the-peoples-patriot, a political Blog: 09/19/2004

Saturday, September 25, 2004

A letter from Michael Moore, you know Fahreheit 9/11

"He who is willing to sacrifice freedom for safety deserves neither freedom nor safety." - Ben Franklin
&
"One useless man is called a disgrace; two useless men are called a law firm; and three or more useless men are a congress" - John Adams
&
Politicians and diapers should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons.

9/25/04

Dear Friends,

Tomorrow I begin a little 20-state, 60-city tour to try and convince the fed-up, the burned-out, and the Nader-impaired to leave the house for just a half-hour on November 2nd and mark an "X" in a box (or punch a chad or touch a screen) so that America and the world can be saved. (I don't mean "saved" as in all workers will henceforth control the means of production. That's, um, going to take a few more years.)

What I'm asking is that our fellow Americans, as the collective landlord of a public housing project at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., take just a few minutes to evict the tenant who is currently wrecking the place (not to mention what he's doing to the rest of the neighborhood). After all, isn't this one of the coolest things about a democracy, getting to give some payback to those in power? "YOU'RE FIRED!" Oooh, that feels good -- especially if the recipient of the pink slip is someone who wants to send your kid off to war.

So, having nothing better to do for the next month (and eager to visit such swinging states as Iowa! Ohio! Arkansas!), I have decided to go to every battleground state in the country and do whatever it takes to get out the vote. I will do your laundry, I will clean your house, I will give you a year's supply of beer nuts if you will commit to me to go to the polls on Tuesday, November 2.

I'm calling it "The Slacker Uprising Tour," a coast-to-coast effort to bring the non-voting majority out of hibernation and kick some political butt. My goal is to get as many of the 100 million non-voters in America as I can to give voting a try -- just this once. I want at least 56% of all eligible voters to vote and thus set a modern-day turnout record.

I'm putting out the red alert call to slackers everywhere to help me lead this revolt. I want everyone in their teens and twenties who exist from one packet of Ramen noodles to the next bag of Tostitos to take your fully-justified cynicism and toss it like a Molotov right into the middle of this election. As "non-voters" you have been written off. But if only a few thousand of you vote, it could make all the difference. You literally hold all the power in your hands. That's even cooler than holding a TV remote.

I, the original slacker -- I, who have endured all sorts of attacks for my slacker demeanor -- yes I am coming to an arena or stadium just outside your dorm room (or that little space off the furnace room where your parents still let you stay, rent-free). Why arenas and stadiums? Because there are so many of us -- AND they serve beer and chips. From the Sun Dome to the Key Arena, from the Patriot Center to the Del Mar Race Track, I will be there and I will bring prizes and presents and clean underwear for all in need.

Before I arrive, I have arranged for free screenings of "Fahrenheit 9/11" in each city. When I get there I will have with me dozens of voter registrars who will register new (or recently transplanted) voters (please check here for voter registration deadlines -- they are fast approaching in most states in the next 10 days!). Absentee ballot applications will also be available. And the good people of Move-On, ACT and other groups will be present at each of my appearances to sign up volunteers to get out the vote on election day.

Details of where I will be appearing will be available in your local media. Many venues, due to advance word already out there, have "sold out" (at most stops, students get in for free and community people pay a nominal fee -- usually $5 -- to cover costs). Again, check your local media to find out the times and dates and how to get advance tickets.

A partial list of the cities I'm visiting includes: Seattle, Big Rapids (MI), Mt. Pleasant (MI), Tucson, Dearborn, Phoenix, East Lansing, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Albuquerque, Toledo, Columbus (OH), Ames (IA), Cleveland, Fairmont (WV), Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Bethlehem (PA), Fairfax (VA), Carlyle (PA), State College (PA), Minneapolis, Gainesville, Nashville, Miami, Memphis, Orlando, Salem (OR), Jacksonville, Tampa, Kansas City, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Madison, Green Bay, Las Vegas, Reno, Denver, and, of course, Tallahassee, Florida. Others will be posted later.

