LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY amethyst_hunter)

This part will be long because of its activity-centric content, so I'm splitting it into bits. This post is mainly in regards to political parties.



(This part is mainly for Americans, being that the holding of certain public offices – most notably the presidency – is restricted to American citizens. However, for people living in other countries known to have Dominionist contamination, these principles could also be used for effective change.)


Know anybody who’s pissed off about extremist behavior? Anybody that’s willing to or wants to run for an elected office? Encourage these people, be they Republican- (real Republican, not the crop of pigs that’s hijacked the party now), Democrat-, conservative-, liberal-, moderate-, or just plain independent-based in mind to run. Towards that end, I strongly recommend that such candidates avoid either of the major parties – the GOP because of its contamination; it’s beyond the hope of reform methinks - and the Democratic Party because of its apparent unwillingness to confront the bullies (there have been recent signs of some Democrats showing a stout spine, but overall I’m not optimistic about this party because of its generally lukewarm responses to certain subjects). Democrats have also largely been tarred by the GOP’s attack squads and that image still remains solid with many people.

(As far as Independent or ‘Green’ parties go, I would recommend not joining either of those as well – although ‘independent’ seems to carry a little less stigma than the ‘Green’ label - because they are still widely perceived as fringe or ‘oddball’ groups, and not considered serious opposition even in this day and age. (I’m not 100% sure on this, but I remember during the 2004 elections that there were speculations the GOP wanted and was using smaller political groups like the Greens as wedges against the Democrats, to lessen the Dems’ impact) Sad, but true. But I digress...)

Avoiding support for the GOP is important because 1) it’s literally overrun with bullies, which means that nothing good will get done – look at how easily and swiftly they move to stomp on the moderate Republicans that dare to challenge them on anything, and 2) it will send a message to them and to people considering joining them that NO, the American public will NOT associate with or support ANYONE who is or who supports a bully. This is why moderates – your basic, average citizens - are so important – by far, they make up the majority of any group around and tend to be the most level-headed when making critical decisions. Moderates will usually look at the whole picture when judging who is best to handle a particular office, and are more resistant to shit-slinging where smear campaigns and propaganda are concerned (mainly because they’ve seen it from both sides and are just plain sick of the squabbling when more important things could be done).

In fact, I propose that there be a new party, whose core voter base is moderates, called the Moderate or Moderator Party (or something similar), for its emphasis on balance (inasmuch as this is possible) to ensure that constitutional law is respected yet not violated or undermined. Anyone from any political, religious, ethnic, etc. group is welcome to join (and we should encourage those moderates from the GOP and Democrats to jump ship and join us). This would be the basis for the Moderator Party’s mission statement:

1) We hold to be true that ALL American citizens, regardless of political, religious, cultural, ethnic, gender, etc. affiliation, are equal shareholders in a stable, thriving society and are endowed with certain unalienable rights (ones such as listed in the Constitution of the United States – right to vote, etc.).

2) We believe in balance, having witnessed firsthand that extremes on either side of the political spectrum have largely proven detrimental to the American public, and so will strive as much as is humanly possible to attain the best possible functioning government for the common good of all Americans.

3) WE WILL NOT TOLERATE UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR. This includes but is not limited to: bribery attempts, extortion attempts, threats/actions of violence against a person or group of persons, and muckraking campaigns. We will not associate with nor will we give any type of support to any person who engages in, condones, or supports illegal and/or unethical activity/activities. If we are in doubt as to a person’s or group’s position on a topic, we will make every attempt to learn their position so that we may set a course of action as we see fit in accordance with our basic party principles.

4) So that our members and the American public will remain aware of our activities, we will openly disclose our intentions, financial records, etc. on a regular basis (as yet to be determined - consider this a sort of ‘state of the union’ type address). Donations are welcome, but before we can accept any, we must first investigate the donor’s background. Any donor whose activities are not in accordance with our purpose (meaning, anyone who is known to be unethical and dishonest in their dealings), we will not accept their donation and we will let them know why. In other words, if a religious organization wants to fund us, but we find out that they’re secretly funnelling money or support towards groups that practice/encourage the hastening of end-times crap, we won’t take one penny of what basically amounts to blood money. I call this the Judas Clause. (We could also make provisos for limitations on the amount of a donation, to avoid ‘being bought’.)

