to vote my conscious. I would postulate that our federal government is in such an evil retched state largely due to the fact that Americans have been willing to support the lesser of two evils for decades. The moment you withdraw your support from a candidate you truly believe in because you fear he is unelectable, you forfeit your right to represent your own interests.
It might just be that a lot of smart people disillusioned with politics as usual would actually start to involve themselves in our 'democracy' if we had politicians who told the truth and were beholden to no one. Perhaps even a sense of civic duty would return to America if the people were put in charge of the federal government with federal ballet initiatives. Those are some pretty big ifs but it is very early days in this primary.
In my opinion our federal government is broken, the current administration and the Iraq war is the consequence, and Gravel is the only real solution I can see. The only thing standing in the way of Gravel is the apathy of his potential supporters. Get someone to register to vote today and make the once unthinkable happen! - Locasperl, on 10/12/2007, -15/+1441. Make pot legal
2. tax it
3. People buy it like tobacco
4. People smoke it liek tobacoo
5. People eat alot more food
6. raising the economy
7. Possible takes the USA out of debt
8. Cancer patiants have a longer life expectancy due to the THC.
9. Im smoking right now - Pssdoff, on 10/12/2007, -7/+124If this election comes down to Mike Gravel and Ron Paul, America will finally be on the right track.
- rholloway, on 10/12/2007, -25/+117as awesome as that sounds, any chance of being elected died the moment those words left his lips.
- catalysis, on 10/12/2007, -3/+82You had me at legalize.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -22/+99Ron Paul is the candidate of choice for ending the entire Drug War. Hell, he made the cover of High Times magazine in 1988! http://www.scribd.com/doc/34107/Ron-Paul-The-Pot-Candidate
- delelles, on 10/12/2007, -4/+70If Americans gave a flying ***** about their freedom, these would be the two candidates each party chooses:
Republicans = Ron Paul
Democrats = Mike Gravel
Oh, and Ron Paul wants to legalize Marijuana as well. NORML friendly politicians: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6959 - Gravel needs to be added to this list. - mykool, on 10/12/2007, -5/+67@ senorcool - Sorry but your wrong, these drug laws were the very first step, in a march against our civil rights. Yes we have bigger problems, but where do we take our first step?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+56I would contribute to the construction of a 700 ft tall Bronze statue of Mike Gravel next to the Washington Monument if he managed to do that
- Groovemaster, on 10/12/2007, -9/+59Bush's re-election was stolen. It's well documented, but not by the complicit mainstream media.
Most Americans are dumb, but not dumb enough to re-elect Bush. - Jeffmr1, on 10/12/2007, -8/+57Ive gotta admit, I'm a Ron Paul guy. But as far as reforming government too be less oppressive and hopefully less corrupt, Gravel is my #2 (forgetting all of his policies i don't agree with).
- Groovemaster, on 10/12/2007, -2/+46All prohibition does is create a market for criminals.
- whyno, on 10/12/2007, -5/+45@senorcool
mykool is right, but on a different note, cannabis is one of the most useful plants in the world, can be used for pretty much everything; these anti-cannabis laws rule out the use of any part of that plant for anything (you've seen what the farmers in ND had to go through just to start farming a useful plant) cannabis laws were made of rhte wrong reasons and are enforced for the wrong reasons leaving us without one of the most useful plants for fibre, fuel, and food...
While there are very important things going on in the world, this is far from a trivial thing, it's not just about people that wanna get high, yes there are plenty that do (myself being first in line) but there is an underlying imporatance in legalizing that will have major implications in the way of the environment, the world, and our country, as a fossil fuel/non-renewable resource guzzling blackhole, in particular...
why don't you go research the cannabis plant and find out what it can be used for then see if you think legalizing it's use would be a waste of time - Tallon29, on 10/12/2007, -1/+41"He could support impeachment of Cheney and Bush, that would be a start."
Well considering that he supports making it a FELONY to keep troops in Iraq against Congress' and the American People's wishes, I do believe he supports impeachment to some extent. - badave, on 10/12/2007, -4/+42He's too radical to win, but I'll vote for him if he is on the ballot when primaries roll around.
- EtherGnat, on 10/12/2007, -2/+39senorcool: "If the fact that he will legalize marijuana sways anybody's vote, Im gonna punch some people. Legalization of marijuana is of the least concerns in comparison to EVERYTHING going on in the world today."
