It looks like Congressman Mike Arcuri may have an antiwar opponent. The surprise in that, though, is that Logan Bell would run as a Republican, although he's apparently a Constitution Party member. (Update: More here.) He's not merely against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan:
Bell called for bringing all American troops home, including from countries with which the United States is not at war, to cutting spending and taxes as the first step to economic recovery and stemming inflation.
He said is he troubled with the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, which "have nothing to do with national security," and are "undeclared and hopelessly undefined." Terrorism aimed at the United States, he said, is a direct result of decades of meddling in other country's affairs, and he believes the best way to secure American safety and "stop inciting hate" is to withdraw military personnel from all foreign countries.
The Journal says that Bell will seek the Republican nomination, but perhaps he's running as a Conservative as well, as they speak with Mike Sylvia about third-party candidacies. Sylvia, a Dryden resident (and occasional commenter here), ran as a Libertarian four years ago, and had this to say:
Mike Sylvia, 2006 Libertarian candidate for the 24th district, said the size of the district makes it especially difficult for third-party candidates to make an impact.
"Without money and support from the mainstream parties, we're just excluded," Sylvia said.
Sylvia said before Bell's speech that he has not decided definitely to support Bell, but "I'm looking forward to hearing what he has to say."
Cathy Wakeman has a piece on a Dryden native's pursuit of a jump-rope world record as a fundraiser for Smile Train.
The Journal also has a broad look ahead at the county's prospects for 2010, and at the state level, absentee ballot signature rules will make a little more sense, among other things.
Posted by simon at January 2, 2010 8:17 PM in Tompkins County , politics (national)