A National Referendum AND a multi-party system would really shake things up.

In fact, a national referendum on disbanding the electoral college, and on removing the obstacles to a multi-party system would be the fastest and most emphatic way to shake up the status quo that is entrenched in Washington D.C.!

Here's an Action Alert from American Freedom Campaign:

What would you do if you learned that President Bush was preparing - in violation of federal law - to use the U.S. military to maintain order within our borders? I hope you would at least take one minute to help us raise awareness about the situation.

For more than 200 years, federal laws have protected the American people against the use of military forces on our own soil. Strengthened in 1878 by the Posse Comitatus Act, these laws have guaranteed that the federal government could not use the military for domestic law enforcement purposes.*

Without such protection, the federal government could use the might of our army to violate state and individual rights. Moreover, minor incursions by the military into domestic law enforcement activity could lay the foundation for the imposition of martial law at a moment's notice. This is one slippery slope we don't want to start sliding down.

That is why we should all be deeply disturbed by the news that President Bush has assigned the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team to be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army component of Northern Command (NorthCom). According to an article in Army Times, the soldiers could be called upon for a variety of tasks, including quelling "civil unrest." They are apparently engaged in training with shields and batons, beanbag bullets, and Tasers.

We need to raise awareness about this threat to our liberty immediately. The American Freedom Campaign believes the best method available at the moment is to send an email to the moderators of the next two presidential debates, urging them to ask the candidates whether they would fully enforce the Posse Comitatus Act.

Please join us in the effort by clicking on the following link:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2165/t/1027/campaign.jsp?campaign_K...

In just one minute, you can share your feelings with both Tom Brokaw at NBC and Bob Schieffer at CBS. After you do so, please spread the word by forwarding this alert widely to friends and family or by using the Tell-A-Friend option that will appear on our site after you send your email.

Thanks so much for taking action on this important campaign.

Best,
Steve

Steve Fox
Campaign Director
American Freedom Campaign Action Fund

Glad to be here.

This looks like an interesting discussion group, and I look forward to learning more about the group and participating.

The notion of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert doing a debate on the Comedy Channel is inspired!

I'd like to see Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert host real debates on the comedy channel.

Checking in,

Yes, the Nader email sent me here. I'm excited to see so many others who feel the same way I do about our 2 party system. I'm looking forward to participating.

The NaderTeam email sent me here. Looks like an interesting forum

What do the candidates think about the Bilderberg Group's role in the presidential elections?

Being the daughter of a history teacher I learned early in life that not only was it the civic duty of every citizen to vote, but also to be well educated on the issues, where each candidate stood, and what they had done in the past to support their stand. I first started with looking at voting records and found both major contenders to be in the top 4 Senators who had missed the most votes. Impression? They were not doing their job! I also discovered that when they did vote they were in favor of things like FISA, more money for the war, the Patriot Act, the list goes on. They did not do much of anything that would be beneficial to the average citizen, such as living wages, universal health care, ect.
I got disgusted and decided neither of these two had anything new or useful to offer the American public. That is when I decided to start looking into third party candidates and googled 2008 elections to see who else was out there. I found www.2008electionprocon.org to be a useful starting place as they simply listed each candidate from every party and their answers to some basic quesions. I liked what Ralph had to say and then proceeded to his web site and signed up for email updates. Not only has this kept me informed of what he himself stands for, but they have done an excelent job of providing other sites to further my understanding of what was really going on in the government. Just the U-Tube videos alone got me thinking and so I search further on this site for things like FISA, 9/11, The Patriot Act, Habeus Corpus, Taft Hartley. The things I saw and heard apalled and frighten me to no end.
Considering my mother's parents came to this country from Poland to get away from the likes of Hitler and for freedoms not available to them in Eastern Europe at the time, I believe they would roll over in their graves if they knew that their descendants were now facing those very things they sought to escape. I feel I owe it to my Uncle Walter who survived Auschwitz to help the third parties fight the two big wig, wanna be dictator candidates and their abominations to our constitution. America must stop being complacent. We must stand up for our constitutional rights now before they are gone forever!!!!!!!

Together we can finally break this stronghold. Only we can let the people who really love America help us make it great again. I have lived my whole life in the Red vs Blue shadow where we vote based on a (D) or (R) next to the candidate's names. But coming here makes me feel good because I can see change is coming. It seems no one is happy with the politicians that forgot we are the boss. Too long have they said one thing and done the opposite. Americans are feed up. We are starting to see that switching power between parties every 4 years is only making it worse. So here we all are. Ready to tell them, they had their chance but now it is our turn to speak. Lets make them remember why they didn't want the third parties to debate.

Third party votes are not wasted. A vote that you don't truly believe in is. That's the basis of democracy.

Thank you for allowing us to have a voice. I am a Nader team referral btw.

Great to be here and see all these posts! I was sent here by the Nader campaign--and in general, the passionate desire to see dualistic politics break open. Thank you dreamers, keep on keeping on!

I was led here by Nader, but am glad to see there are other people who are able to overcome their differences in beliefs. And realize anyone who has the American people's best interest at heart is better than what we are currently being offered.

Thank you for creating an outlet for us.

In listening to the comments by Ron Paul and Ralph Nader, I was struck by the fundamental tragedy that we have for so long allowed ourselves to be divided by silly labels like 'left', 'right', 'liberal', and 'conservative'. There are, to be sure, important differences between us--over the proper role of government in providing health care and other services to needy people, protecting the environment, funding the arts, etc. But on the vital issues of war and peace, restoring the Constitution and Bill of Rights, achieving fiscal sanity, and making our government once again accountable to the American people, we are in complete agreement. And I believe, with Congressman Paul, that the vast majority of the American people share our beliefs.

