[333] in peace2
Fwd: [brown-socialaction] everybody makes (com)promises, nobody keeps them.
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Basuman@aol.com)
Fri Aug 4 13:56:17 2000
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To: noorjehan21@hotmail.com, Dylan Tierney <dtierney_2000@yahoo.com>,
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From: kmate@pih.org (Kedar Mate)
Subject: Fwd: [brown-socialaction] everybody makes (com)promises,
nobody keeps them.
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>Subject: [brown-socialaction] everybody makes (com)promises, nobody keeps
>them.
>
>Dick Cheney's voting record:
>
>1979: Voted twice against creation of the Department of Education.
>1982: One of 54 House members to oppose extending aid to
>low-income homebuyers.
>1982-3: Twice voted against guaranteeing death benefits for widows of
>firefighters and cops.
>1983: Voted against the Equal Rights Amendment.
>1983 and 1985: Opposed using federal funds for abortion even if the life
>of the mother was endangered.
>1984: One of 9 members to oppose EPA research and development.
>1984-1985: Voted to eliminate citizens' rights to sue hazardous waste
>dumping damages.
>1984 and 1986: Opposed Head Start funding.
>1985: One of 21 House members to oppose banning on armor piercing bullets.
>1985-1986: Voted against bills to reauthorize college student aid.
>1985 and 1987: Voted against reauthorization of the Clean Water Act.
>1985-1988: Repeatedly opposed sanctions on South Africa.
>1986: Voted against a resolution calling for Nelson Mandela's Freedom.
>1987: One of 16 House members to oppose reauthorizing the Endangered
>Species Act.
>1988: One of 4 House members to oppose a ban on the production or the
>importation of any firearms that do not contain at least 3.7 ounces of metal.
>1988: Voted against allowing federal funds to be used for abortions for
>rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.
>1988: One of 9 House members to vote against allowing federal employees to
>take time off for sick family members.
>
>The State of Texas, under the leadership of Governor George W. Bush, is
>ranked:
>
>* 50th in spending for teachers' salaries
>* 49th in spending on the environment
>* 48th in per-capita funding for public health
>* 47th in delivery of social services
>* 42nd in child-support collections
>* 41st in per-capita spending on public education
>and ...
>* 5th in percentage of population living in poverty
>* 1st in air and water pollution
>* 1st in percentage of poor working parents without insurance
>* 1st in percentage of children without health insurance
>* 1st in executions (avg. 1 every 2 weeks for Bush's 5 years
>
>Bush and Gore Make Me Wanna Ralph
>A Letter from Michael Moore to the Non-Voters of America
>
>Dear friends,
>
>DISCLAIMER: If you are planning to vote for Al Gore in November, good for
>you. Don't let what I'm about to say change your mind because I've been
>told by all the experts that if you do change your mind based on what I'm
>about to say, George W. Bush might win the election and I certainly
>couldn't live
>with myself if that connoisseur of pharmaceuticals (the kind you snort up
>your nose or the kind you inject on death row) won, in part, because of a
>letter I spit out over the Internet.
>
>So let's review -- you like Gore, you vote for Gore. He's a decent guy. I
>met him
>last year at some benefit, he came up to me, big hug -- whoa, this veep is
>no stiff,
>I thought -- and thanked me for this and that. He even quoted lines from "The
>Awful Truth" - whoa, scary, I thought, what's he doing watching cable
>channels above 40 on the box...not much to do on this veep gig, eh?
>
>I told him I admired what he did when he came home to America as a Vietnam
>Vet and spoke out against the war. That took a lot of courage, I said (his
>dad lost
>his Senate seat for being an early opponent of the war).
>
>So, if Al Gore is your man, go for it. In fact, I insist on it, even if
>you are just
>throwing your vote away.
>
>What I am about to say, though, is not intended for any Al Gore (or George W.)
>voters. If you are one, please click off now.
>
>To Whom It May Concern:
>
>I address this letter to the largest political party in the United States
>- the
>55% of you in the voting public who are so disillusioned with politics and
>politicians, so sick and tired of all the broken promises, so disgusted
>with all
>the b.s. that you have absolutely no intention of voting in November.
>
>You know who you are.
>
>AND YOU ARE THE MAJORITY!
>
>You rule. You are the Non-Voters, all 100 million of you!
