Psst…a couple of things on my mind today:
· So far, I’m truly in this thing alone…just as I was in the last election;
· I won’t accept campaign contributions;
· Help Wanted: I could use a campaign manager and web advisor and…a female running mate (it’s in my contract that I seek the presidency with a VP-seeker who is a woman);
· Renouncing my citizenship in order to embrace Greater Terra;
· bpa_cinc@yahoo.com … that’s my e-mail address…ask and you shall receive.
Running on empty: So far, I’m truly in this thing alone…
As you know, I’m running for US President in 2012. You might not know – I have absolutely no backing. Not even “moral support.” And I’m not independently wealthy – only making $38K per year as a state civil servant. And I don’t have any connections.
So why bother – again? Yes, I had run in the last election as well. And I am running now same as I had back then – basing my campaign on ideas. I walked away from the last election with bragging rights: I can claim I was the only presidential candidate in the history of this country to run on the basis of a written contract. And I hope to use these bragging rights for another challenge in 2012. But more than rights will be needed – I’ll need the assistance of others who share my vision as outlined in other postings on this blog*.
On thing should work in my favor: Barack Obama has massively disappointed a lot of his early followers – the ones who bought into “Change you can believe in.” Now, more than ever, I’m hoping voters will come to see the value of my chief message: Unless we elect independents to Congress and the presidency, we will eventually be destroyed by the two-party system, a far more dangerous threat than the GWOT.
The potency of The Electoral Contract of Steven Searle
Do not underestimate the power of candidates giving their word to voters by means of a written contract. I think our citizens are fed up with lying politicians – even those who lie by claiming to be practical by appealing to “the center.” I sense that people yearn for a man of his word – one who is willing to bind himself to his word. Someone who doesn’t end up “surprising” his initial supporters with over-the-top compromises (aka “sellouts”).
I am proud of my innovative contract that had listed 47 campaign promises, any one of which would have caused me to forfeit the presidency were I to be found guilty of nonperformance.
I felt this promise was especially appealing (#2 in my contract document):
“Within 90 days of my inauguration, all U.S. military forces will be completely withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan Iran
[In the case of this “90 days” promise, for example, I would not need congressional approval. As Commander in Chief of all US
During one of my few campaign speeches back in 2007, one woman in the audience of 30 informed me: “Campaign promises cannot be enforced in a court of law.” That’s when I informed her of the very first promise in this contract [and I quote]:
“If I violate any of the terms of this contract, I will be removed from office by means of impeachment. I hereby affirm, in advance, that I will not defend myself nor authorize any other party to defend me against any impeachment activity in the House or trial by the Senate. I further agree to a speedy trial – within less than 10 minutes, if deemed necessary by the Senate.”
I told her that she was right – that promises by politicians can’t be enforced in a court of law. Which is exactly why I chose to circumvent courts of law. Which only makes sense, since there’s only one way to remove a president from office anyway – and that’s by impeachment. As I told this audience: “Look, imagine this…if I actually win the presidency as an Independent, don’t you think the Congress (dominated by party animals) would seize upon any excuse to remove me from office? They would scrutinize my contract for any whiff of a violation – and then impeach me for failure to honor my word. I’m counting on my enemies to help me keep my word – for your benefit.”
In other words, I propose to use the system against itself to save itself.
I’m also counting on a lot of anonymous, ordinary people (like me!) to tune into what I’m saying and conclude: “This is worthy of support. I’m in. What can I do?”
I won’t accept campaign contributions
Election 2012 will set the bar at $1 billion to become the next president. We may or may not actually see any one candidate pull in that much. But the last election makes this prospect in 2012 a strong possibility. In any event, the winning candidate will be the one who comes closest to this mark – or at least that’s conventional wisdom.
And isn’t that sad? Doesn’t it sicken you a little when pundits gleefully report fund-raising stats as the primary season wears on?
This is an area in which I hope to set a new standard: I am intentionally refusing to solicit – and will not accept – any campaign donations. I want to stand in the sharpest possible contrast to those who buy into the idea that “we have the best politicians money can buy.”
The only concession I will make is to agree to be paid for any speeches I deliver and articles/books I might write. That, however, will be personal income which I will use to promote the ideas behind my campaign and the campaign itself. The only other possibility will consist of others – people not under my influence, pay, or control – who act on their own to advertise the merits of my campaign. I am counting on those people to spontaneously decide – without any solicitation by me – to rise up and spread the word.
Of course, that would mean I wouldn’t have any control over content or means of propagation. But…I can live with that.
In all fairness, I feel I must issue a disclosure here: During the last election, I tried my hand at fundraising – and came up totally empty. I suppose such a revelation should be embarrassing, but I don’t embarrass easily. And I hope my honesty here is appreciated.