In the early 1850s, the two major parties--the Democrats and the Whigs--tried to sweep the issue of slavery under the rug. They tried to pretend that they were addressing the concerns of the American people, while ignoring the great moral question that divided the country, and they tried through various devices to prevent that issue from being discussed and debated. But they failed, and the result was a fundamental political realignment. The Whig Party went the way of the dodo bird, and the Republican Party emerged to take its place.

Today the two major parties are once again trying to ignore the great moral questions confronting the American people, and they are trying, through various artificial devices, to prevent the most important issues from being discussed and debated. But they too will fail. The time is ripe for a new political realignment, and the emergence of a new majority, so that this country will once again enjoy 'a new birth of freedom'. This is our moment--if we have the wisdom and foresight to seize the opportunity. I plead with Congressman Paul, Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney, Bob Barr, Chuck Baldwin--and indeed all of us--to forget the labels and divisions of the past and rise to the occasion.

Hi
I've been following Ralph's campaign closely this time around. This forum is great! (except the folks that want to voice/vent on the thread for debate questions). Thanks Ralph. And thanks for the hospitality Shelly and Trevor!

I just got back from a fund raiser in the Los Angeles area where Mr. Nader addressed about 40 people and found the email from the campaign leading me here. I really want him (and the other candidates) to be heard by more people in the next few weeks. There is so much up for discussion now. People everywhere are furious and McCain and Obama are not providing inspiring leadership. If more people could hear these other voices the discussion would broaden and people would begin to understand what is happening rather than just be told to be afraid. Ralph Nader said that the American people need to raise their expectations and stop settling for the "least worst". The right wing makes demands of their candidates but the left just gives up and let's their candidate move them into territory that is looking very different from what they want. I think Bill Maher said the other night that what Nader is saying is what the Democrats should be saying.

With all the attention the media is giving this long campaign, those not well represented by the 2 parties should shout really loudly for coverage in these next few weeks.

The email sent me here. This looks like an interesting and potentially important site for political change.

The TV network is exciting. I hope BTM gets on the DISH Network since I have it. DISH has other channels that are good for getting news that the mainstream does not tell you - especially FSTV and LINK-TV.

The lovely thing about the third party candidates is that every opinion they form stems from a solid philosophy which they never deviate from. For example, I'm pretty sure that a progressive like Ralph Nader would have a lot to say about the failure of governmental oversight which led to our current financial mess. But I'd expect a Libertarian like Barr to state that some of the roots of the issue have to do with continual dilution of our currency.

Curiously, I doubt that any of the four alternative candidates would endorse the so called "bail-out plan" - and I'd love to know why.

Go get em!!

Back during the primaries my wife and I were in favor of Ron Paul for the Republican candidate and Dennis Kucinich as the Democratic candidate. That we thought might be an interesting choice. Early on we saw that Kucinich was being kept out of the debates. At the time Ralph Nader was not yet considering running, but we though debates between the three of these candidates would be great. At this point we think Cynthia McKinney, Bob Barr and Chuck Baldwin should also be included in debates as well as Nader and if they can't be included in John McCain III and Barack Obama's already scheduled debates then new debates should be scheduled featuring all six of these candidates who appear on enough ballots to win or all who are willing to attend. I think that I do not know enough about how any of these six stand on the real issues to make a choice. I was quite disappointed with the debate on Friday night. Everything seemed quite sanitized and no real questions were answered. They pretty much just re-stated things they'd said before and evaded anything they didn't want to answer. Little new information was revealed as a result and the analysis afterwords was in some ways more interesting.

Lets have real debates with real questions!

I realize that this can be tough these days especially getting coverage since the powers that be have a strangle hold on government, the media and so many other avenues, but the internet is not yet as far as I know so controlled. Not that they don't want to control that too. With that in mind this may be one of the last chances to turn things around. So if this can be put together and gain as much coverage as possible possibly on Link TV or Free Speech TV if nowhere else and around the internet it could go a long way towards answering my questions as well as many other folks. Even with the just two candidates if they are asked no real questions how is anyone going to know who they prefer? I don't care so much about who wins as I do that people have enough information to make a choice.

How low can these politicians go? I think we were just answered at the debates. Neither one of these candidates can put the american people before their egos... So did anyone really want to hear If Kissinger did Or didnt say he would meet with Iran without preconditions? We apparently did, as The Presidential Candidates thought it was very important to waste air time, and energy on this one particular point.

Since the politcal parties have chosen to leave are borders open during war time,and have allowed the USA to be invaded by illegal immigrants.I think the matter should be put to the American people.If we should allow amnesty or NOT SHOULD BE ON THE NOV. BALLOT.Lets make these idots in Washington do thier jobs and make them build that double fence on the border like they are supposed to.

I highly regard Nader, but am even more concerned about the lack of choice and democracy in this election and past elections. I'd like to see campaign reform, limited terms for the Senate & House as well as the Supreme Court. My overall objective is an economy that supports and respects a sustainable environment.

I agree CSPAN would be nice, but I rather would want FOX to carry it primetime. and CBS,ABC and NBC at the very least.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.......Thomas Jefferson

I've been getting Break The Matrix update emails since it's conception but hadn't created an account until the Nader team sent me the email this morning about the third party debate. Wouldn't it be great if C-SPAN covered it?