>
>Until now, you have been the subject of scorn and ridicule. You've been called
>apathetic, lazy, ignorant. Your actions have been viewed as unAmerican (I
>mean, what kind of citizen in the World's Greatest Democracy would not
>exercise
>his or her most important and cherished right - the right to freely choose
>your
>leader!).
>
>Well, may I be the first to tell you that, not only are you NOT stupid and
>apathetic, I believe you are smarter than all the rest of us combined. YOU
>figured
>it out. YOU uncovered the scam. And YOU had the guts to no longer
>participate in a lie. Way to go! In 1996, you helped set the all-time American
>record for lowest turnout ever at a presidential election.
>
>The reason you, the majority, no longer vote in America is because you, the
>majority, realize there is no real choice on the ballot. The "two" parties
>both do
>the bidding of the wealthy and agree with each other on 90% of the issues.
>They take 90% of their money from people who make over a hundred-grand
>a year, and then enact over 90% of the laws those contributors want passed.
>
>On the ballot this November, you already know there is no contest. The
>independent Cook Political Report in D.C. last week announced that, out of
>435 House seats up for election in November, there are only 47 seats
>where there is a "true race" between opponents - and, of those, only 14
>seats have a race that is even "close" between the two candidates. 14 out
>of 435!
>
>"Ninety-seven to ninety-nine percent of incumbents running for re-election
>will
>be returned to Congress in November," according to the Cook Report.
>
>The Non-Voters already understand this. And they are not going to waste
>one iota of their day on November 7 driving to some smelly elementary
>school gymnasium to participate in a Soviet-style election with no friggin'
>choice on the ballot.
>
>So, to you brave voter-resisters, I say congratulations on your act of civic
>disobedience! I joined you this primary season and refused to go along with
>this charade of "choice." Nearly 80% of those of us of voting age - over 160
>million Americans - staged a sit-in on our living room couches during this
>year's
>primaries. THAT is the great untold story of this election year. How much
>longer
>will the punditocracy be able to get away with dismissing this massive
>no-show as "a sign Americans are content with the booming economy?"
>
>Now that we have made our presence known (you all don't mind me speaking
>for us, do you? Good. In fact, I'll just assume the currently-vacant mantle of
>this majority party and serve as your leader until you say otherwise...),
>it is
>time to find a way that says, loudly and clearly, just how mad as hell we
>are and
>how we are not going to take it anymore. We need to find a way where
>our vote screams "None of the Above!" A chance to act, like that Chinese
>guy in
>Tieneman Square, standing in front of a moving tank and stopping it in its
>path.
>
>In November, we should find a way to follow in the footsteps of those
>intelligent Minnesotans who, even thought they could care less about
>professional wrestling (and even less, I'm sure, for Jesse "The Body"), proved
>to the world that they not only have a sense of humor, but they know how to
>stick it to the whole bloody system. Think of just how high their level of
>anger must have been against the One-Party-With-Two-Heads monopoly! I
>mean, state government is no joke - somebody's gotta build the roads, run
>the schools, catch the criminals. You don't want to turn the asylum over
>to the
>chief lunatic but, damn it, that's what the people of Minnesota did - just
>to send a
>message! Wow. That took some guts.
>
>So, for those of you who weren't going to vote anyway, well...what if you
>actually did? What if you drove down to that stinky gym where the little shell
>game behind the pretend curtains is taking place ("Pay no attention to the
>voters behind the curtains!"), walk in, sign in, take the ballot they hand
>you,
>and toss yourselves inside the booth like a political molotov cocktail.
>
>Boom!
>
>"You wanna tell me there's a choice here between two guys who both
>support NAFTA, WTO, the death penalty, the Cuban embargo, increased
>Pentagon spending, sleazy HMOs, greedy hospital chains, 250 million guns
>in our homes, more bombing of Iraq, the rich getting richer and the rest of us
>declaring bankruptcy?"
>
>Boom!
>
>Not me.
>
>Boom!
>
>I'm voting for Ralph Nader.
>
>KAAAABOOM!
>
>Friends, we are losing our democratic control over our country. We may have
>already lost it. I hope not. But in the last 20 years of the Reagan
>administration,
>Corporate America has merged and morphed itself to such an extent that
>just a handful of companies now call all the shots. They own Congress. They
>own us. In order to work for them, we have to take urine tests and lie
>detectors and wear bar codes on chains around our necks. In order to keep our
>jobs we have had to give up decent health care, the 8-hour day (and time
>with our kids), the security that we'll even have a job next year, and any
>unwillingness we may have to compete with a 14-year old Indonesian girl who
>gets a dollar a day.