By personal choice I don't drinkdon't smoke, and certainly don't do drugs. I'm for legalizing marijuana, but it's certainly not important in comparison to other issues. What *IS* important to me is a candidate who is able to think for himself, that is willing to buck party politics and vote his conscience rather than playing it safe.
Does the fact that Gravel supports legalization mean I'll vote for him? Nope, but it does make me interested enough to take a much closer look. - Jeffmr1, on 10/12/2007, -1/+33@kibibytebrain
Actually a president could enact this change himself. Remember congress only allowed drugs to be scheduled (made illegal) but did not schedule them themselves. The Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services (FDA), which are part of the Executive branch, are the ones who schedule the drugs and are appointed by the POTUS. - Jeffmr1, on 10/12/2007, -3/+33@stonewaljacksn
I don't know about the other people on here, but myself i dint think this is the #1 issue but it is a huge one. The war on drugs is definitely one of the top three things that are quickly destroying this country. The war on drugs causes huge spending, increases in crime rates, increases in gang prevalence, increases drug use, splits families apart, destroys our civil liberties, and is a massive source of corruption and promotes government/corporate collusion. As I've said before, Gravel isn't my candidate, but while all the other supposed 'liberals' that you Dems can vote for might say yes on medical marijuana, this guy is smart enough to know that this stuff should be available at the liquor store. - doomsquirrel, on 10/12/2007, -4/+33yeah, but :
10. Americans get even fatter!
11. Heart disease and diabetes increase, driving up health care costs further.
12. Toking fatties die, undertakers get rich faster. (Profit?)
You're probably an undertaker. - isntreal, on 10/12/2007, -1/+30For the first time I actually feel motivated to support & campaign for a politician. (and I don't even smoke pot)
- leftfoot, on 10/12/2007, -2/+31Yea, I've been a Ron Paul advocate for a while. Ron Paul and Mike Gravel are the only two who are worth voting for, they actually care about your freedom.
- Neiby, on 10/12/2007, -2/+30I'm pretty sure you don't know what the term "yes man" means, |ant|.
- bloqmon, on 10/12/2007, -3/+29@stonewall
I'm sorry but you are wrong. The reason people are upset about marijuana being illegal is not purely because they enjoy using it. It is because of the ignorance of the US government disallowing the FDA to research cannabis as it does any other substance. Marijuana is the ONLY substance that has been voted on instead of passing through the FDA. Why can't the FDA use science to determine whether or not cannabis is harmful, and whether it is harmful enough to be made illegal? This is what the FDA is there for. See this mission statement found on the FDA website:
"The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation. The FDA is also responsible for advancing the public health by helping to speed innovations that make medicines and foods more effective, safer, and more affordable; and helping the public get the accurate, science-based information they need to use medicines and foods to improve their health."
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/morechoices/mission.html
This fight is also about our rights. We SHOULD have the right to consume anything that we wish. It is not the government's place to tell us what to think, so why should it be the government's place to tell me what I can consume?
I won't even get into the immense failure that is the war on drugs except to mention that it has done nothing but drain our country of money and life.
Another interesting piece of information, hemp is an incredibly useful plant. Our forefathers knew this and there was a time in Virginia when you could pay taxes with hemp. Oh how far we've come. - bronstad, on 10/12/2007, -2/+28stonewall, i thought about it before digging you down,
there are too many people dead or in jail because of drug laws.
people die because of crack, meth, heroin. they shouldn't die or be jailed for weed. - orielbean, on 10/12/2007, -0/+24I'm married to my chair 8 hours a day. I suppose it should be recognized with some sort of civil union or common law marriage at this point.
- NikoKun, on 10/12/2007, -3/+25http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KyFRyxZp-s
Direct link to the video interview... MUST SEE!
He's right, we need to get rid of income tax, and use the far better alternatives, and we need to decriminalize drugs, and go about this is in a much more logical manor. Helping people and raising responsibility and awareness... while still giving people the right to choose what they want to do. Sending people to prison, helps no one except those that own the prison stocks... XD - Neiby, on 10/12/2007, -2/+24Look at his website. He may be a Democrat but he is not a liberal. He's more of a left-leaning libertarian.
- jbacon, on 10/12/2007, -3/+25So Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, and Mike Gravel have all said they would legalize/ decriminalize marijuana?
Now to make sure one of these candidates win... - flashingcurser, on 10/12/2007, -3/+20Question for the nay-sayers:
Is the purpose of our government (as the founding fathers wanted it) to keep us safe or to keep us free? Pick one. - TKDEE, on 10/12/2007, -5/+22I know that there are a lot of strange laws out there, but I didn't realize eating your own feces was illegal.
