MIKE GRAVEL: IRAQ’S OIL IS NOT WORTH THE LIFE OF ONE MORE AMERICAN
DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MIKE GRAVEL: “IRAQ’S OIL IS NOT WORTH THE LIFE OF ONE MORE AMERICAN.”
In first Presidential forum, former senator lays out plan for ‘constitutional confrontation’ to end the Iraq War.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
MIKE GRAVEL FOR PRESIDENT
Carson City, NV – In the first Democratic Presidential Forum held
yesterday in Carson City,
former senator Mike Gravel laid out his plan to end the Iraq War which calls
for Congress to pass a law declaring the Iraq War over.
Speaking to a packed room of jubilant AFSCME union members,
Gravel laid out his objections to the war. “I objected to this war from the
beginning. In the spring of 2002 I went on TV and told the American people, ‘(George
Bush’s) lips are moving but he’s lying to you the way Lyndon Johnson lied to us
30 years ago. Iraq's
oil is not worth the life on one more American.”
“We’ll never make it with politics as usual. The democratic
leaders are giving cover to the Republicans. The Congress has the right to
declare war and the right to end it.”
He went on explain his plan to end the war.
“We need a constitutional confrontation between the
Congress, the President, and the American people. Once the Congress passes the
law to end the war it will be vetoed. Leader Reid can bring it up every day and
let the Republicans whither on the vine. They will cave. We can get out of Iraq under 6
months with this scenario.” He said.
“We’re too busy carrying the burden of the military industrial
complex. We Americans have been drugged with fear for the last 50 years.”
Gravel also discussed his plan to abolish the IRS and the
Income Tax.
“Our current form of taxation is unfair to the working
people of this country. It’s the most regressive, unfair tax system in the
world. It created the rust belt. We need to do away with it.” When pressed by
questioner George Stephanopoulos,
the senator responded, “I’m wearing a $250 suit. Yours cost $2,000. You would
therefore pay a higher tax on your suit than I would mine.”
When the senator was questioned on whether or not he supported
campaign finance reform, he responded, “Is the Pope Catholic? All these
candidates opting out of matching funds, I’m trying to opt in. All I need is
$10,000 and I can win with that. Believe me.”
Senator Gravel wrapped up the appearance by promoting his
plan for direct democracy; the National Initiative.
“People who acquire power are not want to share it with the
people from whom they acquire it. You are theauthority on your life. For the
first time in US
history we can at last have a government that is not just for the people and of
the people, but truly by the people.”
Contact Alexander Colvin
- Login to post comments
Comments
Agreed.
Submitted on May 10th, 2007 by Ted NationI pity anyone who does not agree with this.
----------------------------------------
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29czSGSPE7k
How to win!
Submitted on March 15th, 2007 by getzelFirst, Drudge posting CNN's "shutout" clued me in to look you up! If the minimum price of oil were $1.60/gallon...war ends we win! Connect the dots: 1)*ethanol distillery investors (free markets) need protection from OPEC 50 cent per gallon gasoline predator pricing...and they (the free market) will build. (monopolies can be trusted to lower the price long enough to bankrupt the competition). 2)* In the 1990s Archer Daniel Midland made millions selling fuel ethanol for $1/gallon. *3) Brazil's ethanol energy independent -Gm, Fords, Toyotas come from the Brazilian assembly plants running on ethanol...physics do not change at the equator. *4) Mideast OPEC countries export almost nothing except oil (oil for dollars for weapons) break the cartel...end their funding source. The oil money spent in madrasas is brainwashing tomorrows recruits/suicides.
Doing the Right Thing...
Submitted on March 1st, 2007 by thbogeymannWhat is Senator Gravel's position on this issue?
It calls out for more than just a "position"...
Please Read:
"The Court Martial Mistrial of Lt. Watada"
http://tinyurl.com/2dyasz
My comment: If you truly wish to stop the war, this is the way to do it. Put this issue before the American People. Soldiers as per the Nuremberg trials, have a duty both to determine the moral, ethical and legal status of any order they receive, and to refuse unlawful orders. If the soldiers are denied their unalienable right to refuse orders they deem to be unlawful, technically the government and the military forfeit their jurisdictional authority. Any candidate wishing to distance themselves from this issue and shirk their responsibility to promote the observance and enforcement of international treaty law (and protocols), in my opinion is unfit for political office. And if the American people at large decide to side with the military against the individual soldier, they will clearly deserve what they end up with.
Some very nefarious things going on with this trial, what the government (Military / Pentagon) is pushing appears to be violating domestic as well as international law. It is very deserving of being exposed. Military personnel should not be kept in the dark, nor should the government be keeping secrets from the people.
I would like to see if Senator Gravel has what it takes to put the other candidates on the spot in a big and productive way.