>
>And how frightening (and great) is it that the last place we can freely
>try to inform
>and communicate with each other is on this very Web? Six companies run by six
>men control the majority of the news we now get from newspapers, television,
>radio and the Internet. One out of every two books is bought at a bookstore
>owned by one of only two companies. Is it safe in a "free society" to have the
>sources of our information and mass communication in the hands of just a
>few wealthy men who have a VESTED interest in keeping us as stupid as
>possible - or at least in keeping us thinking like them so that we vote for
>THEIR candidates?
>
>I fear the cement on this new oligarchy of power is quickly drying, and
>when it is
>finished hardening, we are finished. The democracy, the one that's supposed to
>be of, by, and for the people, will cease to exist.
>
>We must not let this happen, no matter how cynical and disgusted we've
>become at the whole electoral process.
>
>Ralph Nader, to me, represents a chance for us to at least temporarily
>stop the cement from drying. We need him in there kicking things up, stirring
>the pot and forcing a real debate about the issues. Whether it's Ralph as
>Candidate or Ralph as President, he may represent our last hope to get our
>country back from the clutches of the powerful few.
>
>I am not writing these words lightly. I am hoping to sound a siren and
>rally the
>majority who, for good reason, have given up - but might just have it in them
>to find the will for one last fight against the bastards.
>
>Can Ralph win? Well, stranger things have happened in the past decade.
>C'mon, think about it, not a single one of us ever thought we'd see the Berlin
>Wall come down or Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa. After those
>two things happened, I joined a new school of thought that said ANYTHING
>was possible. Jesse Ventura started with 3% in the polls and won. Ross
>Perot in '92 started with 6% and, after proving to everyone that he was
>certifiably insane, still got nearly 20% of the vote.
>
>Ralph already has between 7% and 10% in the polls - before he's done any
>serious campaigning. He's gone from 3% to 8% in my home state of Michigan.
>These are amazing numbers and the pundits and lobbyists and Republicrats
>are running scared. Hey, you like to watch scared Republicrats running? Tell
>a pollster you're voting for Ralph.
>
>Now, look, before you all send me a lot of mail about how weird Ralph is
>'cause
>he doesn't own a car or is a "sell-out" 'cause he's got a few million
>dollars, let
>me say this: I used to work out of his office, and Ralph is definitely one
>of a
>kind. In a future letter I will write of those experiences but, for now,
>let's just agree
>that Ralph is at least half as crazy as Jesse Ventura - and about a hundred
>times as smart. I'd say he's also saved about a million or so lives,
>thanks to the
>consumer and environmental legislation he has devoted his life to.
>
>And between Gore, Bush, and himself, he's the only person running who would
>guarantee universal health care for all, the only candidate who would
>raise the
>minimum wage to a decent level, the only one who would get up each
>morning asking himself the question, "What can I do today to serve all the
>people of this country?"
>
>The list goes on and on. You can read more about what Ralph stands for by
>going to his website (http://www.votenader.org). You'll agree, I'm sure,
>there's lots of common sense
>there, regardless of what political stripe you are.
>
>But remember. If you are even THINKING of voting for Al Gore, vote for
>Al Gore. Ralph Nader does not need a single Gore vote. There are a hundred
>million of us out there who are uncommitted and currently not voting.
>Right now, Gore and Bush are each hoping to win by getting only 40 million
>votes.
>
>If you are in the Non-Voting majority and want to let 'em all have it, if
>you want to
>get our country back in our hands...well, if even half of you show up and vote
>November 7 then you won't be held responsible for Bush winning the White
>House.
>
>In fact, you won't be held responsible for putting Gore in the White
>House, either.
>
>Rather, you will have made history by putting a true American hero at 1600
>Pennsylvania Avenue.
>
>And you will have given every company, every boss who's done ya wrong, the
>worst nightmare of their lives.
>
>November 7. Payback Time.
>
>The revenge of the Non-Voters!
>
>So sayeth their unappointed leader,
>yours truly,
>Michael Moore
>mmflint@aol.com
>http://www.theawfultruth.com
>http://www.michaelmoore.com
>
>PS. Come to think of it, Democrats should be on their knees thanking
>Ralph for running. Rather than taking votes from Gore, Ralph's going to be
>the one responsible for turning the House back over to the Democrats.
