Patriots Revolt demands better candidates in presidential race

Patriots Revolt, a rapidly growing movement to re-establish constitutional government in America, is urging voters to stand up and demand alternatives to the two major party presidential candidates. The site calls for nominating a conservative candidate who "will restore American values and common sense given us by God and our founding fathers."

"People are hesitant to step out," retired Army Col. Harry Riley said. "The two parties have us so convinced that if we do something outside those two parties, we're doing damage to one of the candidates."

Herb Rudolph describes the organization as an effort to get the country back on track.

"The United States has been going downhill for quite a few years," Rudolph said. "People in Washington feel above law. They no longer listen to the law. They do things the way they want them to be done. They turn off their constituents. The two gentlemen up for election will not get our support."

A retired Air Force veteran and a Nebraska resident, Rudolph said the current presidential candidates are not "pro-constitution. These people have gotten away from the constitution the way it originally was framed."

Most Patriots Revolt members share his sentiment.

Riley, a founder of the group, is well-known in conservative political circles. He was the founder of Gathering of Eagles, a movement to oppose Code Pink demonstrations in Washington and around the country. Code Pink targets Iraqi War veterans for hostility and abuse.

Riley says neither of the presumptive presidential nominees, Democrat Sen. Barack Obama or Republican Sen. John McCain, is the leader America needs.

"Why vote for either one if they are both professing to be liberals," Bob Thompson, of Panama City, Fla., said. "Liberals are ruining our government and destroying our sovereignty."

Sovereignty is a hot spot with Patriots Revolt founders. They point to immigration issues, NAFTA and the North American Union movement, which they say would erase borders between Mexico, the U.S. And Canada.

"I am pleading with the American people to learn the facts and to finally realize that the status of our government is such that we are no longer in control, and we will lose our sovereignty if we don't take action very, very soon," Thompson, another Patriots Revolt founder, said.

The movement's purpose is to get enough people together to decide who would be the best candidate and vote unanimously, he said.

All agree that Obama, a confirmed liberal with less than a half term in the Senate, falls far short of their hopes for America.

"Obama terrifies me, the damage he could do in four years," Deb Leonard, of Virginia, said. "I've been going back and forth on this (choice of another candidate). I'd rather vote for none of the above, and say, 'Can we please start over?' "

Leonard, registered as an Independent, has a daily blog in which she talks politics and military issues. The mother of a female soldier, Leonard stays in touch with the issues and sentiments of military members and their families.

"Soldiers who read my blog, and families of military people, are so upset thinking of Obama being their commander-in-chief or the commander-in-chief of their kids or husbands. He doesn't know enough. He'll put them in more danger than they're in now. He doesn't understand anything about the military. He's proven that time and time again. People have had it. They're really angry that our choice is McCain on the conservative side."

But getting someone other than McCain on the Republican ballot wouldn't be easy. Patriot Revolt leaders are encouraging a grassroots movement demanding that delegates refuse to nominate McCain on the first ballot. As a result, the convention would become "brokered" and negotiations and additional balloting would choose a candidate.

While Revolt organizers have not named a specific candidate, Duncan Hunter, John Bolton, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Tom Tancredo and Chuck Baldwin bring murmurs of agreement. Fred Thompson, briefly favored by conservatives, would be an unlikely choice.

"Fred doesn't want it," Riley said. "He has no energy. He didn't demonstrate he was serious during the campaign, although his positions were good. And Newt comes with so much baggage."

Positions and goals are paramount in the Patriots' search for a candidate. The Web site lists 16 issues they are asking a candidate to endorse. The positions range from Social Security solvency to protection of the unborn to vetoing congressional earmarks.

Ranking highest on the list, members say, are immigration, protection of America's borders and the country's energy crisis.

"I worry about what I see going on," Jerry Bell, of Florida, said. "I see the slow takeover of our government, our way of life and our culture, the things we have had all these years and cherished. I see it in Europe.

"The Islamic wave has taken hold completely in countries I never would have expected to see it. Sharia Law is proposed as a way to proceed in the United Kingdom. That is not the way democracy should be working. It is the antithesis to democracy. It would be the finish of our country, and it's happening right this minute.

"So many groups are taking control very slowly, making changes we never would have believed before."

Concern about America's borders echoes among several Patriots Revolt demands. Immigration, NAFTA and the North American Union threaten the country these veterans say they fought to preserve.

"They're trying to combine Canada, the United States and Mexico into a globalist, one-world government approach that President Bush and his dad pushed, and even his grandfather before that, which sort of parallels what Obama wants to do," Riley said. "McCain is part of that, too. The border has to be closed."

Patriots' organizers recognize the difficult task they're facing. They say abandonment and betrayal by the two major parties has developed into an incestuous situation where only a few have control. The rest of America is ignored and left with no hope, they say.

Riley and his group are asking Americans to search their consciences and ask themselves if they really believe Obama and McCain are the right choices for the country. They say Americans must stand up and say, "No, we want other choices."

"If enough stand up and say no, we can see it happen," Riley said.