Thank you for your interest in my campaign!
- Why I am Running for Congress
- Why I Will Not Vote - Press Release
My Stand on the Issues
The Character of a Congressman
Contribute to the Campaign
 Does
the Libertarian Party Advocate Anarchism?- A presentation to the LP State Convention, Feb. 15, 2003
The message I am taking to the voters is simple:
Are you thinking,
- "Here we go again with more empty campaign slogans."
- "Oh, brother; another politician pandering to people who like the
Pledge of Allegiance."
I take the principle very seriously, more consistently, I believe, than
the other candidates. I believe it sums up the Constitutional principles that made
America "the greatest nation on God's green earth."
I'm committed to
- "Liberty"
because God has given us unalienable rights, which must not be violated by the
government.
- "Under God"
means:
- Liberty, but not license.
- Freedom and personal responsibility.
- Individual Rights and social duties.
Republicans worry that I am trying to get rid of too much government (Liberty:
"He's an Anarchist!"), while the Democrats
worry that I am trying to give government too much power (Under God:
"He's imposing a Theocracy!").
The confusion comes from a failure to understand the basic nature of the system
of government which once made America so respected and admired.
"Liberty Under God"
They say "Bad publicity is better than no
publicity at all." Let me give you a little bad publicity, in case
you haven't heard it already.
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I am running as the Libertarian Party
Candidate. Think of it as "The Liberty
Party." We believe in maximizing Individual Liberty.
Conservatives and Republicans tend to be frightened by the Libertarian
Agenda, which calls on Congress to re-legalize
drugs, for example. Conservatives believe that without lots of laws and
a strong police-state, chaos, crime and lawlessness will overwhelm us. I
believe such laws create more problems than they solve. You may even hear
someone say:
"Kevin Craig is some kind of Anarchist!"
or
"Kevin Craig believes in Abolishing All Government!"
"Everybody knows" that "anarchists" are bomb-throwing
assassins in search of chaos and destruction of private property. I
passionately oppose such destruction and disorder. Before I could join the
Libertarian Party, I had to
pledge:
I do not believe in or advocate the initiation of force as a means of
achieving political or social goals.
I believe in the peaceful resolution of disputes between people and between
"the People" and their government. If I have a product or an idea I
want to sell to the American people, I can use reason and eloquence, but not
force.
In our day, however, more than 90% of our government is the unconstitutional
initiation of force as a means of achieving the political or social goals of
special interests who could not achieve their goals by persuading the
rest of us to support them.
Kevin Craig is firmly committed as a matter of moral principle to oppose
such initiation of government force.
More on the charge of "anarchism." |
Here's more "bad publicity":
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I am a Christian. My allegiance to God will always be greater than my
allegiance to any State. I believe that religion
and morality, not the strong-arm of the State, keeps our houses safe and
our economy strong. Happily, every
single person who signed the U.S. Constitution was a Christian who
believed that America had a moral obligation to be a nation "under
God."
But some are not happy to hear me say that. You may even hear some say:
"Kevin Craig wants to impose a Theocracy on
America!"
Liberals and Democrats tend to be frightened by talk about God and
morality. They think anyone who believes that religion should have an impact
on law and politics is trying to establish some kind of
"theocracy."
More "bad publicity":
"Kevin Craig does not believe in The Separation of
Church and State!"
These accusations contradict the accusation above, that I am an
"anarchist." I am not out to impose any religion on anyone using the
coercive power of the State. As a Libertarian, I believe in maximizing
individual liberty for everyone: Christian, Jew, Moslem, Hindu, atheist and
agnostic alike. I would abolish all federal funds to all churches and all
religious organizations, as I would abolish federal funding of Secular
Humanist organizations. I unqualifiedly oppose the use of force against
people with religious views different from my own.
The word "Theocracy" means "ruled by God." A Theocracy
is a nation "under God." America is a nation "under
God," but not a nation under priests, churches, or
"ecclesiastical bodies" (to use the words of James Madison).
I do not believe in the modern concept of "separation of
church and state." This concept has been a disaster for America. I
believe in the concept which the Founding Fathers believed in, which might be
called "The Separation of Churches and State." The
modern concept no longer has much to do with the ecclesiastical bodies known
as "churches." Today the slogan "separation of church
and state" actually means "The Separation of God
and State." The Founding Fathers believed that the State was "under
God," not separate from God. When the State is separated from God,
the State IS god, or thinks it is.
America was established as a Christian nation, according to an
1892 opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court. Members of non-Christian religions
-- Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and others, as well as atheists and agnostics --
have more freedom and enjoy higher standards of living in a Christian nation
than they do in an Islamic nation or an atheistic nation. In and out of
Washington, I work harder and more effectively for the freedom and prosperity
of non-Christians than many of those same non-Christians do.