While on the road, I will try to keep my blog up-to-date and post some pictures we take in each city. The three campuses on the tour which register the most students to vote (or who have the most non-voters committing to me to vote) will receive a special scholarship from us at the end of the tour.

Thanks, in advance, to everyone out there who is working hard during this election. I know it will make a difference.

Let's leave no non-voter behind.

Yours,

Michael Moore
mmflint@aol.com
www.michaelmoore.com
www.michaelmoore.com/vote

P.S. Good news! This current weekend our distributor has added an astounding 600 new theaters to the list of those still showing "Fahrenheit 9/11." This is highly unusual for a film entering it's fourth month of release, but the demand has been strong to bring it back in many areas and our wonderful distributors have responded. This is a perfect time to either see it again on the big screen or take a friend who hasn't seen it, as it won't be around in theaters for long. The DVD and home video come out October 5!

MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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Another pic, another thousand words

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Friday, September 24, 2004

Outdoor Industry Upset By Bush Environmental Policies

Expressing growing opposition to President Bush's environmental policies, leading executives of over 30 major outdoor equipment manufacturers and retailers released a letter last week condemning Bush's rollback of America's public health and environmental laws.

At almost the same time, a growing number of elected officials from communities with strong outdoor-oriented economies have begun speaking out against the administration's assault on public lands and the environment.

In a letter delivered at a press event in Oregon City, OR, leaders of companies such as Columbia Sportswear, Cascade Designs and Vibram warned that "President Bush has promoted policies that...endanger the future sustainability of our national parks." [1]

"We are here today because the Great American Outdoors is in serious jeopardy and if we fail at protecting the outdoors then our businesses will fail, our health will fail and we will leave future generations with air they can't breathe and water they can't drink," said Lee Fromson, president of Seattle-based Cascade Designs, Inc., a leading manufacturer of outdoor equipment.

"Protecting our parks and open space is essential to the health of my business, the outdoor industry at large and to the many states whose economies depend upon tourism and recreation, not to mention the millions upon millions of Americans who enjoy the Great American Outdoors each year," added Peter Bragdon, vice president and general counsel of Columbia Sportswear. [2]

Industry leaders decried the impacts of every component of Bush's environmental agenda. They cited the weakening the Clean Air Act, the elimination of protections for public lands such as the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, and severe budget cuts to the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

The outdoor industry has become a major player in the national economy in recent years, generating over $18 billion in direct annual revenue and billions more through related tourism, travel, lodging, and other economic activity.

States with large expanses of public lands and forests are enjoying the benefits of the surge in outdoor sports and recreation. A recent study by the Sonoran Institute found that western communities with the highest proportion of protected public lands also enjoy the most diverse economies, greatest job and income growth and best standards of living in the region. [3]

Because of this, the Bush administration's weakening of public lands protection in the West has brought about an angry backlash from elected officials in areas close to these lands. Efforts to open roadless areas of national forests in Colorado to oil and gas drilling have upset local governments, who say the administration is ignoring their pleas to protect public lands.

The oil and gas industries, working through its former employees who now occupy top posts in the administration, have sought permission to drill in the HD Mountains and Thompson Creek roadless areas in the southern and western parts of Colorado. Local communities, whose economies no longer rely on extractive industries, are opposing the move.

In a recent exchange with Forest Service officials at a public hearing, James Harrmann, mayor of the southern Colorado town of Bayfield, asked why the Forest Service was ignoring the concerns of local governments. He ended by quipping, "What do I have to do, run for Congress?"

###

SOURCES:
[1] Outdoor Industry letter, Sept. 14, 2004.
[2] Business Wire, Sept. 14, 2004.
[3] Sonoran Institute study.

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listen to C-span.org over the Internet, yes this would be a good thing to do

C-SpanRadio Bookmark it, a second good thing to do.

