Graves / Barnes Debates

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Graves / Barnes Debates

Welcome Friend. This post 8/6/08 begins my blogging career. On Monday I learned that Sam Graves (Republican) and Kay Barnes (Democrat) have arranged a series of debates regarding the race for the US Congressional seat for the Sixth District from Missouri. The last I looked, I am also running for congress from the Sixth District of Missouri, but you will not be seeing me at the debates.

I am the Libertarian Candidate, and the chances are that you have never heard of me.

You see, the big city papers and electronic media make it a point to ignore third party candidates, as do the two major political parties. I should be used to this. In 2004, our US Senate Candidate Kevin Tull participated in a debate at Springfield before the Missouri Press Association. He made the front page of the Springfield Leader, but the Kansas City Star did not report that he was even present.

This year is no different. Early in the year, I contacted the KC Star ombudsman about this problem. He kindly gave me the proper contacts for the editorial board. I know how they think about Libertarians and so I promised to leave my tinfoil hat, my black helicopter detector, and my collection of loose wing nuts at home if they would discuss the problem with me. Six months later and they have yet to respond. In 2004 the Star sent me a candidate survey. Like a good little naive politician, I filled it out to go in their voter guide. I even got them a nice photo (suitable to scare rats), but they did not include me in the voter guide although I was candidate for Missouri Attorney General at the time. So this year, I wrote the Star back and asked why I should believe they were going to include me in this years voters guide. To date they have yet to respond.

The real question in all this is what harm does it do for the voters to hear alternative view points? Libertarians are thought to be nut cases. Well, I may be a nut case, after all beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but if I am a nut case it is in the tradition of John Adams. I am a family lawyer representing East Jackson County folks with their problems, and like John Adams, I believe in not going to war unless it is unavoidable, I believe in a stable, solid currency, whose value is not subject to manipulation at political whim, I believe in free trade and minimal government regulation, and I believe in operating the government within the limits of the constitution.

The part I do not get is where my "RADICAL" beliefs disqualify me from a seat in the debates. Now traditionally, newspapers have been free from content control by the government, and I know that.

The Kansas City Star is free to take any position they want no matter how biased. They take advantage of their first amendment rights with a vengeance, but they are supposed to disclose their bias as a part of journalistic ethics. They do not disclose to you that they oppose limited constitutional government, nor do they disclose that they support centralization of power. It really is not that great a secret. It is why they are known as the Kansas City Red Star in many circles.

More troubling is the electronic media. They hide behind the case Arkansas Educational Television v. Forbes that says that they may determine the viability of the candidates and arbitrarily exclude those they think to be not viable. They then set standards in conflict with the laws of Missouri and defy the small candidates to sue them. Under Missouri law a political party is deemed to be established if it gets 2% or more of the vote in a state wide race. There are three established parties, the Republican, the Democrat and the Libertarian Parties. One would think that fundamental fairness would require coverage of the Libertarian position, and Libertarian participation in debates on radio or television. Those debates do not fall into the news exemption of the law, but no my friend, fundamental fairness is not half as important as misleading you as to your choices. So, this is one candidate that is not invited to the debates. Remember when you read or hear the coverage you are only getting the story they want you to hear.

The next time you listen to the song God Bless the USA and you hear the line "at least I know I am free" ask yourself am I really free if I am forced into ignorance by the media?

DAVE BROWNING - Libertarian

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