Couple of quick points, since that is all I have time for.
Today, I voted for a third party candidate. I wrote in Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate. I feel very strongly that not voting for either Romney or Obama is the best decision we as citizens can make in this election. The following are the primary reasons I refused to vote for either candidate.
- Both the Republican controlled House and the Democrat controlled Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act. Obama then preceded to sign it into law.
- The problem with this act is that it allows for the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens that our government deems as terrorists.
- This in essence means that you or I could be detained without charge or trail indefinitely. Effectively bypassing Habeas Corpus, which is in the Constitution. (Article 1, Section 9, Clause 2)
- The current administration has assassinated a U.S. citizen abroad, without charge or trail. Granted Romney has not done this, but up to this point he has not said he objects to this new practice.
- This assassination was of a terrorist, but he was a U.S. citizen. The precedent this sets is remarkable.
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/05/us-targeted-killings-eric-holder_n_1320515.html
- The current administration has escalated the the use of drones abroad. Use of drones in a nation we are at war with is understandable. The use of drones wherever we please is a scary new front. Currently we are using drones in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. Oh, and we are now using them on ourselves. Again, Romney has failed to say he would do anything different.
- Our drone war in Pakistan is despicable. We have killed nearly 200 children. Our drones employ what is known as the "double tap", this means we blow up the target. Then, when first responders come to rescue the injured, we destroy the target again. Again, Romney has yet to differ.
So, these are only four reasons against voting for either Romney or Obama. I realize that no candidate will ever completely fit my exact criteria, but at some point there is a line that must be drawn in the sand. I feel that our government has currently jumped over that line in the name of counter-terrorism. Trampling on the Constitution and killing innocents abroad is unacceptable, I don't care who it is. I refuse to vote for a person that approves/practices these methods.
Additionally, I understand that people will disagree with me and I welcome that discussion. I believe a large problem facing the U.S. is the polarization of the electorate. Currently, many people refuse to have a dialogue with people opposite of themselves, which I feel should change. We like to divide ourselves as left vs right, republican vs democrat, pro-economy vs pro-environment, hawk vs dove. People need to stop this, often times we as a nation agree on a number of things and are willing to compromise on the things we disagree on. Sit down and have a beer (or coffee, wine, grapejuice, etc.) with the people who have differing opinions and you'll probably find that you agree with a lot of things they have to say.