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Thursday, September 23, 2004

Steelhoof - Register now so you can VOTE later

Please remember that this years election is very important. I personally urge you to be certain your voter registration is up to date. If you have not been registered in your current community, it needs to be done at least 30 days before the election in most states, which means now is the time.

http://www.justvote.org/ has a real simple registration tool.

In case you have problems, here is another option, Rock The Vote's
page to help you determine your local deadline and get your registration
started.
https://secure5.ctsg.com/rtv/ovr/indexNoPop.asp

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Sept. 23

Critics Say Proposed Senate Chemical Bill Leaves U.S. Vulnerable to Attack

Sometime in the next few weeks, the U.S. Senate is expected to take up, for the first time, the issue of how to protect Americans from terrorist attacks on domestic chemical plants. But environmental groups and unions worry that the main piece of legislation under consideration will provide no real security for chemical plants and is motivated by pre-election politics.

"Senate Republicans are working to sneak an industry-friendly, do-nothing bill through the Senate to give President Bush a greenwash feather in his cap before the election," said Rick Hind, legislative director for the toxics campaign at Greenpeace.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there are more than 100 chemical facilities in the U.S. that would each put at least one million people at risk were they to come under attack. The agency estimates that more than 750 facilities in the U.S. place at least 100,000 people at risk from chemical releases. Numerous studies reveal substantial security gaps at many of these facilities. [1]

Three years ago, Senator Jon Corzine (D-NJ) introduced legislation to create federal standards to reduce security risks at chemical facilities; promote cost-effective, safe technologies at high-priority chemical plants; and require government oversight to ensure compliance with the new regulations. The Corzine bill also works within the framework set out by President Bush's Homeland Security plan, calling for the Department of Homeland Security to work with the EPA in developing a strategy to reduce the vulnerability of chemical and hazardous materials stores. [2]

After heated bipartisan negotiations and major revisions, the Corzine bill won unanimous support in the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee in July 2002.

However, shortly after he voted for the bill in committee, Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) joined the American Chemistry Council, American Petroleum Institute and others in opposition to it. The following year, Inhofe (chair of the EPW Committee) introduced his own chemical security bill, which was substituted for the Corzine bill in a close party-line vote.

"Senator Inhofe's legislation is currently unenforceable. The Senate needs to ensure the American public that chemical security legislation will create change at chemical facilities. Enforcing the use of safer chemicals is the commonsense way to get this done," Megan Purvis, environmental health advocate for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) told BushGreenwatch.

Inhofe's bill contains no plans for developing safer technologies. It contains loopholes that allow the chemical industry's voluntary security programs to win government endorsement and substitute for new regulations; fails to require government verification of compliance with security regulations; and leaves out the EPA as a partner in writing and enforcing those regulations.

Inhofe's bill could reach the Senate floor anytime before the October 8th recess. Senators offering a chemical security bill, based on the Corzine proposal are expected to challenge Inhofe's proposal.

###

TAKE ACTION
Go to U.S. PIRG's website to write your senator.

###

SOURCES:
[1] Senator Corzine's website.
[2] Ibid.

***********************************************************************

In the latest demonstration of political bigotry, we find that the Oregon Supreme Court has over-ruled a trial judge decision and ordered the removal of the Nader/Camejo ticket from the state ballot. The shut-down decision came just twenty minutes before the ballots in Oregon were scheduled to be printed.

As in 2000, a solid majority of the American people want me in the Presidential debates this year. But Kerry and Bush want me out because they know I will challenge them on the Iraq quagmire, the corporate crime wave, and their opposition to Medicare for all and a living wage.

The Democratic Party is playing dirty and working overtime to deny millions of voters their choice, via massive phony lawsuits—steered to political judges—and harassing obstructions to our signature gatherers. Why? To keep Nader/Camejo off the ballot and stifle our rights to freedom of speech inside elections. We're fighting back with stamina and a commitment born of the conviction that we are standing for the ballot access rights of all third parties and independent candidates—local, state, national—now and for future struggles for a just society.

