Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader

After two weeks of intense media focus on the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, independent candidate Ralph Nader intends to have his voice heard as he tours the Midwest gathering support for his anti-war, anti-corporate message.

Nader, who is Arab American, is scheduled to travel to Detroit and Lansing on Sunday for rallies to build excitement for his campaign with running mate Matt Gonzalez.

The legendary consumer advocate stopped at Detroit Metro Airport on Thursday on his way to Minneapolis, where he was scheduled to hold an “Open the Debates” rally opposite the Republican National Convention.

Before boarding his plane, Nader, a son of Lebanese immigrants from Connecticut, said that among many issues ignored by mainstream candidates that he forces onto the table, are unbalanced foreign policy in the Middle East and civil rights abuses.

He said as president he would negotiate a six-month withdrawal of  “all U.S. military and corporate forces from Iraq… with continued humanitarian aid, because we owe it to the Iraqi people.”

The Arab American community, he said, has potential to have great influence in government policies, but has not done a good enough job organizing itself politically over the years.

“Like any ethnic group they have to organize and secure their rights,” Nader said.

He believes the Nader/Gonzalez campaign stands clearly and completely in line with the concerns of most Arab Americans.

“They should make a list of all the policies they want and ask which (campaign) stands for them most,” he said. “They supported Bush in 2000 — terrible mistake. When he said that he wasn’t going to do secret evidence, he ended up massively worse in terms of violating the civil liberties and civil rights of Muslim and Arab Americans. Then they supported Kerry. That was a losing proposition. He was an Israeli hawk. And wanted more soldiers in Iraq and more aggressive moves their… How many more times are they going to support losers — losers from their own point of view. Why don’t they vote for someone they believe in?”

The campaign is trying to work its way past single-digit poll numbers to qualify for presidential debates.

The rallies on Sunday are scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Kellogg Center, 55 S. Harrison in East Lansing, and 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 4605 Cass Ave. in Detroit. For more rally dates and locations or other information on the Nader/Gonzalez campaign, go to www.votenader.org.