War, Drones, Pot & Other Forbidden Topics: The 3rd Party Debate
 John Boering
Op-ED
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Mainstream media has long ignored candidates who run outside of the left/right paradigm, thereby perpetuating the belief that there are only 2 choices.  When people become angry with Republicans, they vote for Democrats the next time (and vice-versa), failing to realize that both parties work toward the same end goals.  For example, both Romney and Obama support corrupt banking, illegal wars, drones and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) provision for the indefinite detention of American citizens without a trial.

Free and Equal Elections sponsored a debate between 4 third-party candidates:  Libertarian Gary Johnson, Constitution Party candidate Virgil Goode, Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party and Jill Stein of the Green Party.
We are pleased to report that all of the candidates supported ending the wars and/or cutting the military budget to levels that discourage aggression and nation-building.
Watch the full debate here:
Note that the 2 winners from this debate will face off again on October 30th.
Here’s our liberty grade for each candidate:
Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party: B+
Johnson advocated cutting military spending by 43% (he says that 43 cents from each dollar spent is debt).  He said that he would bring our troops home and that he is against drones.
Johnson is against the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) provision to indefinitely detain American citizens and would have vetoed the law.
Johnson supports legalizing marijuana.
He is opposed to federal grants and guaranteed student loans for education and contends that government intervention is the reason that college tuition is so high.  He suggested state lottery grants to help students with the cost of school.
Gary Johnson presented a flawed plan to end income tax and corporate tax, replacing them with a consumption tax.  The problem with this plan is that it is simply an alternative way to collect money instead of addressing the real problem of government size and spending.  Additionally, this alternative tax form does not address the fiat money printing problem.  Johnson said that his hero is Ron Paul; he would be wise to study Ron Paul’s balanced budget plan to cut taxes and Paul’s legislation to repeal the legal tender law and introduce competing currencies.
Virgil Goode, the Constitution Party: B
Virgil Goode stood by his convictions and was not trying to win a popularity contest (unfortunately this is the essence of American elections).  Mr. Goode’s primary concern was to balance the budget.  While he supports a strong defensive military, the DOD’s $1 trillion budget is too expensive and he would close international bases and bring troops home. He does not approve of the US being the overseer of the world and would insist on a Constitutional declaration of war from Congress before engagement.
Goode is against the NDAA and would have vetoed it.
Goode seemed to be more influenced by his conservative values than the Constitution regarding federal drug laws.  He is against legalizing marijuana, but would cut the federal ‘War on Drugs’ budget because all areas of government need to be cut.  Goode mentioned defunding Planned Parenthood and his intent to halt immigration until unemployment drops.
Goode was adamant about term limits so politicians can concentrate on their work instead of re-election campaigns.
Jill Stein, The Green Party: D+
Dr. Jill Stein is passionate, intelligent and likable.  Unfortunately, she believes in the man-made global warming fairy tale which stained everything else she said because this farce is her primary issue.
Note to Jill: the seat of climate research at East Anglia University (the home of Climategate) came out with the news last week that global warming stopped about 16 years ago.  Carbon taxes are an unnecessary burden and green jobs have been a miserable failure.
The global warming hoax is the tool that globalists use to implement totalitarian control through the United Nations Agenda 21 scheme.  Stein actually supports international treaties to ban drones, fix climate change and implement human rights (I wonder if she’s ever heard of the US Bill of Rights).
Jill Stein advocated free college education for students and bailing them instead of banks.  Stein failed to mention how taxpayers would shoulder the burden of paying for $1 trillion in student debt.
Despite Stein’s globalist and Keynesian leanings, she did really shine in her response against the NDAA, saying that it gives Obama dictatorial rights and said that it should be repealed along with the 2001 Military Use Act that Obama is using to assassinate Americans.  She is also against the Patriot Act and FISA (unwarranted wiretapping).
Rocky Anderson, the Justice Party: D
Mr. Anderson is also a true believer in man-made global warming and seemed to agree with with much of Jill Stein’s rhetoric with regard to waging a war on climate change and providing free education to students.  He also advocates health care for all but neglected to explain how taxpayers would fund this expense.
Mr. Anderson says that the Justice Party supports social justice, which is when certain groups are favored over other groups, instead of equal justice as advocated in the US Constitution.
On the plus side, Anderson is better than Obama and Romney because he realizes that the US wars of aggression are destructive.  He explained that the military industrial complex and Congress’ complicity in the illegal wars result in economic benefit.
Additionally, Mr. Anderson made a good case for legalizing hemp.
We look forward to the next debate on Tuesday, October 30th.
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