ACP Platform Principles Summary

These are in no order of importance please check out the full platform plank for full details if more details are listed in following sections.

Military & Defense- Putting America’s security first above all. Honoring our nation’s promises and commitments to our military personnel.

America’s military is the best in the world for two main reasons: the American people and American technology. The best soldiers and sailors in the world are those who are regular citizens who volunteer to defend their homes, cities, and nation. American technology and training has helped augment the spirit of our troops into the world’s finest fighting force. The men and women who volunteer to serve our nation do so for many reasons but ultimately the greatest reason is because they are not afraid to defend our nation and pay the most sacred price for freedom. We owe our military a solemn and moral responsibility to honor our world as a nation to give them the best equipment, best civilian & military leadership, and benefits possible. The ability and gift of each of us pursuing our own American Dream is given to us by the defense our fine military men and women. Freedom and Democracy is not given to any nation, it is earned by its people. Our military men and women are the world’s finest example of that fact.

Thus, the American Centrist Party supports:

War on Terrorism:

The ACP believes that the war against terrorism and extremism is one that will last for years if not decades because it is a war against centuries old hatreds and the idea that religion should be used for oppression. America must be dedicated to the defeat of extremism. Extremism must not win; if it does it will lead to the oppression of all the freedoms that unite us as Americans. We must be dedicated and unequivocal in the complete destruction of terrorism & extremism. Our enemies are committed in their destruction of our way of life, our freedoms and lives themselves; America must be even more dedicated to leading the free world to defeat the terrorists. Terrorists have and will strike at our economy, our way of life and try to get us to doubt the benefits of a free culture. We must not allow this. We must track, fight and destroy terrorists wherever they hide. The key to defeating terrorism is to try to work groups that want peaceful coexistence while defeating those opposed to freedom. Our military is an important component to the war on terror which is why we must expand our military, equip them properly and give them the best civilian & military leadership in the world. The terrorists will not compromise when it comes to their desire for domination and destruction of freedom, the American Centrist Party will not compromise either when it comes to the defense of our nation. Thus the ACP supports:

1. The ACP believes that the war against terrorism and extremism is one that will last for years if not decades because it is a war against centuries hold hatreds and the idea that religion should be used for oppression. America must be dedicated to the defeat of extremism. Extremism must not win; if it does it will lead to the oppression of all the freedoms that unite us as Americans.

2. The ACP believes that the current frontlines on the war on terror are still in Afghanistan and the borderlands of Pakistan. Emerging fronts are in Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia.

3. The ACP believes that the ultimate way to defend America and our allies from terror attacks is not attack with our military after a terrorist attack but to have the intelligence and enforcement capability to stop it before it happens. The ACP believes in using the US Military to combat terrorism when needed.

4. Punishments for terrorists should not the same as that for other criminals but similar to that of spies for foreign nationals or treasonous acts for American citizens engaging or conspiring in terrorism. The key is being able to sniff out and snuff out terror plots on the law enforcement level before our military even needs to get involved.

5. Expanding the US Military to help defeat terrorists and continue to work with our allies and concerned nations in combating terrorism.

Troop Deployment:

1. The ACP supports leaving bases in Europe and Asia open.

Military Deployments will not be our first option. Deployments will be used when necessary and will be used to their utmost effectiveness by American civilian and military leadership.

2. The ACP supports reducing the number of active combat troops and support troops by thirty five percent in European bases by 2010. Final numbers will be decided by on ground commanders and the DOD.

3. The ACP supports reducing American combat and support troops in Japan by thirty five percent by 2010. Final numbers will be decided by on ground commanders and the DOD.

4. The ACP supports increasing the current number of troops in South Korea by twenty percent by 2010. Final numbers will be decided by on ground commanders and the DOD.

5. The ACP supports using active duty combat troops to support border patrol on a rotating basis if needed to supplement Border Security Forces (BSF)

Shared Costs for Foreign-Basing of US Forces:

The Official ACP position is that any and all nations where US Military Forces are stationed/deployed will be required to contribute a portion (percentage to be determined by US DOD and US Department of State) of the operating costs of such military operations.

Pre-Emptive Strikes:

1. The ACP supports a policy of pre-emptive strikes against other nations who may pose a threat to our national security

2. This also applies to terrorist groups.

3. “Imminent Threat” will be the level for a pre-emptive strike.