As for finding a legislative solution...
Most members of the legislative branch of government are followers (of polls) , not leaders (of opinion). With recent polls split 50/50 on the Iraq issue, and a weak-knee afflicted 30% in the so called "anti-war camp", you just can not expect a real "constitutional" showdown between the houses of congress and the executive branch. Add that to the obvious commercial theft of Iraqi oil in progress, it fosters very low opinion worldwide of the "US" government and the American people at large.
It very much is an issue deserving of immediate action.
I remember a bumper sticker from the '60's:
"What if they gave a war and no one came?"
Let's get out NOW !!!
Constitution
Submitted on February 25th, 2007 by MadieWhen I was a little girl, I was raised to believe in our contitution and believe that our Government would hold our constitution next to their hearts. As I grew older and more aware of life, I still thought that our Government still held high regards to our nation. Today, the only thing our Government is holding dear to their hearts is, our demise.
They are killing us with food, drugs, money, war, crimes, deadly air, deadly water and anything you can mention.
Mike Gravel, are you really able to change things? The power and money corruption in Washington and all over the world, seems to me to be a very major task.
I wish you would answer personally to some of the comments and questions.
To Madie
Submitted on February 27th, 2007 by alexThank you for your very honest comments. It is indeed difficult to imagine that our Constitution is not being upheld. When our leaders have indeed been corrupted by corporate money, and no longer have our best interest in mind we all suffer.
The US has tremendous influence in the world and when our country leads, others follow. With strong leadership and moral authority I believe that we can fix so much of what is wrong. We need to put people and the environment first, not corporations and special interests. Senator Gravel takes no money from these institutions and has no loyalty to them. He will put people first. It is his record. He doesn't know any other way to govern.
Alex
Gravel 08
no end in sight
Submitted on March 14th, 2007 by ndo/*
i hate to say this but i see no end to this war.
1. it's a low intensity conventional war.
2. people at the highest level don't think like the rest regular people.
3. too many stupid people who are willing to fight.
=================================
* Low intensity conventional war:
=================================
Wars are terrible, global wars like ww1, ww2... destroys economy and ww3 could end us all. But low intensity conflict is viewed by some economist as good for the encomy.
what is an economy basically... it is the exchange of products and goods. all economy needs a driver which is basically the basic wants and needs of people.
if everyone had a magic box that gave you the basic things: food/water, clothing, and shelter.
you could just interact with your magic box and not bother to deal with anyone. everyone in the world could become hermits and there would be NO economy.
no need for money, exchange, trade... the normal things that economy and people do.
So a low intensity war is a good driver for the economy.. war only gets bad when things spiral out of control and a small low intensity conflict becomes a big global conflagration.
=================================
* People at the highest level of power:
=================================
people at the highest level dont deal with the day to day struggle of daily life, they deal with the day to day struggle of daily power.
a low intensity war which is good for the economy will give those in power a cause to rally, and a motivation to unite like minded people.
if you are thinking hey those republican sobs... no im not talking about just bush and the neo-cons. i am talking about everyone else:
* namely the anti war democrats trying to get power
* also the anti war libertarians trying to get power
* also the anti war faction x... trying to get power
* the pro war business selling products and services
* the anti war business selling books and services
the war is a cause, it gathers like minded people to gether and form power groups. it's a tool to the people at the very top.
to simply end it would end the game. there would be an opertunity lost.
i am not also talking about people in our goverment, i am talking about the iraqs, iranians, the saudies, the israilies...
everyone a the highest level has a reason to keep the war going... and no reasons to stop it.
===============================================
* Too many stupid people who are willing to fight:
===============================================
Ok this is where i have to take off the gloves. At the highest level, the crafty power hungry people look at the world in a macro sense.
what is good or what is bad looking at things 10000 feet in the air.
In all society there are undesireable elements of the society. violent people who would kill and mame.
If left on their own, they could gather and form a militant force to overthrow the existing social system.
The nazi's had the same view, but they took the straight forward paths, they just made gas chambers and cooked people they did not like and did not want to see reproduce.
At the highest level, those in powers see war as a natural selection of the stupid and violent.
Only violent stupid people volunteer to fight. Thus the iraq war was created and continued.
Thus a war is to kill our own stupid and violent people in our own country.
This view is universally accepted by other middle east too. The arab nations of the middle east have an over abundance of people who are poor and unemployed.
Rather than feeding, clothing, and educating them, it is far easier to rally them to a cause and get them killed in a war.
at the highest level, those in power think the oil is important, the people who just happen to live there are not.
Bush talks about finishing the mission... but what is the mission?
If you have not figured it out, the mission is to kill and get kill.
So this war will not end... until there are no more stupid people left in america or the middle east.