Artist’s imagining of Rhett Smith’s official announcement
Rhett Smith is ready to run in Project White House, a serious little competition created by the Tucson Weekly to coincide with the big Democratic and Republican primaries in Arizona. Senior writer Jim Nintzel discovered that anyone can get on the primary ballots, provided they’re native born and at least 25. No fees, no signatures–just a notarized form. How does the competition work? Good question. Click here for the short version.
I asked Rhett Smith, whom I met in San Antonio during the mayor’s race and the Hutto protests, to be a candidate on the Republican ballot. Bless his soul, he agreed. He was running for President and Senate anyway in Texas. Here’s his platform statement, as sent to the Tucson Weekly:
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AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN MUST INCLUDE A THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION/TRANSFORMATION . . . . . . .IF YOU WATCHED THE YOUTUBE/CNN REPUBLICAN DEBATE ON WED. NIGHT NOV.28 , A YOUNG MAN HELD UP (TO THE CAMERA) WHAT APPEARED TO BE A KING JAMES EDITION OF THE HOLY BIBLE. . . . IT IS VERY SAD THAT THE YOUNG MAN APPEARED TO BE INTOXICATED. . . . . .AND IT WAS AN INDICTMENT OF OUR ENTIRE POLITICAL/EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM THAT HIS QUESTION TO THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES IMPLIED THAT THE (CANDIDATES’ )PLATFORM FOR THE ENTIRE REPUBLICAN PARTY WAS CONNECTED TO THIS TRANSLATED RELIGIOUS TEXT . . . . HE ASKED IF THE CANDIDATES BELIEVED “EVERY WORD” . . . . CANDIDATES ROMNEY AND HUCKABEE RESPONDED AFFIRMITIVELY, WHILE NOT ONE OTHER CANDIDATE EVEN PAID “LIP SERVICE” TO THE GREATEST POLITICAL TREATISE EVER ‘PENNED’ BY OUR REVOLUTIONARY FOUNDERS. . . . . . “CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW RESPECTING AN ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGION” AMERICANS MUST LEARN THAT ARTICLE VI OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION SAYS “THAT NO RELIGIOUS TEST WILL BE USED FOR AN OFFICER OF THE UNITED STATES” . . . . .
THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES OFFERED THE QUESTIONER NO HELP BY PANDERING TO HIS MINDSET AND CNN SHOULD AT LEAST OFFER THE YOUNG MAN A COPY OF THE CONSTITUTION AND BILL OF RIGHTS.
TO STOP THE WAR, END THE HATE . . . . .END THE LIES
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY AMERICA CAN NO LONGER BE A “SAFE-HAVEN” FOR “COWBOY IMPERIALISM” OR “COWBOY THEOLOGY”—-SUCH AS “CHRISTIAN-ZIONISM.”
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I’ll be blogging on Rhett, among others, throughout Project White House. In the meantime, you should acquainted yourself with the candidate through his video site.
Howdy. Dave Maass here.