4. Imminent Threat will be decided by the State Department and DOD based on intelligence information that has been verified. Imminent Threat will be defined by active mobilization of troops and or weapons to deployable positions, active pursuit of WMD material in violation of treaties and/or enrichment of weapons grade nuclear material in violation of treaties and or international law, funding and or harboring of terrorist groups who have made threats against the US and allies.

5. The President of the United States can request a pre-emptive strike however it must be approved by Congress, similar to the declaration of war process.

6. A pre-emptive strike authority will last no longer than a one month period. After a one month period an official declaration of war must be ratified by Congress.

Homosexual Service:

The issue of gays in the military has been a long and particularly divisive one.  Each side of the argument provides lots of evidence to support their argument.  However, the truth is that homosexuals have been serving in the US Armed Forces for decades, and serving well.  There have been instances of general officers and field-grade (Major and higher) officers of both sexes admitting to being gay right before leaving the service.  These personnel had led long and successful military careers while being secretly gay all along.  Thus the ACP holds that sexual preference should not be a factor in a person's decision to join the US Military, or a factor limiting a serviceperson's professional advancement.  Several European nations have openly gay personnel serving honorably and successfully in their country's military services.  The US needs to get past its homophobia and persecution of those with different sexual preferences.

The ACP proposes that any and all anti-gay regulations prohibiting homosexuals from joining or remaining in the Armed Forces of the United States will be abolished.  Consultation with the service chiefs will be held in order to facilitate this new policy and make it as trouble-free as possible.  These are the same people who might already be in the service, or know and trust; let's break down this barrier and stop legislating people's private and personal lives and choices.

Agent Orange & Gulf War Syndrome:

Administrations since the Vietnam War have done a serious injustice to those who have answered their country's call.  The US Government used "Agent Orange" to defoliate certain areas of jungle in Vietnam, and those who have been exposed to this chemical have developed serious health problems, as have their offspring.  Since then, the US government has conducted biased studies of the effects of exposure, and proceeded to deny many health problems of US service people who were exposed.  That meant that federal health benefits and services have not been available to those who need it. 

In 1991, American troops returned from Operation Desert Storm with a mysterious illness.  The US government once more denied any claims of exposure to hazardous chemicals.  The US government dismissed the symptoms of the mysterious illness as random, despite the growing patterns and similarities.  Once more, those who answered the government's call have been lied to and put at risk.

Therefore, the ACP proposes to immediately address the medical needs of those service people who served in Vietnam and the Kuwaiti Theater of Operations (KTO).  A comprehensive and objective study of both illnesses will be done, and the results published.  It is time for the US government to take responsibility for its actions and the effects they have had on those who serve in uniform.

Veteran's Issues:

The ACP proposes a comprehensive review and audit of all VA hospitals and treatment centers in order to make them fully able to treat any and all American veterans.  There can be no less.

The ACP supports taking care of the needs of any and all US Military veterans.  To shortchange those who have sacrificed, bled, been wounded or maimed in service of their country is a disgrace!  They answered their nation's call and their nation should do no less than return the favor.

The ACP supports in bringing all homeless veterans off of the street and out of the cold. Failed hotels and motels and purpose built residences staffed with professional residential and medical staff will help make sure that our veterans who are down on their luck can get back up again.

The ACP does not support the decreasing of any veterans benefits for any reason except dire emergency funding, not pork barrel earmarks. Our veterans and recruits (future veterans) need to know that they can rely on the level of veteran funding by the nation that they serve.

Military Living Conditions:

Many of our CONUS military bases have housing that dates back to the 40s or 50s.  Personnel who do not live in barracks come home to houses which many of us would not spend our hard-earned money on.  Due to substandard pay scales, many of our military personnel do not have the money to live off-post.  There is no reason that our hardworking military personnel have to suffer poor housing right here in the US.

The ACP is in favor of either refurbishing or rebuilding military housing on CONUS military facilities.  Proper safe and comfortable housing for our military personnel will not only raise morale, but show our men and women in the service of our nation that they are appreciated.  You cannot put a price-tag on caring for those who have and do risk their lives to serve when others will not.