Help Wanted
I can use a campaign manager(s), web advisor, and a female running mate. The lesson I learned in the last campaign – “Steve, you can’t do this alone.” One of my gravest weaknesses is lack of internet savvy – I don’t even have a website. And I don’t have any clue on how to use the web to attract public interest. As I wrote above, I don’t care about fundraising but “spreading the word” is crucial.
As for a manager and advisor, I am asking for volunteers who will work without pay. But these positions aren’t expected to be full time or to be held by only one or two people. For instance, anyone who can arrange a speaking engagement – even just one time – would be acting as a campaign manager. And there could perhaps be dozens of such individuals working in isolation, though coordinating with me at a distance if necessary. And I would eagerly accept help from non-US citizens – both within and without the United States
As for the female running mate: That’s not negotiable. As I’d specified in my 2008 contract:
“I will not choose anyone to be my Vice President who is not a woman. Though I will insist that she present an electoral contract to the American people, I will not insist that it be a duplicate of my contract. In addition, I will allow her total freedom to operate within the capacity of her office as she sees fit, without supervision or censorship.”
Renouncing my citizenship
I am in the process of renouncing my US US
QUOTE:
Section 349(a)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)…is the section of law that governs the ability of a United States citizen to renounce his or her U.S. U.S.
“(5) making a formal renunciation of nationality before a diplomatic or consular officer of the United States in a foreign state, in such form as may be prescribed by the Secretary of State” (emphasis added.).
:UNQUOTE [http://travel.state.gov/law/citizenship/citizenship_776.html]
As emphasized in the quote (above), I could not legally renounce unless I leave the U.S. US US
“The powers not delegated to the United States
States aren’t the only entities that possess sovereignty – each individual has personal sovereignty as well, which could simply be called “choice.” And each of us has a right to define his personal loyalties. Also important: Our government derives its just powers from the consent of the governed. We make a big deal out of that particular sentiment.
My status as a “light being”
I have a friend who says we’re all light beings who got lost, and have to return to the light. I’ll spare you the particulars of her theology, but I consider the question of my citizenship to be roughly equal to this question: “Is light a particle or a wave?” In physics, the answer is “Light is both – in certain aspects it is a particle, in others it displays wave characteristics.”
In like manner: “Is Steven Searle a US
In the eyes of the US
But I will not bother to try forcing the government to recognize me as a non-US citizen, by suing in Court. Why should I? I would enjoy certain benefits by being “both a US citizen and not a US US government couldn’t deport me, since (under its own definition) I am still a US citizen who would still be eligible for the US
But in any de facto sense, I would no longer be a citizen since I would make a “declaration, on oath.” I’ll detail what I mean by that after you consider this:
QUOTE:
I hereby declare, on oath [my emphasis – Steve], that I…renounce…all allegiance…to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law…
:UNQUOTE.
This quoted portion is what all immigrants must “declare,” in the process of becoming US citizens. It seems to me that the important part is to “declare, on oath,” so in order to shed my citizenship I would simply “declare, on oath”:
· I will not bear true faith and allegiance to the United States, but instead do so to the world as a whole – that is, I declare myself to be a citizen of the Earth – or, using my own term, of Greater Terra. By “Greater,” I mean the world as it can and should be after we rid ourselves of the scourge of national sovereignties.
· I can only support the Constitution to this extent: We have to have something upon which to rely until we hold a long overdue Constitutional Convention to write a new constitution.
· I will not bear arms as required by law, since the Constitution itself (13th amendment) bars military conscription as a form of involuntary servitude. Any “bearing of arms” I would do would not be required by law but only by the dictates of my personal sovereignty.
· I never did “pledge allegiance to the flag,” since this is just another form of idolatry. So I couldn’t even recite the “Pledge of Allegiance.”
But…why renounce?
Why renounce? Why do something that would actually cause a lot of people to hate me? Not to mention, not vote for me?
My entire campaign for the US US
Just “call” me
I want to open things up a bit by giving you my personal e-mail address: bpa_cinc@yahoo.com . Ask me anything you’d like or volunteer your opinions or campaign assistance. The Buddha is said to have mostly preached in response to questions. Though I’m not a Buddha, I’d like to try his approach. So far, on this blog, I’ve written about what interests me, while only guessing what might be of interest to you. But…it’s a big world out there with a lot of people embracing wildly varying viewpoints. And, besides, I’m a terrible guesser. So…I leave it to you to ask away.
I will assume, unless you say otherwise, that I am free to post your e-mail’s text and my response on this blog. I won’t, however, post your e-mail address or any personal info you might share with me.
Steven Searle for US President in 2021
Founder of The Independent Contractors’ Party
“We can do this – and should. 2012 is just around the corner.”
* “other postings on this blog” – for instance:
** “credit card court case” –
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