The Justice

Media Credit: Julian Agin-Liebes

Mimicking his long-shot campaign for the White House, Alaskan Sen. Mike Gravel took a roundabout route to campus for a speech Sunday night. Despite a three-hour plane delay, the dogged presidential contender drew a crowd of about 90 to the Lown auditorium for a talk that ran into the early morning hours.

Gravel, who competed for the Democratic nomination before joining the Libertarian Party last month in an attempt to run as a third-party contender, began his speech around 11 p.m. and stayed late, taking pictures, answering questions and signing books.

Gravel discussed his decision to switch partisan allegiances. The Democratic and Republican parties are too large to be truly controlled by the people, he said.

"The Libertarian Party really is closer to the American people than is the Democratic Party or the Republican Party," Gravel said, adding, "I have always been a closeted libertarian, ... but now I am free at last, free at last."

True power in the United States lies in hands of military leaders and the industries that supply weapons, Gravel said.

"The military-industrial complex owns this country lock, stock and barrel, and the media is handmade [for] the military-industrial complex," he said.

To redistribute political power, Gravel suggested limiting the terms of elected officials. At present, members of Congress can serve an unlimited number of terms, and federal judges are appointed for life.

Gravel also advocated for his "National Initiative for Democracy," which would allow citizens to propose ideas and then vote them into laws during elections.

Gravel insisted on the inadequacy of the remaining presidential candidates, which include Democratic Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and Republican Sen. John McCain, his party's presumptive nominee.

Gravel said he is the only candidate who would end the war in Iraq.

"Obama, Hillary and McCain are all war people," he said, adding, "There's not going to be major change if these people are elected."

Obama and Clinton have each said they would begin to withdraw troops from Iraq once elected. McCain has supported an extended troop deployment.

Gravel blamed the current Democrat-controlled Congress for what he labeled deficient environmental policies.

Continued...

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