NIGHTWATCH
Member
What did I think of the debate?.... what debate?
Presidential Candidates Arrested, Media Silent - by Lex Concord
Is America still a free country?
What if some other country were having an election, and citizens were only allowed to hear from two government-approved candidates?
What if two other candidates, on the ballot in a majority of states and representing parties that drew over 3 million votes in the previous election, were arrested simply for trying to enter a debate?
What if all that happened, and the "watchdog" news media didn't tell the citizens about it?
Well, it happened in the good old US of A! Libertarian Michael Badnarik (on 49 state ballots) and Green David Cobb (on 28 state ballots), crossed a police line in St. Louis, and were arrested.
You would think that Fox News, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, and MSNBC would be all over this affront to the democratic process, but no, not a peep.
Badnarik was also attempting to serve the Commission on Presidential Debates with a "Show Cause Order," issued by an Arizona judge, requiring the CPD to appear at a hearing concerning the Libertarian Party's lawsuit to stop the upcoming debate at Arizona State University, as an illegal campaign contribution to Bush and Kerry, an unconstitutional use of Arizona state funds to support selected candidates, and a violation of the LP's equal protection rights, since they are a recognized political party in Arizona.
If this happened in some other country, what would we call them? Undemocratic? Human rights violations? Unbelievable?
If you think America is a free country, you are sadly mistaken. If you think the news media aren't controlled by the same people who control the Democrat and Republican parties, think again.
http://www.e-thepeople.org/article/35752/view
Libertarian presidential candidate arrested during planned political protest in St. Louis
Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik was arrested on Friday, Oct. 8, when he crossed a police line in a planned political protest at the St. Louis, Mo., debate between President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry.
Badnarik was attempting to serve the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) with a court order from an Arizona Superior Court judge. The judge had ordered a representative from the CPD to appear in court to prove that a debate scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 13, does not constitute special treatment for the Democrats and Republicans.
Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb also crossed the police line to demand access to the St. Louis debate, and was arrested. The two candidates were placed in handcuffs and taken to jail where they spent several hours before being released.
A few area residents who were simply trying to get home when they crossed the police lines were also arrested, witnesses said.
Badnarik was charged with two misdemeanor offenses -- trespassing and "refusing a reasonable request from a police officer" -- and was released without bond.
His court appearance for the charges is scheduled for December, and Stephen Gordon, communications director for the Badnarik campaign, said the candidate "hasn't decided whether he is going to contest the charge."
Earlier Friday, the Badnarik campaign had announced that either he would debate Kerry and Bush in St. Louis or he would go to jail.
"A majority of Americans say that I should be included in the events sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates," Badnarik said in the announcement. "And the CPD, as a non-profit, has received special treatment from government on the requirement that they be non-partisan in their activities."
But the CPD hasn't been non-partisan, Badnarik continued, saying that "bi-partisan" is not the same thing as "non-partisan."
"Unless I am allowed to participate, the debates become a massive campaign contribution to two of the candidates, illegal under the very campaign finance laws those two candidates have passed and signed as senator and president," he said.
"We'd have preferred to see John Kerry and George Bush stand up like men to debate the issues facing America," Gordon said.
"However, they have interposed the machinery of government between the American people and the honest debate which must precede any honest election. Now it's up to patriots like Michael Badnarik to force the issue."
The third Bush-Kerry debate, to be held at Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 13.
Libertarians in Arizona filed a lawsuit Oct. 1, claiming that the state constitution prohibits donations of taxpayer money to corporations like the CPD. As a public university -- funded by tax money -- the university should not contribute to the debate, the Libertarian Party of Arizona's lawsuit claims.
"There are three candidates on the ballot in Arizona [Bush, Kerry and Badnarik], and the university -- in collusion with an allegedly non-partisan, allegedly non-profit organization, is spending about $2 million to publicize the views of only two of them.," Gordon said.