5) The Moderator Party supports the principles for government as outlined in the Constitution of the United States of America. The Moderator Party believes in and is committed to:

- A healthy, sustainable national economy, with a sound middle class

- Fiscal sensibility (lowering the national debt, etc.)

- Encouragement of American businesses, especially those that are small, local ones, and/or produce American-made materials/products

- Comprehensive public education for all Americans

- Innovative and dependable scientific exploration/conduct (none of this ID bullshit)

- Personal freedom (within reason – fire and movie theater, again) and right to privacy

- Not only appropriate punishment for crime, but prevention of it

- Sound healthcare/options for all Americans

- Fostering cooperation, rather than competition, with international relations*

- An open and free media

- Rejection of hatred and discrimination based upon superficial criteria; we believe that we are united as American citizens and as human beings. A Moderator shall strive to conduct himself or herself with reasonable and decent character standards. (Character = how you treat others; even the major religions of the world can agree on this much)**

- Nonviolent/nonmilitary resolutions to international conflicts whenever possible

- Sensible national defense and military strategy

- Condemnation for terrorism and violence at home or abroad, regardless of who commits it.

- In regards to terrorism, appropriate administration of the law as applicable according to national/state (or even international) law

- Fair taxation/representation

- Disaster preparedness (a portion of taxes could be used to set up special government funds to be used only in the event of a mass emergency) and planning

- Sustainable/renewable/cleaner/safer energy resources (one reason why I don’t like the idea of reverting to nuclear power is the sheer amount of radioactive waste that is produced – where do all those spent fuel rods go? Not to mention the potential for terrorism theft)

- Environmental conservation – being good stewards of our natural resources and the creatures that inhabit the planet with us, economical/feasible farming strategies

- Non-monopolization on major markets (ex. fuel, communications, etc.). The caveat to this is that it’s one thing to be very popular if you really do have good service and a good product; it’s another when you deliberately skew things to balance out in your favor alone. (Think oil giants)

- Lowering national STD, unplanned pregnancy (especially that of teenagers) and abortion rates***

- Smaller, less intrusive – yet effective – government, both on state and national levels

- Term limits on offices (especially particular ones of major importance), to encourage a regular rotation of participants. This is both to ensure a fresh exchange of ideas, and that any one person doesn’t get a monopoly on a public office.


*Cooperation, IMO, would go a long way towards reducing some of the worldwide common problems we as humans face. Competition, by its very nature, while not inherently wrong, implies a win-or-lose mindset, and any time you have a game set up like that, there’s going to be bad blood involved. Cooperation, on the other hand, ensures that while you may not get everything you want, you’ll get at least something, and there will ideally be enough for everyone to get a piece of the pie that they want.

**I realize that not everybody is going to automatically like or get along perfectly with everybody else. That's cool. It's unrealistic to expect that you like everybody you meet, just as unrealistic as it is to expect that everybody who meets you likes you. What's NOT cool is when those differences get in the way of serious business and working to achieve a higher common goal. Wedge-driving is probably the biggest and most important tool of the extremists, so it's very important to deny them this satisfaction - not for nothing is there the saying 'united we stand, divided we fall'!

***Notice that I said "lowering" instead of "eliminating." The reason for this is simple: regardless of how many roadblocks that are thrown up, men and women will ALWAYS be having premarital sex, unplanned pregnancies and abortions. They’ve been doing so since time began, and they aren’t going to magically stop just because a few laws are passed or some figurehead says You Shouldn't Do This, and much as we may not like that, that’s the way it is. The best we can do, which I think that most moderates can agree on, is to bring down those rates so it isn't happening as often, and minimize the risks involved with them, so that their effects aren't as devastating and more children than not are being cared for adequately.


In finding solutions to problems, the Moderator Party is willing to work with and welcomes help from both secular and faith-based institutions and organizations, regardless of affiliation, so long as said organizations’ actions/practices do not violate the basic tenets of the Moderator Party’s core mission. These institutions and organizations include but are not limited to:

- churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, etc. (clergyfolk)

- charities (United Way, etc.)

- healthcare groups (hospitals, physicians’ organizations, etc.)

- law enforcement groups (police, lawyers, judges, etc.)

- educational groups (schools, teachers, etc.)

- conservation groups (environmental, fiscal, etc.)

- local volunteer groups (social service workers, citizen volunteers)


And this is just the stuff that I can think of off the top of my head. Let the brainstorming begin! :)


Next up, Act II, Part Deux: The Judicial Branch: An Important Levee Against Dominionist Flooding