>
>When millions of these Non-Voters enter that booth to vote for Ralph, and they
>come across their local race for Congress, they will find no Green Party
>candidate in most of the 435 Congressional districts. So who do you
>think Ralph's army of Non-Voters will plunk down for Congress? The
>Republican? I don't think so.
>
>The Democrats are only six seats short of regaining control of the House.
>Ralph
>Nader will be the reason the Democrats get the House back for the first time
>since Newt's Contract on America in 1994.
>
>Democrats should send their checks to
>Nader 2000, P.O. Box 18002,
>Washington, DC 20035.
>
>PPS. If you're still worried this letter might convince a weak-kneed Gore
>voter to flip over to Nader - and thus lead to President George W. stacking
>the Supreme Court to make abortion illegal, well, it's all a bunch of hooey.
>Please read my latest grassroots.com column entitled, "I Ain't Fallin for That
>One Again" at: http://www.michaelmoore.com/aint.html
>
>PLEASE PASS THIS LETTER ON TO YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY.
>PERMISSION IS GRANTED TO REPRINT ANYWHERE.
>
>matthew jerzyk
>director, criminal justice | truth to power | http://www.truthpower.org
>To Post a message, send it to: brown-socialaction@eGroups.com
>To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to:
>brown-socialaction-unsubscribe@eGroups.com
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Date: Fri, 04 Aug 2000 12:00:51 -0400<br>
Reply-To: brown-socialaction@egroups.com<br>
Subject: [brown-socialaction] everybody makes (com)promises, nobody keeps
them. <br>
<br>
<font color="#FF0000"><b><div align="center">
Dick Cheney's </font><font color="#0000FF">voting record:<br>
<br>
</font></b></div>
1979: Voted twice <b>against </b>creation of the Department of
<b>Education</b>.<br>
1982: One of 54 House members to <b>oppose </b>extending aid to
<b>low-income homebuyers</b>.<br>
1982-3: Twice voted <b>against </b>guaranteeing death <b>benefits </b>for
widows of firefighters and cops.<br>
1983: Voted <b>against </b>the <b>Equal Rights</b> Amendment.<br>
1983 and 1985: <b>Opposed </b>using federal funds for <b>abortion
</b>even if the life of the mother was endangered.<br>
1984: One of 9 members to <b>oppose EPA </b>research and
development.<br>
1984-1985: Voted to <b>eliminate citizens' rights </b>to sue hazardous
waste dumping damages.<br>
1984 and 1986: <b>Opposed Head Start</b> funding.<br>
1985: One of 21 House members to <b>oppose banning </b>on <b>armor
piercing</b> <b>bullets</b>.<br>
1985-1986: Voted <b>against </b>bills to reauthorize college <b>student
aid.<br>
</b>1985 and 1987: Voted <b>against </b>reauthorization of the <b>Clean
Water Act</b>.<br>
1985-1988: Repeatedly <b>opposed sanctions on South Africa</b>.<br>
1986: Voted <b>against </b>a resolution calling for <b>Nelson Mandela's
Freedom</b>.<br>
1987: One of 16 House members to <b>oppose </b>reauthorizing the
<b>Endangered Species Act.<br>
</b>1988: One of 4 House members to <b>oppose a ban</b> <b>on</b> the
production or the importation of any <b>firearms</b> that do not contain
at least 3.7 ounces of metal.<br>
1988: Voted <b>against </b>allowing federal funds to be used for
<b>abortions </b>for rape, incest, or to save the life of the
mother.<br>
1988: One of 9 House members to vote <b>against </b>allowing federal
employees to take time off for sick <b>family </b>members.<br>
<br>
<font color="#FF0000"><b>The State of Texas,</font>
<font color="#0000FF">under the leadership of Governor George W. Bush,</font> <font color="#FF0000">is ranked:<br>
<br>
</font></b>* 50th in spending for teachers' salaries<br>
* 49th in spending on the environment<br>
* 48th in per-capita funding for public health<br>
* 47th in delivery of social services<br>
* 42nd in child-support collections<br>
* 41st in per-capita spending on public education<br>
<b>and ...<br>
</b>* 5th in percentage of population living in poverty<br>
* 1st in air and water pollution<br>
* 1st in percentage of poor working parents without insurance<br>
* 1st in percentage of children without health insurance<br>
* 1st in executions (avg. 1 every 2 weeks for Bush's 5 years<br>
<br>
<b>Bush and Gore Make Me Wanna Ralph <br>
A Letter from Michael Moore to the Non-Voters of America<br>
<br>
</b>Dear friends, <br>
<br>
DISCLAIMER: If you are planning to vote for Al Gore in November, good for<br>
you. Don't let what I'm about to say change your mind because I've been <br>
told by all the experts that if you do change your mind based on what I'm<br>
about to say, George W. Bush might win the election and I certainly couldn't live<br>
