President Bush's
Saturday Morning Radio Address
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Another Perspective:
"Liberty Under God"
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| THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This Tuesday is Election Day. After months of spirited debate and vigorous campaigning, the time has come for Americans to make important decisions about our Nation's future. I encourage all Americans to go to the polls and vote. |
The decisions voters make on Election Day will not change America's future. America's future will be changed only if Americans begin working to repudiate the "results" of Election Day. |
| Election season brings out the spirit of competition between our political parties, and that competition is an essential part of a healthy democracy. But as the campaigns come to a close, Republicans, Democrats, and independents can find common ground on at least one point: Our system of representative democracy is one of America's greatest strengths. |
Both major parties are working together -- not competing. They both want to perpetuate their own power. Neither wants to return to the original ideals of America.
Democracy was considered to be an evil by America's Founding Fathers. |
| The United States was founded on the belief that all men are created equal. Every Election Day, millions of Americans of all races, religions, and backgrounds step into voting booths throughout the Nation. Whether they are rich or poor, old or young, each of them has an equal share in choosing the path that our country will take. And every ballot they cast is a reminder that our founding principles are alive and well. |
Voting does not determine the path our country takes. We've talked about Bush's use of "our" and "nation" when he really means "the government." Voting will not perceptibly alter the direction the federal government will take. Especially in the race for President, the candidates for the two major parties have no intention of radically reducing the size, scope and power of government at all levels and on all issues, and neither candidate opposes increasing the size, scope or power of government at any level or for any purpose. |
| Voting is one of the great privileges of American citizenship, and it has always required brave defenders. As you head to the polls next week, remember the sacrifices that have been made by generations of Americans in uniform to preserve our way of life. From Bunker Hill to Baghdad, the men and women of American Armed Forces have been devoted guardians of our democracy. All of us owe them and their families a special debt of gratitude on Election Day. |
The troops in Baghdad do not preserve the ideal of every American dwelling safely under his own Vine & Fig Tree.
We should mourn with the families of those who died in vain. |
| Americans should also remember the important example that our elections set throughout the world. Young democracies from Georgia and Ukraine to Afghanistan and Iraq can look to the United States for proof that self-government can endure. And nations that still live under tyranny and oppression can find hope and inspiration in our commitment to liberty. |
The government of Georgia will not allow the people of Ossetia to be free and independent. The Ukrainian government will not let the people of Crimea be free and independent. Afghanistan will never be free and independent until they become a nation "under God," that is, a Christian nation. |
| For more than two centuries, Americans have demonstrated the ability of free people to choose their own leaders. Our Nation has flourished because of its commitment to trusting the wisdom of our citizenry. In this year's election, we will see this tradition continue. And we will be reminded once again that we are blessed to live in a free nation guided by the will of the people. |
John McCain was not the choice of "the people" of the Republican Party. He was the choice of the party leadership. The mainstream media did everything they could to derail the candidacy of Ron Paul and especially his message. Our nation's policies are not guided by a majority of the People. |
| Thank you for listening. |
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- Gene Callahan
- Your Right Not To Vote
Exercise it while you still can.
- Rock the Non-Vote, Part 1
- Rock the Non-Vote, Part 2
Not voting is a blow to the state and the establishment.
- Wally Conger
- Forget Voting
But whom will you root for? Article by Wally Conger.
- Don't Vote
Wally Conger's anti-electorate manifesto.
- Thomas DiLorenzo
- Don't Vote
It's the patriotic thing to do, says Thomas DiLorenzo.
- Brian Dunaway
- Voting Is Immoral
- Don't Vote
You'll only help legitimize the criminal gang running the country, says Brian Dunaway.
- The Voting Blues
Brian Dunaway on the trouble with democracy.
- Brad Edmonds
- Voting Is Evil
Abstaining is good, says Brad Edmonds.
- Anthony Gregory
- Go Ahead, Cancel the Election
There would be silver linings to such a usurpation, says Anthony Gregory.
- Voting for the Lesser of Two Police States
Anthony Gregory on the election.
- Paul Hein
- Don't Do It!
Vote, that is.
- J. H. Huebert
- Every Vote is Wasted
- Ira Katz
- A Vote for Not Voting
We need voter de-registration drives, says Ira Katz.
- Robert Klassen
- Your Vote Counts
But only in the marketplace, says Robert Klassen.
- Vote for the Leader of the Gang?
No thanks, says Robert Klassen.
- Turn Your Back
On the 2004 elections, says Robert Klassen.
- Don't Vote
It makes you culpable.
