Debates deny other voices

Arizona Libertarians pursued legal action to stop the debate between Bush and Kerry taking place tonight.

The debates are being sponsored by the CPD, the Commission of Presidential Debates, a private, nonprofit organization. The CPD is using tax payer money to put on what is basically a joint press conference for Bush and Kerry.

However, there are three candidates on the Arizona ballot, not just two. Libertarian Candidate Michael Badnarik is on the ballot in 48 states and D.C., yet the judge ruled in favor of the CPD and prevented the public from hearing another voice in this election.

During the second presidential debate that took place in St. Louis, Badnarik joined with the Green Party presidential candidate, David Cobb, to protest the debates.

As presidential candidates, Badnarik and Cobb have every right to participate in presidential debates and they choose to exercise that right, even if it meant being arrested.

Unfortunately, the media has chosen a policy to blackout all mentioning of third parties this election. Americans are being denied the chance to hear alternatives to our current administration.

These “presidential debates” constitute a fraud on the American public. If this is the type of democracy we hope to spread across the world, I wish to be no part of it.

Please, take the time to visit http://badnarik.org to learn about a presidential candidate who truly fights for individual rights and freedoms.

MARK HOSTERMAN

STUDENT

Bush deserves to be re-elected

I am writing to explain why I think George W. Bush should be re-elected.

President Bush is dedicated to fighting terrorism around the world, as well as countries that support terrorism. I believe that the president is committed to this cause and will do everything in his power to keep us safe at home.

I don’t believe John Kerry will be as aggressive. I want a leader who will not succumb to political pressure and will attack those who want to harm us.

We are all concerned about the situation in Iraq. Both candidates agree that Saddam Hussein was a threat and he needed to be removed.

While Saddam didn’t have stockpiles of weapons, we know that he had the capability to produce them. He was also hoping sanctions would be dropped so he could continue his program.

When would you rather invade Iraq, when they had the weapons or before the acquired them?

Think about that. Also, the thought that we don’t have the support of our allies is ludicrous.

We have support from many nations in this effort. I do not believe that John Kerry is capable of bringing other nations to the war effort. A recent article mentioned on NBC’s Meet the Press stated that officials from France and Germany have said publicly that they will not commit themselves to the Iraq effort if John Kerry is president.

I also have confidence in President Bush to command our economy.

Some wish to blame the recession on him, and I think this is unfair. The main cause of the recession was the terrorist attack and corporate scandals. President Bush did not have control of either of these events.

Under his leadership, this is going to become the shortest recession in history. Just under two million new jobs have been created during the recovery. We need to re-elect the president to ensure his policies remain intact, and that the recovery will continue.

For these reasons I have voted for George W. Bush on my absentee ballot this week. And I ask that you consider making the same choice.

JONATHAN DINAN

STUDENT