You have to be able to use the party machinery on a local level to obtain the nomination, and the candidates reflect the desires of that machinery, which theoretically is supposed to represent the party...

But there really is little interest at the local level, because most people feel that they are unable to influence the course of events -

Let us take one example.

In terms of the debate, when is the last time anyone spoke about decriniminalizing marijauna, even for medical purposes? I for one do not appreciate politicians practicing medicine -

Now I actually had a piece published on the front page of the Outlook section of the Washington Post some years back, let's see, 1991 or so, on Jefferson, Brown, Thompson and the two Bond brothers form Philadelphia ( all constitutional participants) trading Native American hallucinogens by mail and experimenting with them for medical purposes.

Did it do any good? NO - the piece was forgotten, all of it was forgotten, as though it had never occured... and how many have suffered since then?

There are people going blind with glaucoma, who can not use marijauna for this, or are afraid to. And those in desparate situations who could benefit from heroin, but are unable to have it prescribed to them by their doctors, who live their remaining days in fear and suffering - there is little debate about the right to die in the UK, because their physicians are free to practive medicine as they see fit, including the prescription of painkillers

This is abysmal, a needless tortuing by the politicians of the people who they are supposed to be serving, a torturing of those of their constituents in most desparate need, all because these "leaders" are so caught up in their own B***S*** that they can't see straight.

In earlier decisions, the Supreme Court has also ignored this clear evidence of constitutional intent preserved in this correspondence. Of course, the arguing attourneys missed it as well - I suppose none of them read the Washington Post.

I did as best I could; I could do no more.

Most recently, I've been writing on the impact hazard...

Let's move on - Note how these two candidates duck and weave on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? On Taxes? On trade? On some sort of guarantee of health insurance? On oil?

Give me an uninterrupted hour and a half to ask questions of these two, with repeated follow-ups allowed, and I could have both of them sweating bullets, if not screaming hysterically, by the end of that time. About 45 minutes apiece would be all that it would take.

The pollsters keep asking people whether they want Bush or Kerry. While I haven't talked to all of them, it seems to me that what the people really want are some better candidates.

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