- Al Lowi
- The Vanishing Voter
Al Lowi says, Hurray.
- Benjamin Marks
- Americans Are Free Not To Vote
We in Australia are not, says Benjamin Marks.
- Wendy McElroy
- Be Responsible: Don't Vote
Don't be a conformist, says Wendy McElroy.
- Bob Murphy
- Hey, Voters
Don't.
- Still Don't Vote
Bob Murphy responds to his critics.
- Picking Neither of Two Evils
Picking Neither of Two Evils, Part II
Bob Murphy on the irrationality of voting.
- Don't Cancel the Election!
It would be a nightmare, despite the trouble with mass democracy, says Bob Murphy.
- Don't Let the Feds Postpone the Election
Unless you want Occupied America, says Bob Murphy.
- Michael Peirce
- Heads They Win, Tails You Lose
Michael Peirce on the election.
- Fred Reed
- The Con Game Called Democracy
Voting is a public display of weak character and low intelligence, says Fred Reed. (And see Hoppe.)
- Mark Reynolds
- Why I Don't Vote
Mark Reynolds on a waste of time for you that pleases the government.
- Jeremy Sapienza
- Vote?
Are you kidding?
- Bretigne Shaffer
- Don't Vote
Indeed, don't participate in politics at all. Article by Bretigne Shaffer.
- Butler Shaffer
- Bush or Kerry?
Butler Shaffer on how to decide.
- Elect a Donkey
No, no. A real one.
- Why I Do Not Vote
Politics is evil, says Butler Shaffer.
- John Seiler
- Alien vs. Predator
John Seiler on election 2004.
- Russ Stein
- Ignore the Campaign Too
Not voting is only the first step, says Russell Stein.
- Mark Thornton
- Don't Vote, or Vote 3rd Party
Both are right, says Mark Thornton.
- Mark Westcott
- Stay Home on November 2
Mark Westcott goes over a few of the reasons.
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Does Voting Matter?
Should You Vote At All?
A Non-Voting Bibliography
Compiled by Wilton Alston
For general theory on non-voting and political party involvement, see:
- the late Samuel Edward Konkin III, so-called agorist, founder of The Movement of the Libertarian Left, author of The New Libertarian Manifesto (PDF), editor of the magazine New Libertarian, coiner (in 1971) of the term “minarchy.”
- the late Robert LeFevre, founder of the Freedom School and Rampart College .
- Ronald N. Neff, editor of the (currently exclusively online) magazine The Last Ditch.
- George H. Smith, Carl Watner, and Wendy McElroy (her website), the three founders of the magazine The Voluntaryist (old web site), currently edited by Watner.
For specific articles on non-voting (with some pro-con debate), see:
- Wilton D. Alston, “Legitimizing Voting: A Modest Proposal”, Strike-the-Root.com.
- Anonymous, “Why I Refuse to Register (to Vote or Pay Taxes)”, The Voluntaryist, no. 100 (October 1999). (Also available here.)
- Raymond William [“Bill”] Bradford, “Voting Is No Sin”, Liberty, November 1996. (A response to McElroy’s “Why I Would Not Vote…Even Against Hitler”)
- Richard O. Hammer, “Is it Wise to Vote? Getting My Head Ready for Freedom”
- Jacob G. Hornberger, “Five Questions to Ronald N. Neff”, With Mr. Ronald N. Neff’s reply, “Ron Neff replies.” The Last Ditch, February 3, 2002 .
- Samuel Edward Konkin III, “The Damnation of Bill Bradford”, New Libertarian. (A response to Bradford ’s “Voting Is No Sin”)
- Roderick T. Long, “Dismantling Leviathan from Within. Part I: Can We? Should We?”, Formulations, vol. 2, no. 4 (Issue no. 8) (Summer 1995). (Also available here.)
- Roderick T. Long, “Dismantling Leviathan from Within. Part II: The Process of Reform”, Formulations, vol. 3, no. 1 (Issue no. 9) (Autumn 1995). (Also available here.)
- Roderick T. Long, “Dismantling Leviathan from Within. Part III: Is Libertarian Political Action Self-Defeating?”, Formulations, vol. 3, no. 2 (Issue no. 10) (Winter 1995–1996). (Also available here.)
- Roderick T. Long, “Dismantling Leviathan from Within. Part IV: The Sons of Brutus.” Formulations, vol. 3, no. 3 (Issue no. 11) (Spring 1996). (Also available here.)
