Overcoming the widely-held objections and concerns
over Congressman Ron Paul’s lack of a "properly recognized"
stance on the environment is a charge which, if ably addressed,
could easily turn the tide from the left and make all the difference
to his Presidential bid for the White House in '08. Whether
or not you harbor personal doubts concerning the reality of
Global Warming for yourself, the fact remains that an overwhelming
majority of the voting populace, particularly amongst the
left, are as convinced of its reality as we are.
This is not a sentiment we feel can be ignored.
Telling them they're just plain wrong won't help either. These
are the people who constituted a majority of this country when
they voted for Gore in 2000. How many more have come of voting
age since then, who have now seen his film, An
Inconvenient Truth, and are decided on this issue just
the same?
Many detractors are also taking advantage of
the absence of a (recognized) stance from Dr. Paul by saying
a return to free markets would only exacerbate the level of environmental
damage corporations are already responsible for to begin with.
It becomes easy, then, to see why this short-sighted view,
by its mere existence within a near-vacuum, has served to force
the hands of even non-hardcore environmentalists to withhold
their support from an "otherwise" perfect candidate.
Just
imagine if all the people who voted for
Gore in 2000, and who have come of age since then (now finding
their "lesser
evil" in
Hillary or Obama) were to learn why there couldn't
be a better President than Congressman Paul for the environment...
His present prospects are certainly brighter, but think
how insurmountable his campaign would become if he was regarded
- as well he should be - as an even greater bastion
for the environment
than Gore.
How?
How could we possibly hope to achieve
all of the above when Dr. Paul has openly stated he does not
entirely believe in Global Warming for himself?
Because just like his personal
views on abortion or gay-marriage, his personal views with
regards to the environment remain exactly that: his personal
views. Dr. Paul is an honest man and so does not pretend
to hold views (nor refrain from holding them) in discord with
his own personal feelings on the matter. This is what differentiates
him from the rest. This is a GOOD thing.
Personal views are not what
he is putting on the table, politically, however. What he IS
putting on the table, politically, is our Constitution, a return
to local governance, and transparent representation; the lawful
implementation of which secures for us all a government of the
people, by the people, for the people.
An active and involved community is a healthy
community. The participation and expression of all must remain
welcome, and local choice is what gives us ALL a choice.
The mere notion that a shifting of centralized
power back into the hands of the people, and communities, from
whom this power is derived – that it should be a bad thing...
at a time when the true representation of the people’s
wishes has become such a cynical joke it doesn’t even bother
us anymore – is ludicrous! As if putting the power
back into the hands of the people would make for an even worse
profile of environmental legislation than the Bush Administration
has achieved! As if the heads that have been planted at the EPA
would have done any different... As if they weren't already hobbled
to begin with! We must represent ourselves and
partake in our surroundings; they are ours.
This is why pro-choicers and supporters of gay
marriage have absolutely nothing to fear from a Paul Presidency,
either. It's about putting the control back into the hands of
those from whom it has been divested: you. This
is the secret to the Constitution's remarkable power to unite.
It is why America was such a truly great nation to begin with.
If you disagree with Dr. Paul's personal views on any area of
the Law, remember: because of his unadulterated devotion to protect,
uphold, and restore our Constitution - it is YOU he seeks the
Law to reflect, his personal views notwithstanding. Or do you
already feel adequately
"represented" by our government, as it is?
December
'07 : frankdogg,
aka Adam Franklin, joins Sleeping Natives as
our Sr. Motion Graphics Designer! Creator of
the above 30 second, top runner-up, CNN video
submission for Dr. Ron Paul, and Sr. Motion
Graphics Designer for Crew
Creative, Adam is just as excited as we
are to be bridging the gap between those who
support the environment, and Dr. Paul's run
for the Presidency:
"First
off, I have to say that I am extremely excited
... about the project. I have been a supporter
of Ron Paul for over 6 months now, but the
one area that I felt he lacked in clarity was
environmental issues and his stances. Due to
my own personal convictions on environmental
issues and trying to be as "green" as
possible in my own daily lifestyle, I feel
like this project speaks to me on many levels.
With Depeche Mode, PBS and Jim Gucciardo on
board ... you all are moving in a great direction,
and I would love to be a part of it. Jim's
work is amazing, and ... the chance to be involved
in a project with someone of that caliber would
be great." -Adam Franklin