We are on the ballot in 36 states and continue to fight in court for at least eight more. So far five state Supreme Courts have ruled overwhelmingly in our favor (Maryland, Florida, Nevada, West Virginia and Pennsylvania) and we are contesting the lone standout, Oregon, as fast as we can get to the United States Supreme Court. To give people what Lincoln termed "a new birth of freedom," we need your generous donations ASAP to overcome the modern-day Huns and their rigged system of Jim Crow procedures. Keep our campaign accelerating against the two-party dictatorship that, tied to the corporate supremacists, is taking our country down.

You are our pioneering backers. You are our inspiration. We can move forward and upward only with your donations now - and your votes on November 2nd.

Sincerely,
Ralph Nader

************************************************************************

Steve Brozak was angry when he returned from his tour of duty in Iraq last summer. A twenty-one year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and Marine Reserves, Brozak felt that he and his friends who put their lives on the line had been misled. Now, instead of getting mad, Steve Brozak is running for Congress.

And he's not alone. All across the country, candidates are running for Congress to make sure that what happened in Iraq never happens again. It's a courageous stand: Republicans are quick to attack and smear anyone who speaks out against the war. So it's up to us to reward these heroes who have put the best interest of the country first.

This week, we've picked out five great candidates in very close races who are steadfastly opposed to the war in Iraq. Can you help put these folks in Congress?

To contribute now, just click here:

https://www.moveonpac.org/give/04endorsed.html

Two years ago, after Congress voted to authorize war on Iraq, we sent out our first "Reward the Heroes" email. We featured four candidates who had taken a principled stand and voted against the war -- even though they knew it could hurt them at the polls. Thanks in part to the enormous outpouring of support from MoveOn members, three of them won. And the fourth, the late and great Paul Wellstone, would have won.

Wellstone's spirit lives on in the candidates we're featuring today.

Ginny Schrader, a tough and experienced public servant running a highly contested race in Pennsylvania, has been clear and consistent about her view on the war. On the campaign trail recently, she said, "I believe we were misled into a war we should not have been in. This has cost us dearly in lives, resources and our standing in the world."

Dianne Farrell, a longtime community activist from Westport, Connecticut says, "Prior to the invasion, I was on record as having strongly urged our administration not to take military action in Iraq without first obtaining multi-lateral support from our NATO allies and the United Nations. I have been deeply concerned by the current Administration's headlong rush into war with Iraq." Farrell's opponent, Chris Shays, has strongly supported the war.

Jim Sullivan is running in eastern Connecticut's second district against a conservative Bush supporter. Jim doesn't pull his punches: "Instead of seeing the effort [in Afghanistan] through to completion," he says, "the Bush Administration conducted a bait-and-switch, leading America into a war in Iraq that was not essential to our national security."

Last but not least is John Salazar, a potato farmer, veteran, legislator, and the older brother of Colorado Attorney General and MoveOn-endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Ken Salazar. If he wins, John will be the first Hispanic person to be elected to Congress from Colorado.

John's opponent attacked him for his anti-war position, saying "I want to protect America -- to win the war on terrorism -- a war my opponent thinks is just about oil." Together, we can fire him and put a new leader in Congress.

As candidate Dianne Farrell articulately wrote, "This war has alienated our allies, solidified the US position as an object of resentment and mistrust in most of the Arab World, destroyed much of Iraq's infrastructure and increased its ethnic strife and increased global terrorist activity. A huge economic burden has been placed on the United States to fund a war entered into without a strong, committed coalition. Worst of all, the Administration's lack of an exit plan has resulted in the tragic loss of life of hundreds of our American servicemen and citizens as well as thousands of Iraqis."

We agree with Dianne. And by electing principled and courageous leaders like her, we can make sure that what happened in Iraq never happens again.

Your contribution of $25, $50, $100 or more will go a long way in these five important U.S. House races.

Give now at:

https://www.moveonpac.org/give/04endorsed.html

We need more leaders in Washington who will stand up and speak for us. Let's elect some of them in November.

