My Anti-Military Draft Ad

Introduction: For those of you who think the military draft is a thing of the past, don’t be too sure. I, for one, don’t believe in giving the bastards any chance to take away our freedom to fight their stupid and illegal wars. Hence the following pre-emptive strike. The draft is, and always was, unconstitutional – thanks to the US Constitution’s Thirteenth Amendment. That is, slavery and involuntary servitude are against the supreme law of the land.

If the Man, wants to raise an army, let him offer enough pay to attract the requisite numbers.

A commercial approach: Here's another campaign ad for the TV medium, which I had written in support of my bid for the U.S. Presidency in 2008. That was then, this is now:

This ad can (and should be) updated for the 2012 election cycle. This is only one of several such ads I've been featuring lately on this blog. I hope to share other inspirations I come up with, hoping you might return the favor. Sharing is caring.

Remember:

This is a past effort, needing updating

First Image: Blue screen showing these words in white letters: Steven Searle for President, Campaign Speech, Summer, 2008

Second Image [start live action]: A public park on a warm, sunny day, with a dozen people listening to me speak. The area is grassy and I'm speaking close to this group from the top of a small hill (just a mound, really). As I'm speaking, these words appear across the bottom of your screen (and remain there for the duration of the entire commercial): "What I'm about to say might save your lives."

As I'm speaking, the camera takes in the whole scene, then pans the crowd, then zooms in on one distinctive looking young man who's wearing large glasses.

Text of my Speech:

QUOTE: What I'm about to say might save your lives. If you vote to elect me as the next President of the United States, I promise to get rid of the military draft.

If a draft board orders a young man into the army, he should appear before that board to be sworn in as a soldier. However, I will issue a blanket order for all such newly-drafted soldiers to carry on with their civilian lives and not follow any orders from any members of the military.

The President can do this on his own authority, as Commander in Chief. And I will do more than just promise to do this.:UNQUOTE.

ACTION:

[At this point, my speech fades out. Camera pulls back a bit to show this young man with glasses turning and speaking to a friend.]

"Is this guy for real?"

Cut from live action to blue screen which is empty, except this which still appears at the bottom: "What I'm about to say might save your lives." A few seconds later, these words now (also) appear:

"Three years later. Steven Searle lost the election. Thousands of men have been drafted."

Cut to Live Action

Camera shows face of young man in glasses (same person who had listened to my speech earlier), in obvious pain. As camera pulls back, we see him in army uniform, lying down, wounded. As camera continues to pull back, we see the context: Smoldering U.S. army vehicles with dead soldiers in and near them. Nobody is moving.

A young guerilla calmly walks up to the young man with glasses, sees he's still alive, and says: "Sorry I have to do this, nothing personal you understand. [pause] Why are you here, anyway?" Then we see, from the point of view of the young man about to be shot, the guerrilla shoot our soldier. Then, we see a fogged image in freeze frame that looks like our TV has had its glass cracked. The implication is the young man was shot through his glasses.

CUT BACK TO: …The time just after I concluded my earlier speech in the park:

Scene: I walk silently among the crowd shaking hands, as a voice over (in my voice) continues with the following quoted text. As I approach the young man with glasses to shake his hand, freeze frame at just the moment we join hands (with "What I'm about to say might save your lives" still captioned at the bottom).

"I am running as a candidate of a 3rd political party, known as the Independent Contractors’ Party. ICP candidates run for office by listing their campaign promises in a written contract. It's true such contracts are not legally enforceable in a court of law. However, rest assured: If I would violate any of my promises to you, the Congress would definitely impeach me."

CUT TO BLUE SCREEN:

These words appear on screen:

Vote for Steven Searle for U.S. President in 2008.

The only candidate with a contract.

Steven Searle for U.S. President in 2012
Founder of the Independent Contractors' Party
The only candidate with a contract: "You wouldn't sell your house without a contract; why give your vote away?"