James Coburn

EDMOND — Individual rights are eroding from the fabric of America, said Independent Clark Duffe of Edmond. The 52-year-old announced his candidacy this week for Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District.

“Lets get our rights back in order. Let’s stop encroaching on them any further, then we can worry about getting back the things that have been taken away from us,” said Duffe, an optical technician at the Oklahoma History Center.

Duffe said the Patriot Act gave the government more ability to watch people without the use of warrants. Wiretaps, the use of informants, Internet surveillance of messages, placing signaling devices on people’s cars and monitoring phone calls that come in from outside the country are practiced intelligence techniques.

The Patriot Act gave the FBI expanded intelligence to include roving wiretap authority and the capacity to use both criminal and intelligence sources in terrorism cases.

“The Constitution has and the requirement for warrants has served us well for 200 years. There’s really no need to encroach on that. It was sort of a knee-jerk reaction and I understand it,” he said of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S. “I mean some really bad stuff just happened but (the government) didn’t really think through the possibilities.”

Duffe would work to free the American economy by cutting back on regulations, he said. Too many regulations stifle initiative, he said. Corporations have an unfair advantage over small businesses with tax breaks and protection from Congress, Duffe said.

He’s in favor of auditing the Federal Reserve and favors allowing gays and lesbians to marry. Having civil unions is playing with words, he said.

“I don’t see it as being a big damage to traditional marriage in anyway whatsoever,” he said. Duffe and his wife Mary have a 26-year-old son, Jack, and a daughter, Laura, 20.

Regarding foreign affairs, Duffe said he is not happy about the war in Afghanistan. The U.S. became distracted in Iraq while neglecting its purpose of destroying al Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden, Duffe said.

“Now we’re getting buried in a war where no one’s been able to take over these guys before,” he said. “We don’t understand them. We don’t understand their culture. We just think if we go in anywhere, we can force people to be like us. And their culture is not similar to ours at all.

“So I think withdrawal is going to be needed. It’s just a matter of when we finally admit that we’ve been there too long and it hasn’t worked out.”

Duffe said the U.S. needs to find a sensible way to secure its own borders, so Mexican nationals can come to the U.S. to work seasonal jobs. Making it more difficult for tourists to enter the U.S. through Mexico has given illegal immigrants little choice but to remain in the U.S., he said.

A wall built with the intention of keeping illegal immigrants from entering the U.S. would not be practical, Duffe said. Walls easily can be breached by tunnels, he said.

“If we tighten the actual borders and know who’s coming across, but loosen up with who is coming across and how long they can stay, I think we’ll be far better off,” he said.

A Libertarian, Duffe said he is running as an Independent to avoid a political system that is not best for the country.

“We’ve got good people running as Republicans, but once they get up there, the Republican leadership is going to tell them what to do,” Duffe said.

The seat is being vacated by Republican Rep. Mary Fallin, who is running for governor. No Democrats have entered the race. Being an Independent will carry Duffe through the election without worrying about primaries, he said.

“That will give me a full year to get our point of view across, and a point of view that we need to get away from this two-party system because that’s a lot of the problems we have,” Duffe said.

The six Republican Congressional 5th District candidates include Johnny Roy and James Lankford, both of Edmond; state Rep. Mike Thompson of Oklahoma City, former state Rep. Kevin Calvey of Del City, Paul Arabie of Del City and Rick Flanigan of Bethany.

“I hope Duffe will influence the debates and get candidates to go beyond empty rhetorical grandstanding,” said Richard Prawdzienski of Edmond. “Electing Duffe will help folks like Ron Paul, who are working to promote and defend the great American principles of individual liberty, constitutional government, sound money and free markets.”

Duffe said he doesn’t aspire to become a long-term Congressman. Serving one term would be fine with him, he said.

“I think we need more people who will go up there and say, ‘I’m going to go up there and do what I think is right for this term, and next term will take care of itself. We’ll let my record show,’” he said.

The official filing period for candidates will be June 7-9. The statewide primary will be July 27, with a run-off election on Aug. 24. The general statewide election will be Nov. 2, 2010.

The 5th Congressional District encompasses most of Oklahoma County and Pottawatomie and Seminole counties.

TO LEARN MORE about Clark Duffe’s bid for the 5th Congressional District, contact him at 760-3108 or by e-mail at rogueokie@sbcglobal.net. Duffe will be posting a Web site at www.duffeforcongress.com.