Thanks for finally covering some of the 14 third-party presidential candidates. Alternative candidates don’t spoil elections. They bring up many good issues for debate and inspire voters with choices. The real spoilers are nonvoters and the media shutout of third parties.In 2000, there were complaints about the 3 million third-party votes, but not the almost 100 million (half the voting-age population) no-shows. The 2004 ratios were appallingly similar. Refusing to vote is unpatriotic. Not registering to avoid jury duty is futile. All levels of government compose their jury lists from multiple sources. Adult citizens should assume they’re already on jury lists and register to vote.The media shutout of all but the chosen two Republicrats suppresses debate and chances of real change, and spreads the lie that only Republicrats have the right to hold office. Even those candidates who have little chance of getting elected should be heard with their good, original ideas to help our country. Covering just two candidates is not journalism, it’s free advertising donated to the chosen two. We need more true journalists covering all the candidates. Since most of the media probably won’t rediscover journalism, look up the other 14 candidates online with the search string “presidential candidates 2008.” One public online “encyclopedia” lists most of the candidates and their website links.While I know my one vote is one in 100 million, I insist on voting. At the last election, as I put my ballot in the slot, the poll worker said he was sorry but he didn’t have a prize to give me. I told him, “Voting is the prize.” I can’t call myself an “American” and not vote. Nonvoters shouldn’t let us voters speak for them. Think for yourself and research all the candidates! Then speak for yourself and vote!
Letters “Serv”Ice
Regarding last week’s letter by Philip Howell [ “You Betcha,” Oct. 9-15] in which he called Gov. Palin a "public servant," none of the candidates has any intention of being a humble public servant. The truth is politicians and political hacks use that term as phony humility to con the masses.These "servants" earn a higher income (on our dime) and live a better lifestyle than those they "serve." Why do you think they so desperately want these jobs? Members of Congress, especially senators, are the closest thing America has to nobility. Look at the recent No Banker Left Behind Act. Though the people were against it, it passed. We don’t tell them what to do, they tell us!Politicians love the public like a rancher loves his cattle. If people act like sheep, they should expect to be sheared. And yearning for anyone to be your servant or leader betrays the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence, too.
Letters To Rave Or Not To Rave?
This time last year, a promotional group known as the PartyCrashers began down a path that culminated in one of the largest drug raids in New Mexico history. To be clear, the PartyCrashers have always promoted their events using the nefarious nomenclature "rave." Raves have long had a history of association with the club drug Ecstasy, and the PartyCrashers were known to have turned a blind eye to activity of this nature. Weekend after weekend, the PartyCrashers continued to bang out trashy raves, and their following continued to grow and become more brazen about their drug use. Repeated pleas for the PartyCrashers to correct numerous and far-reaching safety hazards were ignored. The truth did eventually emerge, and subsequently, the ability to hold safe electronic music events in the future has been made nearly impossible.The problem is not some influx of new, more potent drugs or even an influx in drug use. The problem is not destruction of public property or the corruption or our youth, as raves have been happening in New Mexico for nearly 20 years. The problem is that safety will now be thrown to the wind as a statewide crackdown goes into effect, and these parties are forced further into the underground. Our only choice is to speak up. I am a member of a community of conscious, respectful and safe partygoers: We are not the PartyCrashers, and we refuse to be castigated for the actions of the PartyCrashers. We are not the drug-addled teens the media has made us out to be, and we are certainly not worthy of this new police crusade against peaceful events. We are as diverse as New Mexico is, but we all have a common shared experience that forever unifies us—somewhere, sometime, we found ourselves in the dust of the desert dancing to the same beat as the sun was coming up.Find out more at DeepProgressions.com.
Letters Today, I Am Ashamed Of Albuquerque
[Re: Blog, “Register to Vote!” Oct. 6] Today, at the McCain rally at UNM, he was surrounded by cheering crowds inspired by his Swiftboating smear Rove tactics against the character of Obama, totally ignoring his (McCain’s) complicity in the economic crisis (he was chairman of the Senate Banking/Commerce Committee when all this was going on for years). Worst moment: Someone in the UNM crowd called Obama a terrorist . Damn , a terrorist? Does UNM teach anybody how to think, or is this crowd just a bunch of goats?
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