Editor’s note: This commentary is by Rosemarie Jackowski an advocacy journalist and peace activist who is the Liberty Union Party’s candidate for Vermont attorney general.
[T]hings have gotten so bad, that even atheists are hoping for divine intervention.
Within the past few days there has been a fire-bombing of a Republican campaign headquarters, WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange’s access to the internet has been destroyed, and many “so-called” left wing blog sites have increased the blacklisting of their regular bloggers. The fix is in for their candidate. No dissent is allowed. The fist is coming down hard on anyone who opposes their appointed one.
Are we under siege? It is starting to feel like a coup d’ etat.
There has never been a dirtier election. Mud-slinging and avalanches of misinformation. Smear campaigns against third party candidates have reached astronomical levels. Now, more than ever it is important for every vote to be an INFORMED vote. We cannot rely on hearsay or political campaign propaganda. The only way to judge a candidate is by their own words — not by what anyone says about them. Fortunately, there is a way to do that. The media has not been fair at giving equal time to the candidates, but C-Span is the exception. C-Span respects the voters enough to air all candidates who have a chance of winning.
Those who do not have the time should not vote for any presidential candidate. Please leave that spot blank unless you have researched all five candidates.
In Vermont we are lucky. We have six candidates on the ballot for president. One candidate gropes without consent. Another candidate drones without consent. But there are four other candidates that every informed voter should check out.
Here is a link to Gary Johnson at a Town Hall on C-Span. Here is a link to Jill Stein on C-Span.
Voters with no access to the internet can buddy up with someone who is connected. Maybe the Democratic/Republican campaign headquarters could offer their computer access so that voters can see the two videos linked above. (I guess we know what their answer to that request would be.)
There is only one thing more important than voting. That is casting an INFORMED vote. Those who do not have the time should not vote for any presidential candidate. Please leave that spot blank unless you have researched all five candidates. An uninformed vote cancels the vote of someone who has done their homework.
Meantime the U.S. has already announced that it is engaged in cyber warfare against Russia. The U.S. has more than 2,000 nuclear weapons ready. One candidate has been pushing for war via no-fly zones over Syria.
Three candidates are opposed to war. Take a careful look at them. The lives of your children might depend on it. In a nuclear war, there are no winners.