Sincerely,

--Eli Pariser and Hannah Pingree
MoveOn PAC

**********************************************************************

IRAQI PRIME MINISTER PARROTS DISHONEST BUSH TALKING
POINTS

Today, speaking before a joint session of Congress,
Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi parroted
the Bush administration's talking points: "We are
succeeding in Iraq."[1] The facts on the ground,
however, suggest otherwise.

Over the last year the number of insurgents in Iraq
has quadrupled.[2] Attacks on U.S. troops are up
100% since last winter.[3] Major Iraqi cities such as
Fullujah have become havens for insurgents and are
completely inaccessible to U.S. troops.[4] Security
situations have stalled
reconstruction - Iraq still has less electricity
than they did before the war.[5] Even some Bush
administration officials have acknowledged that
elections planned for January may have to be delayed.[6]

Sources:

1. "Allawi Says Elections Will Happen as
Scheduled," Washington Post, 9/23/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=57907.
2. "Mission Still Not Accomplished," Time Magazine,
9/20/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=57908.
3. "Iraq: A Quantitative Assessment," Brookings
Institution, 9/17/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=57909.
4. "Green Zone is 'no longer totally secure',"
Financial Times, 9/15/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=57910.
5. "Iraq Power Grid Shows U.S. Flaws," Los Angeles
Times, 9/12/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=57911.
6. "Bush puts Iraqi leader forward," International
Herald Tribune, 9/22/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=57912.

*******************************************************************

Less than 24 hours to get Ralph Nader in the first debate!

Thank you to everyone who has donated today. Please, keep those contributions coming!

Tomorrow, the Commission on Presidential Debates decides whether to allow Ralph in the debate on September 30th in Miami.

We delivered a letter to Janet H. Brown, Executive Director of the CPD and we highlighted the following:

The bipartisan CPD is controlled by the two major parties and masquerades as non-partisan hosts of exclusionary parallel interviews;
Two polls have come out this week showing that a majority of Americans want to see third parties and Independent candidates in the debates;
Nader and Camejo are constitutionally eligible, with ballot access in enough states to receive at least 270 electoral votes, as are other third party candidates who should be included.
Read the press release and letter.

Take action!

Tell the CPD that America wants real debates and wants them to LET RALPH DEBATE!

Call the CPD at (202) 872-1020

*******************************************************END

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A letter from Micheal Moore

Mr. Bush and His 10 Ever-Changing Different Positions on Iraq: "A flip and a flop and now just a flop."

9/22/04

Dear Mr. Bush,

I am so confused. Where exactly do you stand on the issue of Iraq? You, your Dad, Rummy, Condi, Colin, and Wolfie -- you have all changed your minds so many times, I am out of breath just trying to keep up with you!
Which of these 10 positions that you, your family and your cabinet have taken over the years represents your CURRENT thinking:

1983-88: WE LOVE SADDAM. On December 19, 1983, Donald Rumsfeld was sent by your dad and Mr. Reagan to go and have a friendly meeting with Saddam Hussein, the dictator of Iraq. Rummy looked so happy in the picture. Just twelve days after this visit, Saddam gassed thousands of Iranian troops. Your dad and Rummy seemed pretty happy with the results because The Donald R. went back to have another chummy hang-out with Saddams right-hand man, Tariq Aziz, just four months later. All of this resulted in the U.S. providing credits and loans to Iraq that enabled Saddam to buy billions of dollars worth of weapons and chemical agents. The Washington Post reported that your dad and Reagan let it be known to their Arab allies that the Reagan/Bush administration wanted Iraq to win its war with Iran and anyone who helped Saddam accomplish this was a friend of ours.

1990: WE HATE SADDAM. In 1990, when Saddam invaded Kuwait, your dad and his defense secretary, Dick Cheney, decided they didn't like Saddam anymore so they attacked Iraq and returned Kuwait to its rightful dictators.

