Ron Paul Endorses Baldwin

Pensacola's Chuck Baldwin, Constitution Party presidential nominee, has picked up his biggest endorsement yet.

Former Republican candidate U.S. Rep. Ron Paul announced his support of the pastor's candidacy on Tuesday.

Paul had campaigned for the Republican nomination and created a small political sensation with his vocal, grassroots supporters and hefty online fundraising abilities.

In January's presidential preference primaries, Paul won about 5 percent of the vote in Santa Rosa and Escambia counties, finishing fifth in both counties out of nine Republicans on the ballot. He withdrew from the campaign on June 12.

"I'm pretty much overwhelmed," Baldwin said of the endorsement. "He and I have been friends for some time, and he knows I share his fundamental principles." - PNJ.com

Ron Paul and Ralph Nader

Now that Ron Paul, the rejected Republican candidate for president and longtime congressman from Texas, is calling on the forces of the "Ron Paul Revolution'' to rise up and vote for a third-party candidate in November, he's refraining from personally endorsing the best-known of those third-party contenders yet rallyng votes for him.

Appearing alongside Ralph Nader in CNN's Situation Room, Paul maintained that no one should read any personal endorsement into this.

"No. Ralph is a good friend, but we agree on tactics and what we're doing -- we agree on these very important issues, but quite frankly, he probably wouldn't have joined my campaign and I probably won't join his,'' Paul told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. - Tribune's Washington Bureau

Barr: Get McCain/Obama Off Texas Ballot

WASHINGTON — Libertarian presidential nominee Bob Barr’s campaign filed suit Tuesday seeking to remove Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama from the ballot in Texas, alleging that the two major candidates missed the deadline for officially filing to be on the ballot.

The lawsuit by the former Republican congressman from Georgia claims that neither McCain nor Obama met the requirement of Texas law that all candidates provide “written certification” of their nomination “before 5 p.m. on the 70th day before election day,” because neither had been formally nominated by their respective parties in time. The suit was filed in the Texas Supreme Court in Austin.

That would have been Aug. 25. Obama did not accept his party’s nomination until Aug. 28, McCain his on Sept. 4.

“The seriousness of this issue is self-evident,” the lawsuit states. “The hubris of the major parties has risen to such a level that they do not believe that the election laws of the State of Texas apply to them.” - AJC

Cynthia McKinney's Call For Probe

WASHINGTON, DC -- Green Party leaders expressed support for Green presidential nominee Cynthia McKinney's call for a new investigation of the 9/11 attacks and for public release of important evidence and files related to 9/11.

On Thursday afternoon, Ms. McKinney spoke at St. Marks Church in Manhattan at a 9/11 anniversary press conference promoting a New York City ballot initiative for a new investigation (http://www.nyc911initiative.org). Ms McKinney is speaking at other events related to 9/11 in the next few days (http://www.allthingscynthiamckinney.com/event).

Greens also supported a resolution passed by Veterans For Peace at the latter's annual meeting earlier this week in Minneapolis addressing Bush military policy in Afghanistan and Iraq and impeachment and prosecution of President Bush and Vice President Cheney for crimes, violations of the US Constitution, and abuses of power. The text of the resolution is appended below. - Green Party Press Release

Party Spotlight: Independence Party of America

History: Founded in September of 2007 by Independence Party of New York activists.

Chairman: Frank MacKay

Platform: "To be an Organization in which candidates emerge from the grassroots and work diligently to achieve "mass appeal" based on their unique leadership qualities, character and competence and not because they rose through the political ranks supported by special interest power brokers and political operatives..."

Associated Political Ideologies: Fiscal conservatism

Economic Issues (30% Government Involvement Grade):

• Reduce income tax
  
• Use alcohol/tobacco taxes to educate children
  
• Replace excess Social Security with government IOUs
  
• Fully tax subsidies to corporations
  
• Completely overhaul the Welfare system
• Balance the budget
• Allow for the choice of school selection for parents
  

Foreign/Immigration Issues (40% Isolation Grade)

• Eliminate campaign donations from overseas corporations
• No assistance to illegal immigrants
  

Social Issues (40% Restriction of Freedom)

• In general, these issues are up to the individual to decide
  
• Eliminate discrimination based on race and gender
  
• Continue the course against drugs
• No position on abortion, school prayer, or the death penalty
• Do not discriminate based on sexual preference
  
• Keep non-violent criminals out of prisons
  

Total Score: 110

2008 Election Candidate: Unknown.

Party Spotlight: America First Party

History: The America First Party was created when some members broke away from the Reform Party in 2002.

Chairman: Jonathan M. Hill

Platform: To preserve and protect America's people and America's sovereignty, to promote economic growth and independence, to encourage the traditional values of faith, family, and responsibility, to ensure equality before the law in protecting those rights granted by the Creator and to clean up our corrupted political system.

Associated Political Ideologies: Conservatism, Economic Nationalism, Non-Interventionism

Economic Issues (50% Government Involvement Grade):

• Limit taxes on goods made in the U.S.A and dissolve property taxes
  
• Reduce income tax until it is non-existent
• Generally opposes Social Security except for congressional pensions
• End corporate welfare
• Withdraw completely from WTO, NAFTA, and the like
• Supports a trade policy built strictly around advancing the American economy
• Subtract the power of corporations

Foreign/Immigration Issues (60% Isolation Grade)

• Use the military to only protect the United States from invasion or attack
• Do not involve the troops under foreign leadership
• Adopt a very strict policy that ensures securing the borders and not offering amnesty
• Require proof of citizenship and residency for a number of things
• Temporarily ban legal immigration

Social Issues (85% Restriction of Freedom)

• Follow policy as governed by the Bill of Rights (for the President too)
• End affirmative action
• Support wholeheartedly the 2nd Amendment
• Denounce mind-altering drugs
• Overturn Roe V. Wade and illegalize abortion
• Against homosexual practices
• Limit the death penalty to crimes after "due process" has been done and the crime is determined as "beyond reasonable doubt"

Total Score: 195

2008 Election Candidate: Unknown, but general Constitution Party support

Party Spotlight: Green Party

History: The first Green Party formed in 1972. In 1984 the Green Committees of Correspondence began organizing. The Green Party of the United States was officially started in 1991.

Chairpersons: Jill Bussiere, Budd Dickinson, Sanda Everette, Phil Huckelberry, Jason Nabewaniec, Cliff Thornton, and Craig Thorsen.

Platform: To involve citizens directly in public decision making, to allow for equal oppurtunity and diversity, and to sustain a non-centralized government aimed at protecting the environment and the workers.

Associated Political Idealogies: Green politics, Progressivism, Social Ecologism

Economic Issues (85% Government Involvement Grade):

• Supports progressive income tax as well as wealth and inheritances taxes
• Supports funding Social Security via taxes
• Eliminate corporate welfare
• Endorses a fair trade system and an end to NAFTA and other trade agreements
• Eliminate corporations particularly in the agrictulture business
  
• Allow for workers to have more freedom in the workplace
• Subsidize farmers

Foreign/Immigration Issues (0% Isolation Grade):

• Cut military budget in order to ensure a defense-only position
• Support peacekeeping to end aggression
• Cut off aid to other countries
• Cut secret military operation programs
• Support the rights of immigrants

Social Issues (5% Restriction of Freedom):

• Supports the Bill of Rights
• Stengthen affirmative action
• Make stricter gun control policies
• End the war on drugs
• Allow for complete reproductive freedom
• Recognize and legalize same-sex marriage everywhere
• Abolsih the death penalty
  

Total Score: 90

2008 Election Candidate: Cynthia McKinney