On Oct. 8, Arizona Superior Court Judge Pendleton Gaines issued an "Order to Show Cause," calling for representatives of the university and the CPD "to show why a restraining order against the debate should not issue," said Jason Auvenshine, chairman of the Arizona LP.
University representatives have said they plan to use money from private grants and other non-public sources to fund the debate, which is expected to cost between $2 million and $2.5 million. As such, it wouldn't be publicly funded, they maintain.
But the Tempe, Ariz., City Council sent $20,000 to the university to be used for the debate, so public funds would still be used for the debate, Gordon said.
The Libertarians will also show the judge a letter signed by the co-chairmen of the CPD, stating that the university had spent "substantial resources on preparation."
The order was successfully served to the university by Joel Beckwith, a Badnarik supporter in Arizona.
Staff members from the Libertarian Party's national headquarters in Washington D.C. were able to serve the court order at the CPD office in DC. But later attempts to serve additional papers were rebuffed, when security officers refused to allow the Libertarians into their building or to bring CPD staff down from their office.
The paperwork was left in the building, though, and that -- combined with audio recording and photographs as evidence that they attempted to serve the papers -- was enough to satisfy the judge, who agreed to hold this morning's meeting, according to David Euchner, the attorney representing the Libertarian Party of Arizona in its lawsuit.
While some Libertarians disagreed with Badnarik's strategy, others said they thought his decision to cross the police line could be as significant as the civil disobedience demonstrated by Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights activists.
As David T. Terry of the Libertarian Party of Oregon said, "The world has always been changed by small acts of insignificant people whose courage and commitment to principles made their acts significant. I suggest that after tonight, the two-party system will never be the same!"
Libertarians are now eagerly awaiting the results of today's hearing with Judge Pendleton.
"We're asking for one of two things to happen," Gordon said. "We're asking for them to either shut down the debate, or reimburse the 17,000 registered Libertarian voters in the state of Arizona -- who have paid tax money that is paying for a debate from which they will not receive any benefit."
http://www.lp.org/lpnews/0411/arrest.html
Presidential Candidates Arrested, Media Silent - by Lex Concord
Is America still a free country?
What if some other country were having an election, and citizens were only allowed to hear from two government-approved candidates?
What if two other candidates, on the ballot in a majority of states and representing parties that drew over 3 million votes in the previous election, were arrested simply for trying to enter a debate?
What if all that happened, and the "watchdog" news media didn't tell the citizens about it?
Well, it happened in the good old US of A! Libertarian Michael Badnarik (on 49 state ballots) and Green David Cobb (on 28 state ballots), crossed a police line in St. Louis, and were arrested.
You would think that Fox News, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, and MSNBC would be all over this affront to the democratic process, but no, not a peep.
Badnarik was also attempting to serve the Commission on Presidential Debates with a "Show Cause Order," issued by an Arizona judge, requiring the CPD to appear at a hearing concerning the Libertarian Party's lawsuit to stop the upcoming debate at Arizona State University, as an illegal campaign contribution to Bush and Kerry, an unconstitutional use of Arizona state funds to support selected candidates, and a violation of the LP's equal protection rights, since they are a recognized political party in Arizona.
If this happened in some other country, what would we call them? Undemocratic? Human rights violations? Unbelievable?
If you think America is a free country, you are sadly mistaken. If you think the news media aren't controlled by the same people who control the Democrat and Republican parties, think again.
http://www.e-thepeople.org/article/35752/view
Libertarian presidential candidate arrested during planned political protest in St. Louis
Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik was arrested on Friday, Oct. 8, when he crossed a police line in a planned political protest at the St. Louis, Mo., debate between President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry.
Badnarik was attempting to serve the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) with a court order from an Arizona Superior Court judge. The judge had ordered a representative from the CPD to appear in court to prove that a debate scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 13, does not constitute special treatment for the Democrats and Republicans.
Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb also crossed the police line to demand access to the St. Louis debate, and was arrested. The two candidates were placed in handcuffs and taken to jail where they spent several hours before being released.