- pkonink, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17I agree, the first election was a complete sham. The second election was as well, but the puppet-masters were already in power so barely anyone heard about it.
Why do you think the 8 judges were fired? They refused to hear cases brought against Democrat electioneers that were found to be in the range from trumped-up to outright false. Bush flexed his muscles through Gonzales (the torture apologist) to fire them. - mykool, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16Look out guys this could be the ol' divide and conquer tactic. Paul vs. Gravel this early on will only destroy each others chances of making it to the big ticket.
- Vermifax, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14Gravel had me at "Some of these people up here scare me...".
- kgorczyn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15@groovemaster
Yes they are that stupid, those Bush bumpers stickers did not appear on vechicles without them knowing.... - swiharta, on 10/12/2007, -4/+18A can't imagine a better candidate, unless he was a bit younger. Unfortunately, he has too much faith in the American people, at least at this point in our history. We the people who re-elected G.W. Bush! Everything I've heard him say gives me chills and I get excited, but then this is subdued by realizing America will bury a great leader like this in favor of another war monger with limitless campaign funds derived from private interests, and who dances around every issue, so as to not associate themselves with ANYTHING, other than TV exposure.
- haveacigar, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15Well if he does become president it wont be long before it becomes legal in the UK...
Tony Blair sucks big American presidential balls - gmason08, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12@zephris-Just do your part to make sure by Nov 08 it is a choice between Paul or Gravel and either way it will be a vast improvement.
Also, for you Gravel supporters please consider helping Ron Paul if/when he needs assistance getting invited to Debates as most RP supporters helped Mike Gravel overcome CNN's attempt to keep him out of that debate.
The most important thing is we do not end up with:
Corruption vs Corruption
Rather than:
Honest vs Honest - john2kx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Why is everyone so worried that this will make him unelectable? He's the only candidate in years who expresses his true opinions on the issues, instead of saying whatever he thinks the American public wants to hear..
Let's not worry about whether he's "electable or unelectable" or what you think other voters might think of him.. I'll make it simple for everyone: if you like him, vote for him.. This way, if enough people like him, he'll get elected, instead of ending up with another deuchebag who says something and then does something else. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13Yeah I went there and it just told me to masturbate.
Now what? - kushed, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15This guy NEEDs to be our next president. I was overwhelmed by his common sense.
- assortedg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11@stonewal
Well I don't do drugs, but I do think that drug reform is a priority in this country due to the fact that I hate voting for a politician that would support a policy that would put some of my closest friends in jail for doing something that at worst hurts only themselves and at best does no harm, no matter how much I support said politician's views on other issues. Though maybe stonewal should get arrested for weed to help change his mind on how important this is....
As for folks saying this makes people unelectable, please don't eat from the media's plate for your talking points. If a candidate came around that spoke honestly and people believed in, the media would attack him out of fear, but maybe enough of us would actually vote for once to help get him in, or at least shake things up.
Change is only going to happen if we bother to get off our asses, and don't stay so complacent about this crap. - writh3n, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11I've never given money to a politician, but I just donated enough for Mike to buy himself a quarter of swag.
- Burguois, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13I've never really understood why it isn't legalized yet. *****, legalize marijuana and you can get any motion passed provided you advertise it with a giant, talking bag of chips.
- 15charmaxwtf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10@jcm267
His position is that he wants a proper inquiry into 9/11 (like lots of people) this does not even imply that he thinks the government did it..
I've seen edited clips from "truthers" on youtube who cut the video so it sounds like he is a conspiricy nut. - frodsteamin2, on 10/12/2007, -8/+18damn hit one for me, nice list
- TKDEE, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9I don't think the republicans have held the "conservative implementation of federal power" philosophy for a while. The Bush administration is anything but conservative with federal power.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9For the nay sayers.... until we TRY to change the government by voting for radicals, it will never happen. Each time we try, we inch closer and closer to what this country is supposed to be about. Keep sticking with the highest paid candidate, and we will never be a true democratic society.
- skyfire1, on 10/12/2007, -2/+112009 may be my first joint. :)
- Tallon29, on 10/12/2007, -6/+15The only thing that might prevent me from supporting Gravel at this point is his stance on gun control/conceal carry permits. As long as he doesn't plan to screw with our right to bear arms, I'm all for him.
Anyone know where he stands on this?
Thanks -
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