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Platform Statements — 2004
Tuesday February 07, 2012
DNC 2004: Equal Rights/Ending Discrimination
Racial and religious profiling is wrong and we will work to stamp it out. Hate crimes desecrate sacred spaces and demean good people, and we support a strong national law to punish them.
CATEGORIES: 2004 DNC Equal Rights/Ending Discrimination
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Tuesday February 07, 2012
DNC 2004: (Counter) Terrorism
America needs a major initiative in public diplomacy to support the many voices of freedom in the Arab and Muslim world. To improve education for the next generation of Islamic youth, we need a cooperative international effort to compete with radical Madrassas. And we must support human rights groups, independent media, and labor unions dedicated to building a democratic culture from the grassroots up. Democracy will not blossom overnight, but America should speed its growth by sustaining the forces of democracy against repressive regimes and by rewarding governments that work toward this end.
CATEGORIES: (Counter) Terrorism 2004 DNC
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Tuesday February 07, 2012
RNC 2004 (Counter) Terrorism
[Because the] PATRIOT Act… has proved to be instrumental in helping to break up terror cells and plots and seizing terrorist assets, Republicans believe that Congress needs to reauthorize this important law. … We share the guiding principles for reform that President Bush has laid out, including: increasing both the quality and quantity of human intelligence collection to disrupt terrorist attacks; investing more in our technical intelligence capabilities so that we stay ahead of our enemies’ changing communications technology and tactics; and ensuring the most effective and coordinated use of these resources and personnel. … We also support President Bush’s judgment that legislative oversight of intelligence and homeland security must be restructured and made more effective. Currently there are too many committees with overlapping jurisdiction, which wastes time and makes it difficult for meaningful oversight and reform.
CATEGORIES: (Counter) Terrorism 2004 RNC
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Monday February 06, 2012
RNC 2004: Right to Privacy
As tagging and tracking citizens is inconsistent with American freedom, we oppose the creation of a national identification card or system.
CATEGORIES: 2004 Right to Privacy RNC
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Monday February 06, 2012
DNC 2004: Right to Privacy
We must always remember that terrorists do not just target our lives; they target our way of life. And so we must be on constant guard not to sacrifice the freedom we are fighting to protect. We will strengthen some provisions of the Patriot Act, like the restrictions on money laundering. And we will change the portions of the Patriot Act that threaten individual rights, such as the library provisions, while still allowing government to take all needed steps to fight terror. Our government should never round up innocent people only because of their religion or ethnicity, and we should never stifle free expression. We believe in an America where freedom is what we fight for – not what we give up.
CATEGORIES: 2004 DNC Right to Privacy
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Monday February 06, 2012
DNC 2004: Foreign Policy/Arab Spring
America needs a major initiative in public diplomacy to support the many voices of freedom in the Arab and Muslim world. To improve education for the next generation of Islamic youth, we need a cooperative international effort to compete with radical Madrassas. And we must support human rights groups, independent media, and labor unions dedicated to building a democratic culture from the grassroots up. Democracy will not blossom overnight, but America should speed its growth by sustaining the forces of democracy against repressive regimes and by rewarding governments that work toward this end.
CATEGORIES: 2004 DNC Foreign Policy/Arab Spring
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Monday February 06, 2012
RNC 2004: Foreign Policy/Arab Spring
We applaud President Bush for establishing … a Forward Strategy of Freedom in the Middle East to stand with the people of that region as they seek their future in freedom. … We believe that democracy and reform will make those nations stronger and more stable, and make the world more secure by undermining terrorism at its source. …As a result of President Bush’s leadership, G-8 members adopted the Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative at this year’s Sea Island Summit. We applaud the commitment of the world’s leading industrial nations to this historic initiative to support political, economic, and social reform throughout the region.
CATEGORIES: 2004 Foreign Policy/Arab Spring RNC
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Monday February 06, 2012
DNC 2004: Middle East
People of good will disagree about whether America should have gone to war in Iraq, but this much is clear: this Administration badly exaggerated its case, particularly with respect to weapons of mass destruction and the connection between Saddam’s government and al Qaeda. This Administration did not build a true international coalition. This Administration disdained the United Nations weapons inspection process and rushed to war without exhausting diplomatic alternatives. Ignoring the advice of military leaders, this Administration did not send sufficient forces into Iraq to accomplish the mission. And this Administration went into Iraq without a plan to win the peace. Now this Administration has been forced to change course in order to correct this fundamental mistake. They are now taking up the suggestions that many Democrats have been making for over a year. And they must – because having gone to war, we cannot afford to fail at peace. We cannot allow a failed state in Iraq that inevitably would become a haven for terrorists and a destabilizing force in the Middle East. And we must secure more help from an international community that shares a huge stake in helping Iraq become a responsible member of that community, not a breeding ground for terror and intolerance.
CATEGORIES: 2004 DNC Middle East
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Monday February 06, 2012
RNC 2004: Middle East
The Republican Party shares President Bush’s commitment to the security of America’s democratic ally Israel and the safety of the Israeli people. We remain committed to ensuring that Israel maintains a qualitative edge in defensive technology over any potential adversaries. We believe that terror attacks against Israelis are part of the same evil as the September 11, 2001, attacks against America. We recognize Israel’s right to defend itself in the face of homicide bombings and other attacks against the people of Israel.
CATEGORIES: 2004 Middle East RNC
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Monday February 06, 2012
RNC 2004: Voting Rights
The foundation of our democratic republic is our commitment to conducting free and fair elections. Unfortunately, in November 2000, too many people believed they were denied the right to vote. Many African Americans, Hispanics, and others fear they may lose the right to vote because of inaccurate or insecure technology or because of a rolling back in the gains made by the passage of civil rights legislation. Our national commitment to a voting process that has integrity was underscored in 2002 when the Congress passed and the President signed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). We will continue to do all we can to ensure that every lawful vote counts for all Americans.
CATEGORIES: 2004 RNC Voting Rights
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Looking at Iran by James Zogby
Kahlil Gibran Awards Gala - April 16, 2013