A few area residents who were simply trying to get home when they crossed the police lines were also arrested, witnesses said.
Badnarik was charged with two misdemeanor offenses -- trespassing and "refusing a reasonable request from a police officer" -- and was released without bond.
His court appearance for the charges is scheduled for December, and Stephen Gordon, communications director for the Badnarik campaign, said the candidate "hasn't decided whether he is going to contest the charge."
Earlier Friday, the Badnarik campaign had announced that either he would debate Kerry and Bush in St. Louis or he would go to jail.
"A majority of Americans say that I should be included in the events sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates," Badnarik said in the announcement. "And the CPD, as a non-profit, has received special treatment from government on the requirement that they be non-partisan in their activities."
But the CPD hasn't been non-partisan, Badnarik continued, saying that "bi-partisan" is not the same thing as "non-partisan."
"Unless I am allowed to participate, the debates become a massive campaign contribution to two of the candidates, illegal under the very campaign finance laws those two candidates have passed and signed as senator and president," he said.
"We'd have preferred to see John Kerry and George Bush stand up like men to debate the issues facing America," Gordon said.
"However, they have interposed the machinery of government between the American people and the honest debate which must precede any honest election. Now it's up to patriots like Michael Badnarik to force the issue."
The third Bush-Kerry debate, to be held at Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 13.
Libertarians in Arizona filed a lawsuit Oct. 1, claiming that the state constitution prohibits donations of taxpayer money to corporations like the CPD. As a public university -- funded by tax money -- the university should not contribute to the debate, the Libertarian Party of Arizona's lawsuit claims.
"There are three candidates on the ballot in Arizona [Bush, Kerry and Badnarik], and the university -- in collusion with an allegedly non-partisan, allegedly non-profit organization, is spending about $2 million to publicize the views of only two of them.," Gordon said.
On Oct. 8, Arizona Superior Court Judge Pendleton Gaines issued an "Order to Show Cause," calling for representatives of the university and the CPD "to show why a restraining order against the debate should not issue," said Jason Auvenshine, chairman of the Arizona LP.
University representatives have said they plan to use money from private grants and other non-public sources to fund the debate, which is expected to cost between $2 million and $2.5 million. As such, it wouldn't be publicly funded, they maintain.
But the Tempe, Ariz., City Council sent $20,000 to the university to be used for the debate, so public funds would still be used for the debate, Gordon said.
The Libertarians will also show the judge a letter signed by the co-chairmen of the CPD, stating that the university had spent "substantial resources on preparation."
The order was successfully served to the university by Joel Beckwith, a Badnarik supporter in Arizona.
Staff members from the Libertarian Party's national headquarters in Washington D.C. were able to serve the court order at the CPD office in DC. But later attempts to serve additional papers were rebuffed, when security officers refused to allow the Libertarians into their building or to bring CPD staff down from their office.
The paperwork was left in the building, though, and that -- combined with audio recording and photographs as evidence that they attempted to serve the papers -- was enough to satisfy the judge, who agreed to hold this morning's meeting, according to David Euchner, the attorney representing the Libertarian Party of Arizona in its lawsuit.
While some Libertarians disagreed with Badnarik's strategy, others said they thought his decision to cross the police line could be as significant as the civil disobedience demonstrated by Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights activists.
As David T. Terry of the Libertarian Party of Oregon said, "The world has always been changed by small acts of insignificant people whose courage and commitment to principles made their acts significant. I suggest that after tonight, the two-party system will never be the same!"
Libertarians are now eagerly awaiting the results of today's hearing with Judge Pendleton.
"We're asking for one of two things to happen," Gordon said. "We're asking for them to either shut down the debate, or reimburse the 17,000 registered Libertarian voters in the state of Arizona -- who have paid tax money that is paying for a debate from which they will not receive any benefit."
http://www.lp.org/lpnews/0411/arrest.html