Campaigning again
April 15, 2012
Even in the middle of en election year, it is hard to find time to update my blog, but I will try and do so more often as campaign season warms up. As I have done before, I am running for Utah Attorney General. As the former Socialist candidate for President, Eugene Debs said, when asked why he kept at it: It is important that we try and change the nature of the debate. The Libertarian Party in Utah is growing, as more people realize that the one party state does not protect their personal freedoms. And we needed someone to keep the debate alive. When Weber County Attorney Dee Smith announced he was running as a Democrat, my e-mail lit up wildly. Mr. Smith is most known for his loud support of the failed drug war and for his support of the death penalty. So, we needed an alternative, and here I am.
Last night I filed my pre-convention finalncial report, a couple of days early. I checked on the preliminary reports of two of my opponents, including Mr. Smith. As far as I can tell, he has no working website, and he has only a few thousand dollars on hand, given to him by his party. These numbers may change when the reports are filed next week, but right now, he has not raised any money, and has not started campaigning. John Swallow, one of the two Republican candidates, has raised almost half a million dollars. I did not check Mr. Reyes yet, but assume he has similar resources.
So, what chance do I have of changing the Republican domination of this office, or of infuencing the debate? Well, to start, I represent a different point of view that has much support among citizens. The constant drumbeat of being "tough on crime", and especially on drugs, needs to be counterbalanced with common sense. I read in the Provo Herlad this morning that the drug war may get even tougher, with potential death penalites for dealers. This is a reaction, they say, to the fact that heroin is now about the same price as a six pack of beer, and is readily available to those who seek it. So, the "war on drugs" gets more serious, and more people die. Only I am willing to say what most people already know: The war on drus is being lost, and getting tougher will not win it. It is the drug war that costs lives, more so than drug abuse itself. Yesterday, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that a Springville man had called for urgent medical help. when the paramedics got there, they found heroin. So, after a short stay at the hospital, he went to jail. Obviously, he will never call for help again. Next time, he may just die.
Last week I spoke to a group in Ogden that supports Matthew Stewart against the death penalty charges brought against him by Mr. Smith. I don't support shooting police officers, and nobody else there does either. But we all wonder why several heavily armed and armored police officers would break into anyone's house at night, without warning, just to get a few pot plants that he was aupposedly growing. Is this worth the risk to anyone's life? We don't think so.
I also was interviewed over the last couple of weeks on KKAT radio in Salt Lake, and KVNU radio in Logan. So, I am not being totally ignored. There are many who want to hear the alternative message that I bear. I intend to keep spreading it the best I can. Maybe the powers that be will eventually begin to realize that what they are doing is wrong; and it is failing.
Help me spread the word. Tell a friend. Consider a small contribution at www.andrewmccullough.org
And pass this bolg on to someone as well. We don't have a lot of mney, but we have an important message. Let's spread it as we can.
Even in the middle of en election year, it is hard to find time to update my blog, but I will try and do so more often as campaign season warms up. As I have done before, I am running for Utah Attorney General. As the former Socialist candidate for President, Eugene Debs said, when asked why he kept at it: It is important that we try and change the nature of the debate. The Libertarian Party in Utah is growing, as more people realize that the one party state does not protect their personal freedoms. And we needed someone to keep the debate alive. When Weber County Attorney Dee Smith announced he was running as a Democrat, my e-mail lit up wildly. Mr. Smith is most known for his loud support of the failed drug war and for his support of the death penalty. So, we needed an alternative, and here I am.
Last night I filed my pre-convention finalncial report, a couple of days early. I checked on the preliminary reports of two of my opponents, including Mr. Smith. As far as I can tell, he has no working website, and he has only a few thousand dollars on hand, given to him by his party. These numbers may change when the reports are filed next week, but right now, he has not raised any money, and has not started campaigning. John Swallow, one of the two Republican candidates, has raised almost half a million dollars. I did not check Mr. Reyes yet, but assume he has similar resources.
So, what chance do I have of changing the Republican domination of this office, or of infuencing the debate? Well, to start, I represent a different point of view that has much support among citizens. The constant drumbeat of being "tough on crime", and especially on drugs, needs to be counterbalanced with common sense. I read in the Provo Herlad this morning that the drug war may get even tougher, with potential death penalites for dealers. This is a reaction, they say, to the fact that heroin is now about the same price as a six pack of beer, and is readily available to those who seek it. So, the "war on drugs" gets more serious, and more people die. Only I am willing to say what most people already know: The war on drus is being lost, and getting tougher will not win it. It is the drug war that costs lives, more so than drug abuse itself. Yesterday, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that a Springville man had called for urgent medical help. when the paramedics got there, they found heroin. So, after a short stay at the hospital, he went to jail. Obviously, he will never call for help again. Next time, he may just die.
Last week I spoke to a group in Ogden that supports Matthew Stewart against the death penalty charges brought against him by Mr. Smith. I don't support shooting police officers, and nobody else there does either. But we all wonder why several heavily armed and armored police officers would break into anyone's house at night, without warning, just to get a few pot plants that he was aupposedly growing. Is this worth the risk to anyone's life? We don't think so.
I also was interviewed over the last couple of weeks on KKAT radio in Salt Lake, and KVNU radio in Logan. So, I am not being totally ignored. There are many who want to hear the alternative message that I bear. I intend to keep spreading it the best I can. Maybe the powers that be will eventually begin to realize that what they are doing is wrong; and it is failing.
Help me spread the word. Tell a friend. Consider a small contribution at www.andrewmccullough.org
And pass this bolg on to someone as well. We don't have a lot of mney, but we have an important message. Let's spread it as we can.
posted by Andrew McCullough @ 2:13 PM
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