More on the charge of "theocracy." |
Why Bother Reading this Web Page?
The Republican incumbent in this race won the last election with a staggering 80%
of the vote. He has been the incumbent for over 20 years. He
already has over
a million dollars to spend in his campaign. On occasion the Democratic Party
doesn't even bother to run a candidate against him. This is what you call "a
safe district."
I have no illusions about going to Washington in 2003. Nevertheless,
Your vote for Kevin Craig will not be "wasted." It will
stand out like a sore thumb. Your vote will send a clear
message. This web site describes that message:
"Liberty Under God"
- The advantage of having an "anarchist"
working for you in Washington is that nobody is more passionate in defense of your
liberty. Republicans claim victory when they merely slow down
the rate of government growth and intervention. Libertarians won't
be satisfied until socialism is repudiated and government reduced to the size
intended by the Constitution.
- The advantage of having a defender of "Theocracy"
representing you in Washington is that nobody advocates the idea of personal
responsibility with more passion. Democrats advocate Government programs
of wealth transfer which are impersonal, bureaucratic, and imposed by force.
Libertarians are champions of self-government.
America was once a Libertarian nation
In 1831, the French political writer Alexis de Tocqueville visited the United
States of America, a nation which, in the eyes of today's Democrats and Republicans,
existed in a state of anarchy. The citizenry had deemed unnecessary such things as income
taxation, welfare bureaucracies, Social
Security, Medicare and Medicaid, public
schooling, drug wars, economic
regulations, gun control, and immigration
controls, but the poor were cared for, the elderly were respected, the
illiterate were educated, the streets were safe, and the economy was flourishing.
Tocqueville described the "anarchy" of Liberty Under God:
| The revolution of the United States was the result of a
mature and dignified taste for freedom, and not of a vague or ill-defined
craving for independence. It contracted no alliance with the turbulent
passions of anarchy; but its course was marked, on the contrary, by an
attachment to whatever was lawful and orderly.
It was never assumed in the United States that the citizen of a free
country has a right to do whatever he pleases; on the contrary, social
obligations were there imposed upon him more various than anywhere else.
No idea was ever entertained of attacking the principles or of contesting
the rights of society; but the exercise of its authority was divided, to
the end that the office might be powerful and the officer insignificant,
and that the community should be at once regulated and free. In no country
in the world does the law hold so absolute a language as in America, and
in no country is the right of applying it vested in so many hands. The
administrative power in the United States presents nothing either central
or hierarchical in its constitution, which accounts for its passing,
unperceived. The power exists, but its representative is not to be
perceived. |
Only the Libertarian Party has a clear and consistent program to return
government to the limited power the Founding Fathers intended it to have. Kevin
Craig will encourage people of faith and conscience to take personal responsibility
to solve pressing social problems without government force:
The Bible says "true
religion" is this:
To visit the fatherless and widows
in their affliction
James 1:27
"Compassion"
comes from two Latin words meaning "suffer with." True concern for the
poor means more than "I gave at the office." It means personal involvement
on a local level. Religion, not Washington D.C., has been the greatest ally of the
poor.
Public "virtue" is what protects
our rights to life, liberty and property, not
the Office of Homeland Security. The heroes of Flight
93 realized that the government was not going to protect them, and they took
personal responsibility to thwart the hijackers. Subsequent hijackings have been
prevented by similar acts of self-government, not by the elimination of curbside
check-in. The federal government owes the people of New York and the rest of
the world a profound apology for giving Osama bin Laden billions
of dollars in military assistance during the 1980's. Eliminating
domestic liberties is no way to atone for their failed interventionist foreign
policy. America's Founders followed clear principles of peaceful non-intervention:
The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations is
in extending our commercial relations to have with them as little political
connection as possible."
— Washington, Farewell Address (1796)
I deem [one of] the essential principles of our government, and
consequently [one] which ought to shape its administration … peace, commerce,
and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.
— Jefferson, First Inaugural Address (1801)
These simple policies led to America's greatness. They have been
abandoned by both Republicans and Democrats. Only Libertarians are willing to follow
these policies with principled consistency, even if, as a result, it may be a few
years before our candidates win a seat in Congress.
I advocate the replacement of inefficient bureaucratic government programs with
competitive, efficient Free Market approaches. My Stand
on the Issues is often my vision for comprehensive privatization,
one bureaucracy at a time. My favorite
issues:
The Character of a Congressman reflects my
continuing journey toward good character. It's a lifelong journey.
I have finished the course work for my Master's Degree in Law and Theology. My
thesis is a defense of "Anarcho-Theocracy."
If you're interested in lengthy footnoted academic discussions and ideas about the
distant future, click here.
Thank you very much for reading!
Kevin Craig
12314 Palm Dr. #107
Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240
Craig2002@justice.com
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