- Wendy McElroy, “Neither Bullets nor Ballots”, The Voluntaryist, no. 1 (October 1982). (Also available here.) Reprinted (“in slightly alterered form”) as Introduction to Carl Watner, Wendy McElroy & George H. Smith, Neither Bullets nor Ballots: Essays on Voluntaryism (Voluntaryists, 1983). (Also available here.)
- Wendy McElroy, “Climbing Off the Bandwagon”, The Voluntaryist, no. 3 (February 1983). (Also available here and here.)
- Wendy McElroy, “Why I Would Not Vote…Even Against Hitler”, Liberty, May 1996. Reprinted in The Voluntaryist, no. 85 (April 1997). (Reprint version also available here and here.)
- Stefan Molyneux, “My Son: Klan Reformer”, Strike-the-Root.com. (This is a personal favorite of mine.)
- Ronald N. Neff, “Oh, sure . . . your vote matters!” The Last Ditch, November 8, 2000 .
- Ronald N. Neff, “Why I am not a Libertarian”, The Last Ditch, November 28, 2000 .
- Ronald N. Neff, “Ron Paul’s Gift”, The Last Ditch, September 19, 2001 .
- Ronald N. Neff, “Fifty Ron Pauls and the Government with Only One Law”, The Last Ditch, September 19, 2001 . Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.
- Hans Sherrer, “Non-Voting as an Act of Secession”, The Voluntaryist, no. 114 (3rd Quarter 2002). (Also available here.)
- George H. Smith, “The Ethics of Voting — Part I”, The Voluntaryist, no. 1 (October 1982). (Also avaliable here.)
- George H. Smith, “The Ethics of Voting — Part II”, The Voluntaryist, no. 2 (December 1982). (Also available here.)
- George H. Smith, “The Ethics of Voting — Part III”, The Voluntaryist, no. 4 (April 1983). (Also available here.)
- George H. Smith, “Party Dialogue”, New Libertarian, vol. IV, no. 8 (December 1980–February 1981). Reprinted in Carl Watner, Wendy McElroy & George H. Smith, Neither Bullets nor Ballots: Essays on Voluntaryism (Voluntaryists, 1983).
- Joe Sobran. “How to Vote for Liberty”, Sobran’s: The Real News of the Month,
- October 26, 2004 . Reprinted in The Voluntaryist, no. 126 (3rd quarter 2005). (Reprint version also available here.)
- Geoff Turecek. “An Open Letter to Voters: Please Don't”, Strike-the-Root.com.
- Carl Watner. “Cultivate Your Own Garden: No Truck with Politics”, The Voluntaryist, no. 40 (October 1989). (Also available here.)
- Carl Watner. “Harry Browne — Have You Forgotten?: "The Lesser of Two Evils is Still Evil"”, The Voluntaryist, no. 85 (April 1997). (Also available here.)
- Carl Watner. “Is Voting an Act of Violence?” The Voluntaryist, no. 103 (April 2000). (Also available here.) Even more articles may be reached via online repositories:
- The Against Politics Web page “The Calculus of Voting”
- The LewRockwell.com Non-Voting Archive. (Butler Shaffer, among others, has some great stuff in this archive!)
- The No Treason Voting Archive.
- The Strike The Root Non-Voting Archive. (Several, but not all, of the articles noted here can be found in this archive!)
- The Voluntaryist’s list of “Additional essays related to non-voting and The Dissenting Electorate.”
- Books on non-voting include:
- Sy Leon. None of the Above: The Lesser of Two Evils . . . Is Evil. (With an Introduction by Harry Browne.) Fabian Publishing Co., 1976.
- Sy Leon. None of the Above: Why Non-Voters Are America’s Political Majority. 2nd ed., rev. ed. (re-titled) with a new Introduction by John Pugsley. Fox & Wilkes, 1996.
- Carl Watner, Wendy McElroy & George H. Smith. Neither Bullets nor Ballots: Essays on Voluntaryism. Voluntaryists, 1983. (See also, The Voluntaryist bibliography.)
- Carl Watner, ed. I Must Speak Out: The Best of The Voluntaryist 1982–1999 (PDF). San Francisco, California: Fox & Wilkes, 1999. Table of Contents and Other Material.
- Carl Watner with Wendy McElroy, eds. Dissenting Electorate: Those Who Refuse to Vote and the Legitimacy of Their Opposition (Introduction Only) (Also available here.) McFarland & Company, 2000. Table of Contents, along with some other material, available here.
Kevin Craig's Platform:
What Would America's Founding Fathers Do?
The men who threw tea into the Boston Harbor over a tax of 3 pence per pound would not be happy with a tax ten times greater on every gallon of gas. Those who took up muskets over a total tax burden of less than 3% would not be happy with the fact that the federal government now takes more than half of everything you earn.