1991: WE WANT SADDAM TO LIVE. After the war, your dad and Cheney and Colin Powell told the Shiites to rise up against Saddam and we would support them. So they rose up. But then we changed our minds. When the Shiites rose up against Saddam, the Bush inner circle changed its mind and decided NOT to help the Shiites. Thus, they were massacred by Saddam.

1998: WE WANT SADDAM TO DIE. In 1998, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and others, as part of the Project for the New American Century, wrote an open letter to President Clinton insisting he invade and topple Saddam Hussein.

2000: WE DON'T BELIEVE IN WAR AND NATION BUILDING. Just three years later, during your debate with Al Gore in the 2000 election, when asked by the moderator Jim Lehrer where you stood when it came to using force for regime change, you turned out to be a downright pacifist:

I--I would take the use of force very seriously. I would be guarded in my approach. I don't think we can be all things to all people in the world. I think we've got to be very careful when we commit our troops. The vice president [Al Gore] and I have a disagreement about the use of troops. He believes in nation building. I--I would be very careful about using our troops as nation builders. I believe the role of the military is to fight and win war and, therefore, prevent war from happening in the first place. And so I take my--I take my--my responsibility seriously. --October 3, 2000

2001 (early): WE DON'T BELIEVE SADDAM IS A THREAT. When you took office in 2001, you sent your Secretary of State, Colin Powell, and your National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice, in front of the cameras to assure the American people they need not worry about Saddam Hussein. Here is what they said:

Powell: We should constantly be reviewing our policies, constantly be looking at those sanctions to make sure that they have directed that purpose. That purpose is every bit as important now as it was 10 years ago when we began it. And frankly, they have worked. He has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbors. --February 24, 2001

Rice: But in terms of Saddam Hussein being there, let's remember that his country is divided, in effect. He does not control the northern part of his country. We are able to keep arms from him. His military forces have not been rebuilt. --July 29, 2001

2001 (late): WE BELIEVE SADDAM IS GOING TO KILL US! Just a few months later, in the hours and days after the 9/11 tragedy, you had no interest in going after Osama bin Laden. You wanted only to bomb Iraq and kill Saddam and you then told all of America we were under imminent threat because weapons of mass destruction were coming our way. You led the American people to believe that Saddam had something to do with Osama and 9/11. Without the UN's sanction, you broke international law and invaded Iraq.

2003: WE DONT BELIEVE SADDAM IS GOING TO KILL US. After no WMDs were found, you changed your mind about why you said we needed to invade, coming up with a brand new after-the-fact reason -- we started this war so we could have regime change, liberate Iraq and give the Iraqis democracy!

2003: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Yes, everyone saw you say it -- in costume, no less!

2004: OOPS. MISSION NOT ACCOMPLISHED! Now you call the Iraq invasion a "catastrophic success." That's what you called it this month. Over a thousand U.S. soldiers have died, Iraq is in a state of total chaos where no one is safe, and you have no clue how to get us out of there.

Mr. Bush, please tell us -- when will you change your mind again?

I know you hate the words "flip" and "flop," so I won't use them both on you. In fact, I'll use just one: Flop. That is what you are. A huge, colossal flop. The war is a flop, your advisors and the "intelligence" they gave you is a flop, and now we are all a flop to the rest of the world. Flop. Flop. Flop.

And you have the audacity to criticize John Kerry with what you call the "many positions" he has taken on Iraq. By my count, he has taken only one: He believed you. That was his position. You told him and the rest of congress that Saddam had WMDs. So he -- and the vast majority of Americans, even those who didn't vote for you -- believed you. You see, Americans, like John Kerry, want to live in a country where they can believe their president.

That was the one, single position John Kerry took. He didn't support the war, he supported YOU. And YOU let him and this great country down. And that is why tens of millions can't wait to get to the polls on Election Day -- to remove a major, catastrophic flop from our dear, beloved White House -- to stop all the flipping you and your men have done, flipping us and the rest of the world off.

We can't take another minute of it.

Yours,

Michael Moore
mmflint@aol.com
www.michaelmoore.com

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Wednesday, September 22, 2004

RESUME GEORGE W. BUSH, now would you hire him again?

