Peace Voter Survey

I have received a number of emails from people identifying themselves as "A Peace Voter" asking me to take a survey. Here is a copy of the letter (they are all identical) followed by my reply.

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Subject: A Peace Voter Wants You to Answer the GNA Survey
[Sender's Name]
[Address]
[City, MO Zip]

[Date]

Kevin Craig
PO Box 179
Powersite, MO 65731

Dear Mr. Craig:

I'm a Peace Voter, and before I give you my support I would like to know where you stand on the burning issues of war, peace, and liberty, the climate crisis, health, economics and trade, and democracy.

I would like to read your answers to the Grassroots Netroots Alliance questionnaire. Please fill it out online at:

http://www.grassrootsnetroots.org/survey2008/gnasurvey.cfm

The Grassroots Netroots Alliance is a new non-partisan nationwide campaign using a multi-issue questionnaire to identify outstanding local, state and federal elected officials and candidates.

Thank you for taking time to complete the survey. I hope this will serve as a valuable tool in communicating your positions to voters like myself.

Sincerely,


[Name]
[phone number]

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Dear [name],

Thanks for letting me know about the GNA survey.

I am a pacifist:

http://KevinCraig.us/peace.htm

I oppose the war in Iraq:

http://KevinCraig.us/iraq.htm

I oppose every war in American history -- even the War for Independence, which America will celebrate this coming 4th of July:

http://KevinCraig.us/july4th1776.htm

I do agree with the claim of the Declaration of Independence that we have a "duty" to abolish tyrannical governments, I just believe we should do that without firing muskets and cannons at other human beings. I believe the government of the United States has become the greatest source of violence in the world today. We would do well to abolish it. However, I also disagree with those who are planning to abolish the United States and merge it into a "North American Union" along with Mexico and Canada:

http://KevinCraig.us/abolish.htm

This super-government would only be a source of greater violence. I strongly oppose all violence:

http://KevinCraig.us/violence.htm

Since you identified yourself as "A Peace Voter," I assumed I'd score pretty well on your survey.

Alas, I scored fairly poorly.

Here is my explanation.

This is the very first question on the survey:

Do you support a rapid withdrawal of all U.S. military forces and armed private contractors from Iraq & Afghanistan (within 120 days), the full restoration of national control over their natural resources, including oil, and a redirection of war funding to social and environmental needs at home, as well as humanitarian and reconstruction aid to the Iraqi & Afghan people?

There are TWO reasons why I oppose "war funding." Obviously, I oppose it because it funds acts of military violence. Not as obvious is the fact that "war funding" is itself an act of violence. Many people who oppose war are forced to pay for "war funding" because they are threatened by the government with unspeakable acts of violence if they don't pay:

http://KevinCraig.us/prison.htm

Here is the 5th question on the survey:

Would you support an immediate 50% reduction of U.S. military spending and a transfer of these funds to pressing domestic needs?

I interpret these and other questions on the survey to read something like this:

Do you support ending government-initiated
force and threats of violence to fund Project A
and replacing it with government-initiated
force and threats of violence to fund Project B?

I oppose all threats of violence for all projects, even peaceful projects that I agree should be funded. I believe government taxation to fund projects is an act of violence:

http://KevinCraig.us/taxation.htm

This is why I am running as a Libertarian. To become a member of the Libertarian Party one must take the following pledge:

I do not believe in or advocate the initiation of force as a means of achieving political or social goals.

http://KevinCraig.us/what_is_the_libertarian_party.htm

It seems to me that at many points the GNA survey advocates the initiation of force as a means of achieving political or social goals.

Most Democrats supported the War in Iraq. Of all the candidates for Congress in Missouri's 7th District, I believe I am the candidate with the strongest claim to be "the Peace Candidate." I am confident that I am the best candidate a Peace Voter in Southwest Missouri can support for Congress.

Thanks again for writing, and I hope you'll forward this email to everyone you know who doesn't want to waste their vote by supporting another candidate who endorses government violence.



Kevin Craig
Libertarian Party Candidate
U.S. House of Representatives, MO-7th
Powersite, MO 65731-0179
http://www.KevinCraig.us
blog.KevinCraig.us
http://www.StoptheSPP.us