The nine commandments

As it stands today, there are three candidates with a chance of getting elected this fall…. As it stands today, there are three candidates with a chance of getting elected this fall. What happens on Nov. 4 will steer the United States’ direction for the next several decades.

No matter who takes the prize this year, I’ve created a comprehensive list of what needs to happen during the first four years of our next president’s tenure in the Oval Office in order to rebuild this country and once again become the great nation we eternally claim to be.

1. Find a solution for the Iraq War. Sure, it sounds easier said than done, but the war needs to end. Our continuing presence in Iraq isn’t reducing terrorism. If anything, it’s simply creating more anti-American enemies, which is dangerous to our country in the long run. There have been 4,000 U.S soldiers who have died in Iraq, but an even bigger tragedy lies with the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians who were killed since the start of the U.S. invasion.

2. Maintain a tough stance on terrorism. Leaving Iraq doesn’t mean signing our lives over to the terrorists. Most of the terrorists involved in the 9/11 attacks were citizens of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, a country President George W. Bush is afraid to offend because of his ties with the oil-laden nation.

3. Sign the Kyoto Protocol. The Japanese treaty aimed at reducing the greenhouse gases that cause global climate change was signed in 1997 and put into effect in 2005, with every major country in the world (except two) signing on and making the pledge. The two that didn’t ratify the treaty were Australia and the United States, citing economic reasons. Since then, Australia elected a new president who has promised to ratify the document. It’s only fitting that the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gases takes some responsibility for reducing them.

4. Universalize health care. Capitalism is great for things like those new shoes you want and that Nintendo Wii for your flat-screen TV. But when it comes to human lives, the “I have more than you” game is simply unacceptable. Our country needs to stand up for the rights of its citizens by protecting their health. Simply put, the U.S. government feels that if you can’t afford health care on your agonizingly low minimum-wage salary, you don’t deserve to live. That needs to change.

5. End illegal immigration. The most conservative stance you’ll ever hear me argue lies with the fact that I think the border should be better protected. I know that nine out of 10 illegal immigrants crossing the border are looking for a better life, but it’s that No. 10 person we need to worry about. What baffles me the most is that Mexico and many other countries that complain about U.S. border policy have tough immigration laws of their own. Why are people defending illegal immigration? If people want to come here, they need to do so legally.

6. Control the United States’ firearm industry, and take a closer look at the Second Amendment. Anybody who’s read the Constitution knows that the document calls for a “well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state.” In all honesty, I really don’t think the handgun you carry is going to help protect the country. If anything, it’ll contribute to one of the more than 10,000 people a year who die in handgun-related violence. It’s a machine good for nothing other than killing somebody, and it needs to be made illegal. It’s time for a zero-tolerance policy.

7. Legalize gay marriage and gay adoption. The problem with this country is that we’re always finding somebody to target. Early on, it was Catholics, then Jews. During the better part of the 19th and 20th centuries, it was black people and women who were made to feel unequal. The latest target is the gay community. Some politicians want to add an amendment to the Constitution to ban gay marriage. The Constitution was created to give rights, not to take them away. Simply put, if you’re against gay marriage, don’t have one.

8. Repeal the PATRIOT Act and stop illegal wiretapping. Benjamin Franklin once said, “Those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither.” He couldn’t have been more correct. It’s not worth undermining the very foundation of this country to listen in on the phone calls of someone who says the word “terrorism.” As with any American, I hope and pray that another terrorist attack doesn’t befall us. But it’s not worth destroying the Constitution to pretend that we’re preventing something.

9. Move the United States forward. This country was created to epitomize freedom and liberty, to progress human society and to give our citizens the best possible quality of life. Something happened along the way, and now we’re falling behind Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan and many other developed nations in terms of life expectancy, literacy rates and general human development. Our last president set us back 50 years. Our next one will have to do the exact opposite.

Is Peter a progressive hero or just another radical left-wing commie? E-mail him at pbm1@pitt.edu, and let him know.