Today it is illegal for public school teachers to teach their students that the Declaration of Independence is really true (and not just an outdated historical document). The federal government is clearly at war with everything the Founding Fathers stood for.
America's greatest Americans would abolish today's federal government.
Muskets are Not an Option
There are two reasons why we should not take up arms to pull off the violent overthrow of the federal government, even if America's Founders would surely do so. First, the feds have nukes. Second, violent revolution is unChristian and unBiblical. We must beat our swords into plowshares and use persuasion to abolish tyranny. This is time for a revolution of ideas.
Revolution Won't Come in a Day
John Adams once wrote that the American Revolution began in 1761, when Massachusetts attorney James Otis began legal challenges to the Writs of Assistance. He lost the case, but "American independence," Adams wrote, "was then and there born." Now do the math. That means it took 15 years to convince the rest of America to declare Independence (1776). Then another seven years of war was required before a Peace Treaty was signed (1783), and
then six years before the Constitution was finally ratified (1789). That's almost 30 years. (And Jefferson said we shouldn't go 20 years without another rebellion!) How can we hope to convince Americans to fight for principles they were never taught in government schools? We need to be in this battle for the long term. "Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty."
The Internet Can Speed up the Revolution
Here are ways you can help.
Support This Campaign
Send emails. Find out how this free tool can change everything.
Revenge:
Vote Against Every Politician Who Voted for the Bailout, No Matter What
Communicating with Government and Media
- Contact Congress -- this is from the JBS website, powered by "CapWiz," from Capitol Advantage. Lots of organizations use capwiz. If you don't want to go through the JBS, search for capwiz on Google and find another organization that uses it.
Notice that you can also contact media through this webpage.
- Action E-List
Sign up for the JBS Action E-List and be notified when you can make a critical difference on important issues.
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Make Congress Read Their Bills Before Voting
Make Congress read every word of every bill they create before they vote on it.
Urge your Representative and your Senators to sponsor DownsizeDC.org's “Read the Bills Act” (RTBA). |
TWIC - A Backdoor Real ID Card
Real ID is dying. But the Department of Homeland Security has a new plan to subject every American to a national ID card anyway. They plan to pick off one occupational field at a time, starting with the maritime industry. One man is fighting back. Meet him, and help stop this backdoor Real ID plan.
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Stop the Killer Horse Hormones
The FDA "outlawed" the use of Estriol, an estrogen medication that's bio-identical to human estrogen. Doctors must now prescribe animal-derived estrogen instead. Are bio-identical hormones dangerous, while animal-derived hormones are safe? No. The practice of medicine is moving to chemically identical to human hormones and away from animal hormones. Learn why the FDA decided to endanger women's health in this way, and take action. |
End Asset Forfeiture
If the government suspects you used your house or car in a crime, they can take it and sell it at auction. They don't even have to prove your guilt. They call this practice civil asset forfeiture, but it's really theft. It violates the 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th and 14th Amendments. It also encourages law enforcement to put profits before justice. Tell Congress to end civil asset forfeiture.
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Support an Iraq Referendum
Americans keep debating when, how, or if to leave Iraq. Maybe we should ask the Iraqi people what they want. After all, it's their country. Tell Congress to request that the Iraqi government hold a public referendum on the U.S. occupation. Learn more »
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"Cap and Trade" is not the way
The politicians seem to be unifying around "cap and trade" as a way to cut CO2 emissions. If they take this step it may be the largest increase in the size, scope, and intrusiveness of government since the creation of Medicare. Worse still, it may not even achieve its purpose. Please tell Congress to oppose "cap and trade." Learn more »
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Iraq Waste
Big government prospers through failure. Each new failure is used to justify more spending and new powers. Wasteful spending in Iraq is the latest example. One way to change this is to hold government accountable. A new bill in Congress seeks to provide some of the needed accountability. Please support it. Learn more »
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Stop the War for Terror
U.S. policy has inflamed the Middle East. It has made terrorism more likely rather than less. We seem to be fighting a war for terror, rather than on terror. This policy must stop. The place to start stopping is with Iran. We must not attack Iran. War with Iran would devastate our economy, disrupt world oil supplies, and recruit more terrorists. Click here to stop this war before it starts.
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The Democrat Party Radio Address:
The The Democratic Radio Address was delivered by Barack Obama, the Democrat Party Presidential nominee. He made an extraordinary list of promises that cannot be kept by the federal government, and violate the Constitution even to try.
Click here for a replay of this edition of the Ozarks Virtual Town Hall
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