with myself if that connoisseur of pharmaceuticals (the kind you snort up<br>
your nose or the kind you inject on death row) won, in part, because of a<br>
letter I spit out over the Internet.<br>
<br>
So let's review -- you like Gore, you vote for Gore. He's a decent guy. I met him<br>
last year at some benefit, he came up to me, big hug -- whoa, this veep is no stiff,<br>
I thought -- and thanked me for this and that. He even quoted lines from "The<br>
Awful Truth" - whoa, scary, I thought, what's he doing watching cable<br>
channels above 40 on the box...not much to do on this veep gig, eh?<br>
<br>
I told him I admired what he did when he came home to America as a Vietnam<br>
Vet and spoke out against the war. That took a lot of courage, I said (his dad lost<br>
his Senate seat for being an early opponent of the war).<br>
<br>
So, if Al Gore is your man, go for it. In fact, I insist on it, even if you are just<br>
throwing your vote away.<br>
<br>
What I am about to say, though, is not intended for any Al Gore (or George W.)<br>
voters. If you are one, please click off now. <br>
<br>
To Whom It May Concern:<br>
<br>
I address this letter to the largest political party in the United States - the<br>
55% of you in the voting public who are so disillusioned with politics and<br>
politicians, so sick and tired of all the broken promises, so disgusted with all<br>
the b.s. that you have absolutely no intention of voting in November.<br>
<br>
You know who you are.<br>
<br>
AND YOU ARE THE MAJORITY!<br>
<br>
You rule. You are the Non-Voters, all 100 million of you!<br>
<br>
Until now, you have been the subject of scorn and ridicule. You've been called<br>
apathetic, lazy, ignorant. Your actions have been viewed as unAmerican (I<br>
mean, what kind of citizen in the World's Greatest Democracy would not exercise<br>
his or her most important and cherished right - the right to freely choose your<br>
leader!). <br>
<br>
Well, may I be the first to tell you that, not only are you NOT stupid and<br>
apathetic, I believe you are smarter than all the rest of us combined. YOU figured<br>
it out. YOU uncovered the scam. And YOU had the guts to no longer<br>
participate in a lie. Way to go! In 1996, you helped set the all-time American<br>
record for lowest turnout ever at a presidential election.<br>
<br>
The reason you, the majority, no longer vote in America is because you, the<br>
majority, realize there is no real choice on the ballot. The "two" parties both do<br>
the bidding of the wealthy and agree with each other on 90% of the issues.<br>
They take 90% of their money from people who make over a hundred-grand<br>
a year, and then enact over 90% of the laws those contributors want passed.<br>
<br>
On the ballot this November, you already know there is no contest. The<br>
independent Cook Political Report in D.C. last week announced that, out of<br>
435 House seats up for election in November, there are only 47 seats<br>
where there is a "true race" between opponents - and, of those, only 14<br>
seats have a race that is even "close" between the two candidates. 14 out of 435! <br>
<br>
"Ninety-seven to ninety-nine percent of incumbents running for re-election will<br>
be returned to Congress in November," according to the Cook Report.<br>
<br>
The Non-Voters already understand this. And they are not going to waste<br>
one iota of their day on November 7 driving to some smelly elementary <br>
school gymnasium to participate in a Soviet-style election with no friggin'<br>
choice on the ballot.<br>
<br>
So, to you brave voter-resisters, I say congratulations on your act of civic<br>
disobedience! I joined you this primary season and refused to go along with<br>
this charade of "choice." Nearly 80% of those of us of voting age - over 160<br>
million Americans - staged a sit-in on our living room couches during this year's<br>
primaries. THAT is the great untold story of this election year. How much longer<br>
will the punditocracy be able to get away with dismissing this massive<br>
no-show as "a sign Americans are content with the booming economy?"<br>
<br>
Now that we have made our presence known (you all don't mind me speaking<br>
for us, do you? Good. In fact, I'll just assume the currently-vacant mantle of<br>
this majority party and serve as your leader until you say otherwise...), it is<br>
time to find a way that says, loudly and clearly, just how mad as hell we are and<br>
how we are not going to take it anymore. We need to find a way where<br>
our vote screams "None of the Above!" A chance to act, like that Chinese guy in<br>
