Democratic vice-presidential candidate Senator John Edwards is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee who not only supports the fascist "Patriot" Act and homeland security bill, he also supports a "domestic intelligence organization" or political police.

This and many other details on the twin party of war, fascism and capitalism of the Republican Party, namely the Democratic Party, are revealed in an excellent article by the Socialist Equality Party's candidate for president, Bill Van Auken, in a 7/7/04 article on the World Socialist Website entitled "Kerry-Edwards: Democrats Finalize their Pro-War, Millionaires' Ticket" at

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/jul2004/edwa-j07.shtml

Thus, the excuse I hear most often for voting for the Democrats is that they will somehow give any peacenik "breathing room" is eliminated.

The Democrats have so much contempt for all peace and civil liberties candidates that they are doing everything they can to keep the Socialist Equality Party off the ballot in Illinois (see http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/jul2004/toms-j07.shtml) and the Ralph Nader-Pete Camejo independent ticket off the ballot in many states, including Arizona, where they have succeeded. This is further proof that the Democratic Party is just as much a fascist, warmongering party as the Republican Party.

To support democracy, please do whatever you can to encourage all campaigns to get their candidates on the ballot, including the socialist candidates and the Nader-Camejo ticket. Only by supporting candidates who are for peace and civil liberties will we win peace and defend civil liberties.