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Sunday, October 08, 2000
By Ann McFeatters, Post-Gazette National Bureau
WASHINGTON -- When it comes to the issues that political observers have lumped together as indicators of a candidate's values, Reform Party presidential candidate Pat Buchanan and Green Party candidate Ralph Nader have passionate views -- but mainly opposing ones.
One of Buchanan's strongest beliefs is that abortion in all forms is wrong. He wants a constitutional amendment banning it.
"In the 27 years since the Supreme Court declared that abortion is a constitutional right, over 35 million unborn American children have been slaughtered -- 1.4 million every year; 4,000 every day," Buchanan says. "Had the United States suffered 35 million casualties in a 27-year war, pundits and politicians would be calling it the greatest tragedy in the history of mankind. But because this calamity is cast in terms of [a woman's] 'choice', they wash their hands of the blood of these innocents."
If he were elected, Buchanan would mount a national campaign against abortion. He says all his government appointees would oppose abortion.
Nader favors a woman's right to choose whether or not to have an abortion. "I don't think government has the proper role in forcing a woman to have a child or forcing a woman not to have a child," he says. "And we've seen that around the world. This is something that should be privately decided with the family, woman, all the other private factors of it. But we should work toward preventing the necessity of abortion."
Buchanan is vehemently opposed to what he considers the current climate of moral degradation. "Everyday," he says, "we see new evidence of the corruption of our popular culture: Filthy art financed with tax dollars. Television steeped in raw sex and romanticized violence. Movies that mock religious faith. Music that extols social chaos.
"After generations of feeding our children this filth and permitting moral polluters to dump their poison into our cultural well, why are we surprised that ours has become a sick society?"
Buchanan says he would mount another crusade to make sure that the values of "family, faith and freedom" are paramount in the nation.
Nader is more concerned about corporate "tyranny" over America. "Giant corporations have hijacked our democracy, have no allegiance to our country or communities and are increasingly controlling our government, media, childhood," he says.
"What other society tolerates electronic child-molesting the way these corporations are targeting 4-year-olds [on television]? They know when parents are away working. Then they market their products, undermining parental authority ... junk food ... violence as a solution to life's problems."
Buchanan is opposed to the Vermont Supreme Court decision permitting same-sex partnerships.
But Nader says homosexuals have the right of civil unions, for economic and humanitarian reasons, and calls the Vermont decision the right one.