Tieneman Square, standing in front of a moving tank and stopping it in its path.<br>
<br>
In November, we should find a way to follow in the footsteps of those<br>
intelligent Minnesotans who, even thought they could care less about<br>
professional wrestling (and even less, I'm sure, for Jesse "The Body"), proved<br>
to the world that they not only have a sense of humor, but they know how to<br>
stick it to the whole bloody system. Think of just how high their level of<br>
anger must have been against the One-Party-With-Two-Heads monopoly! I<br>
mean, state government is no joke - somebody's gotta build the roads, run<br>
the schools, catch the criminals. You don't want to turn the asylum over to the<br>
chief lunatic but, damn it, that's what the people of Minnesota did - just to send a<br>
message! Wow. That took some guts.<br>
<br>
So, for those of you who weren't going to vote anyway, well...what if you<br>
actually did? What if you drove down to that stinky gym where the little shell<br>
game behind the pretend curtains is taking place ("Pay no attention to the<br>
voters behind the curtains!"), walk in, sign in, take the ballot they hand you,<br>
and toss yourselves inside the booth like a political molotov cocktail.<br>
<br>
Boom! <br>
<br>
"You wanna tell me there's a choice here between two guys who both<br>
support NAFTA, WTO, the death penalty, the Cuban embargo, increased<br>
Pentagon spending, sleazy HMOs, greedy hospital chains, 250 million guns<br>
in our homes, more bombing of Iraq, the rich getting richer and the rest of us<br>
declaring bankruptcy?"<br>
<br>
Boom! <br>
<br>
Not me. <br>
<br>
Boom! <br>
<br>
<b>I'm voting for Ralph Nader.<br>
<br>
</b>KAAAABOOM! <br>
<br>
Friends, we are losing our democratic control over our country. We may have<br>
already lost it. I hope not. But in the last 20 years of the Reagan administration,<br>
Corporate America has merged and morphed itself to such an extent that<br>
just a handful of companies now call all the shots. They own Congress. They<br>
own us. In order to work for them, we have to take urine tests and lie<br>
detectors and wear bar codes on chains around our necks. In order to keep our<br>
jobs we have had to give up decent health care, the 8-hour day (and time<br>
with our kids), the security that we'll even have a job next year, and any<br>
unwillingness we may have to compete with a 14-year old Indonesian girl who<br>
gets a dollar a day.<br>
<br>
And how frightening (and great) is it that the last place we can freely try to inform<br>
and communicate with each other is on this very Web? Six companies run by six<br>
men control the majority of the news we now get from newspapers, television,<br>
radio and the Internet. One out of every two books is bought at a bookstore<br>
owned by one of only two companies. Is it safe in a "free society" to have the<br>
sources of our information and mass communication in the hands of just a<br>
few wealthy men who have a VESTED interest in keeping us as stupid as<br>
possible - or at least in keeping us thinking like them so that we vote for<br>
THEIR candidates? <br>
<br>
I fear the cement on this new oligarchy of power is quickly drying, and when it is<br>
finished hardening, we are finished. The democracy, the one that's supposed to<br>
be of, by, and for the people, will cease to exist. <br>
<br>
We must not let this happen, no matter how cynical and disgusted we've<br>
become at the whole electoral process.<br>
<br>
Ralph Nader, to me, represents a chance for us to at least temporarily<br>
stop the cement from drying. We need him in there kicking things up, stirring<br>
the pot and forcing a real debate about the issues. Whether it's Ralph as<br>
Candidate or Ralph as President, he may represent our last hope to get our<br>
country back from the clutches of the powerful few. <br>
<br>
I am not writing these words lightly. I am hoping to sound a siren and rally the<br>
majority who, for good reason, have given up - but might just have it in them<br>
to find the will for one last fight against the bastards. <br>
<br>
Can Ralph win? Well, stranger things have happened in the past decade.<br>
C'mon, think about it, not a single one of us ever thought we'd see the Berlin<br>
Wall come down or Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa. After those<br>
two things happened, I joined a new school of thought that said ANYTHING<br>
was possible. Jesse Ventura started with 3% in the polls and won. Ross<br>
Perot in '92 started with 6% and, after proving to everyone that he was<br>
