Every single thing that this "administration" has done to dismantle the Constitution MUST be reversed. The process for restoring our nation's freedom must begin on Day One. How can we possibly preach "democracy" to the rest of the world if our own leaders don't want us to keep it here in America?
As a rock singer, I consider our all-too-fragile First-Amendment right of Freedom of Expression to be most important. Artists and musicians have a God-given and Constitutional right to make the art they wish to make and to express themselves without fear of censorship or reprisal. Judge artists and musicians on their merits, not on political correctness. Tipper Gore is treasonous and dangerous. I denounce her and any candidate or individual who advocates censorship. We must support freedom!
We can speak to people anywhere in the world almost instantaneously. This gift is under threat as the entities that enable communication collude with our government. Our forefathers were right to put free speech first among our rights, because there should be a free exchange of ideas. It should not matter who you are if your thoughts are compelling. We need to maintain our anonymity in the face of a paranoid government. The next president must insure that this net doesn't snare us.
We're a really lucky generation. We've been born into a system that keeps more of us safe and comfortable than any other that existed, and I'm grateful to the people who created it. But it's time to take the next step. It isn't enough for us to just be mostly safe and comfortable, we must also be free. And that means we must not rely on our politicians to promise safety or comfort. The next war for independence will be fought inside ourselves. No border will be secure enough if we live in fear.
If America is such a great democracy-spreader, it should be calling for the independence of a people who actually want it. Tibet has been under oppressive Chinese rule since the '50s, and wants to be free. The Dalai Lama has declared that if Tibet were freed, it would become a democracy, rather than returning to the old theocracy. Call on China to free Tibet!
Abolish every draconian measure implemented by Bush and Congress, including ANY AND ALL TORTURE, ALL UNWARRANTED SURVEILLANCE OF AMERICAN CITIZENS, ALL LIMITATIONS ON OUR RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS. Repeal the Patriot Act and all its progeny. FREEDOM - absolute and inviolable - is the only way to fight terror. Police state policies create terror, without making us safer. At this point, I am more afraid of government than I am of terrorist attack. I am not alone. RESTORE OUR RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS.
No more secret, unsupervised "wars" on terror or anything else. Transparency, accountability and a fearless commitment and free expression -- only these things will allow us to play a meaningful role in the world again.
As I watch debates on illegal immigration, I can't help but notice that nobody has considered the real problem. We get so focused on why people want to come to our country that we forget about why people leave their own. On Day One, the new President should develop an approach to Latin America that focuses on improving democracy, governance and wealth distribution in those countries, because we should know that most people would rather not leave their homeland if they didn't need to.
