3 Part Interview with Vasquez for Congress and Poll

[SaratogaForRonPaul]

I just want to give everyone an update to our Congressional bid in NY 21st District, which is an open seat and Ron Paul endorsed our campaign. I have a Republican primary quickly approaching on September 9th, and we are working the streets, hitting the phones, and stuffing the envelopes.

There was the first Internet poll on a website, and I was ahead of my Republican competitor, Jim Buhrmaster 104 to 99 before I knew it existed. Its now at 188 to 144.

The same site has since posted a very extensive 3 part interview with me. Please check it out and comment.

http://upstreamzine.wordpress.com/

[Jeremy]

good luck!

what do you think the chances of a win are?

[Jeremy]

also... everyone... let's put him way ahead of his opponent in the poll even though he's already winning. =p

link: http://upstreamzine.wordpress.com/2008/08/08/jim-buhrmaster-vs-paul-tonko-in-new-york-states-21st-congressional-district-take-our-straw-poll/

scroll down

[Eric21ND]

Great answers in your interview...well done.

[SaratogaForRonPaul]

Thanks Eric.

This is a "small" taste of the extensive interview:

Upstream: Do you support an immediate withdrawal of our troops from Iraq?

Mr. Vasquez: Yes, bring our troops home now. Besides the breaking economic burden on the American taxpayer, the loss of American troops is over 4,000, with tens of thousands of American casualties with permanent disabilities. The administration stated that we will leave when the Iraqi people no longer wants us there. A few weeks ago Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki testified to Congress that over 70% of the Iraqi people want the US to withdraw. The administration has set no goals for success, leading to a never ending occupation of a sovereign nation. Opponents to withdrawal state that leaving would create a civil war killing thousands. Since the beginning of the war, estimates of 100,000 to 1,000,000 Iraqi citizens have been killed, or nearly the equivalent of every man, woman, and child in the Albany. Another 2 million Iraqis have fled the country and another million are now homeless and refugees. In Baghdad, the city is walled and separated into secular ghettos, the people imprisoned in their own cities. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/apr/21/iraq.iraqtimeline and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTMp-YNaDdg) The “success” of the surge resides mainly from bribing the Sunni insurgents with hundreds of millions of American taxpayer money not to fight, essentially funding them for weapons when we stop bribing them.

Other critics of withdrawal say that Al-Qaeda will take over Iraq if we were to leave. Before the war, there were no real presence of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and the blowback of the war and occupation of an Islamic nation is the continuing recruitment of resentment against the United States. The United States was not attacked by Iraq or even threatened through military action (in fact Rumsfeld and Cheney funded Saddam Hussein and provided most of their arms including WMDs throughout the 1980’s). Yet, the administration invaded and conquered Iraq based on false information that countered legitimate intelligence found by the CIA. Senator McCain on David Letterman in October 2001 linked the Anthrax attacks after 9/11 to Iraq, even though the Anthrax originated from US Army labs. (Why would Iraq target Senators who were against the Patriot Act?) The Iraq War will fall as one of the darkest times in US history, and there needs to be accountability to restore the checks and balance as exists in the Constitution.

Upstream: What position should the United States be taking in relation to countries like Iran and North Korea?

Mr. Vasquez: The U.S.. needs to follow the Constitution, which does not give it the mandate to be the military police force of the world, nor can the American taxpayer afford it. George Washington urged the US to trade with all and ally with no one. George W. Bush ran on a platform of a humble foreign policy with no nation building in 2000. U.S. interference and intervention has caused resentment towards the US around the world as blowback. In the 1950’s, when the democratic government of Iran tried to expand its economy by reclaiming its oil fields, the US overthrew the democracy and installed a dictator. This led the to Iranian revolution in the 1970s. In the course of the last century, the US has toppled democracies and funded military dictators. The administration claims to go after countries with WMDs, but ignored North Korea and Pakistan, both dictatorships that actually do have nuclear weapons. The administration claims to be combating terrorists, but ignores the countries where terrorists exist such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The administration claims to be spreading democracies, but democracies form from and by the people, not behind the barrel of the guns of a foreign nation. The administration claims to go after dictators such as Saddam Hussein, who killed their own people (with WMDs provided by the US), yet ignore Darfur and Rwanda. Iran is now considered a threat even though National Intelligence Reports showed they have not worked on a nuclear weapon since 2003 and are not even close to producing a weapon. On the other hand, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan have some of the world’s largest energy reserves. To improve their economies against inflation from the devaluation of the US dollar, Iran in February 17, 2008 has opened a new Petroleum Exchange not pegged to the dollar. Iraq also removed the peg on the dollar for oil trades in 2000. Financially this is a threat to the dollar and the bankers. What are the real reasons for these wars and who benefits financially?

The policy of the United States should follow the advice from the founding fathers. Trade with everyone and spread democracy by setting an example.

[Imperial]

So, was he winning the poll BEFORE the RPF folks found it?

I mean, as much as I love our support, I really think we should only vote if we are in-district, unless we know Republican drones are voting too from out-of-district.

[SaratogaForRonPaul]

It was 187 before it was posted here, and now its 191, so it hasn't changed. The 187 were from locals, most of which occurred naturally.

I was winning the poll before I even knew it existed, it was at 105 to 94 at the time.

[Imperial]

Sounds Great!

Bump for Vasquez!

[SaratogaForRonPaul]

bump