certifiably insane, still got nearly 20% of the vote. <br>
<br>
Ralph already has between 7% and 10% in the polls - before he's done any<br>
serious campaigning. He's gone from 3% to 8% in my home state of Michigan.<br>
These are amazing numbers and the pundits and lobbyists and Republicrats<br>
are running scared. Hey, you like to watch scared Republicrats running? Tell<br>
a pollster you're voting for Ralph.<br>
<br>
Now, look, before you all send me a lot of mail about how weird Ralph is 'cause<br>
he doesn't own a car or is a "sell-out" 'cause he's got a few million dollars, let<br>
me say this: I used to work out of his office, and Ralph is definitely one of a<br>
kind. In a future letter I will write of those experiences but, for now, let's just agree<br>
that Ralph is at least half as crazy as Jesse Ventura - and about a hundred<br>
times as smart. I'd say he's also saved about a million or so lives, thanks to the<br>
consumer and environmental legislation he has devoted his life to.<br>
<br>
And between Gore, Bush, and himself, he's the only person running who would<br>
guarantee universal health care for all, the only candidate who would raise the<br>
minimum wage to a decent level, the only one who would get up each<br>
morning asking himself the question, "What can I do today to serve all the<br>
people of this country?"<br>
<br>
The list goes on and on. You can read more about what Ralph stands for by<br>
going to his website (<a href="http://www.votenader.org/" eudora="autourl">http://www.votenader.org</a>). You'll agree, I'm sure, there's lots of common sense<br>
there, regardless of what political stripe you are. <br>
<br>
But remember. If you are even THINKING of voting for Al Gore, vote for<br>
Al Gore. Ralph Nader does not need a single Gore vote. There are a hundred<br>
million of us out there who are uncommitted and currently not voting.<br>
Right now, Gore and Bush are each hoping to win by getting only 40 million votes. <br>
<br>
If you are in the Non-Voting majority and want to let 'em all have it, if you want to<br>
get our country back in our hands...well, if even half of you show up and vote<br>
November 7 then you won't be held responsible for Bush winning the White House. <br>
<br>
In fact, you won't be held responsible for putting Gore in the White House, either. <br>
<br>
Rather, you will have made history by putting a true American hero at 1600<br>
Pennsylvania Avenue.<br>
<br>
And you will have given every company, every boss who's done ya wrong, the<br>
worst nightmare of their lives.<br>
<br>
November 7. Payback Time.<br>
<br>
The revenge of the Non-Voters!<br>
<br>
So sayeth their unappointed leader,<br>
yours truly,<br>
Michael Moore<br>
mmflint@aol.com<br>
<a href="http://www.theawfultruth.com/" eudora="autourl">http://www.theawfultruth.com</a><br>
<a href="http://www.michaelmoore.com/" eudora="autourl">http://www.michaelmoore.com</a><br>
<br>
PS. Come to think of it, Democrats should be on their knees thanking<br>
Ralph for running. Rather than taking votes from Gore, Ralph's going to be<br>
the one responsible for turning the House back over to the Democrats.<br>
<br>
When millions of these Non-Voters enter that booth to vote for Ralph, and they<br>
come across their local race for Congress, they will find no Green Party<br>
candidate in most of the 435 Congressional districts. So who do you<br>
think Ralph's army of Non-Voters will plunk down for Congress? The<br>
Republican? I don't think so.<br>
<br>
The Democrats are only six seats short of regaining control of the House. Ralph<br>
Nader will be the reason the Democrats get the House back for the first time<br>
since Newt's Contract on America in 1994. <br>
<br>
Democrats should send their checks to<br>
Nader 2000, P.O. Box 18002,<br>
Washington, DC 20035.<br>
<br>
PPS. If you're still worried this letter might convince a weak-kneed Gore<br>
voter to flip over to Nader - and thus lead to President George W. stacking<br>
the Supreme Court to make abortion illegal, well, it's all a bunch of hooey.<br>
Please read my latest grassroots.com column entitled, "I Ain't Fallin for That<br>
One Again" at: <a href="http://www.michaelmoore.com/aint.html" eudora="autourl">http://www.michaelmoore.com/aint.html</a><br>
<br>
PLEASE PASS THIS LETTER ON TO YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY.<br>
PERMISSION IS GRANTED TO REPRINT ANYWHERE. <br>
<br>
matthew jerzyk <br>
director, criminal justice | truth to power | <a href="http://www.truthpower.org/" eudora="autourl">http://www.truthpower.org</a> <br>
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