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20520

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Law Enforcement:

I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving under the
influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's
license suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has been "lost" and
is not available.

Military:

I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take a
drug test or answer any questions about my drug use. By joining the Texas
Air National Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam.

College:

I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. I was a cheerleader.

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE:

I ran for U.S. Congress and lost. I began my career in the oil business in
Midland, Texas, in 1975. I bought an oil company, but couldn't find any oil
in Texas. The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock. I
bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land
using taxpayer money. With the help of my father and our friends in the oil
industry (including Enron CEO Ken Lay), I was elected governor of
Texas.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS:

I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making
Texas the most polluted state in the Union. During my tenure, Houston
replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America;

I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in
borrowed money;
I set the record for the most executions by any governor in American
history;

With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida, and my father's
appointments to the Supreme Court, I became President after losing by over
500,000 votes.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:

I am the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal
record;

I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one
billion dollars per week;

I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury;

I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history;

I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month
period;
I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period;

I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the U.S.
stock market. In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost
their jobs and that trend continues every month;

I'm proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any
administration in U.S. history. My "poorest millionaire," Condoleeza Rice,
has a Chevron oil tanker named after her;

I set the record for most campaign fundraising trips by a U.S. President;

I am the all-time U.S. land world record-holder for receiving the most
corporate campaign donations;

My largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of my best friends,
Kenneth Lay, presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in U.S.
History, Enron;

My political party used Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to assure
my success with the U.S. Supreme Court during my election decision;

I have protected my friends at Enron and Halliburton against investigation
or prosecution. More time and money was spent investigating the Monica
Lewinsky affair than has been spent investigating one of the biggest
corporate rip-offs in history. I presided over the biggest energy
crisis in U.S. history and refused to intervene when corruption involving
the oil industry was revealed;

I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history;

I changed the U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded
government contracts;

I appointed more convicted criminals to administration than any President in
U.S. history;

I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the
history of the United States government;

I've broken more international treaties than any President in U.S. history;

I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove
the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission;

I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law;

I refused to allow inspectors access to U.S. "prisoners of war" detainees
and thereby have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention;

I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election
inspectors (during the 2002 U.S. election);

I set the record for fewest numbers of press conferences of any President
since the advent of television;

I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one-year period.
After taking off the entire month of August, I presided over the worst
security failure in U.S. history;

I garnered the most sympathy ever for the U.S. after the World Trade Center
attacks and less than a year later made the U.S. the most hated country in
the world, the largest failure of diplomacy in world history;

I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously
protest me in public venues (15 million people), shattering the record for
protests against any person in the history of mankind;

I am the first President in U.S. history to order an unprovoked, preemptive
attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. I did so against
the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S. citizens, and the world
community;

I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty
benefits for active duty troops and their families in wartime;

In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our reasons for attacking
Iraq and then blamed the lies on our British friends;

I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%)
view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security;

I am supporting development of a nuclear "Tactical Bunker Buster," a WMD;

I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden to
justice.

RECORDS AND REFERENCES:

All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father's
library, sealed and unavailable for public view;

All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt
companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view;

All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-president, attended
regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for
public review.

Change in the Dow from beginning to end of term:
President Ford +23%
Carter +0.2%
Reagan +131%
GHW Bush +45%
Clinton +225%
GW Bush -3%

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Sept. 22

Administration Goes Light on Environmental Lawbreakers

With benign-sounding proposals like the "Healthy Forests Initiative" and "Clear Skies Initiative," the Bush administration has been accused by environmentalists of rolling back environmental protections. Now, new research has determined that under Bush, enforcement of environmental laws has dropped off sharply as well.

The research was conducted by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), a data gathering and research center at Syracuse University. [1] Using Justice Department information gathered under the Freedom of Information Act, TRAC looked at 20,000 criminal defendants charged with violating environmental laws, covering the years 1993 to 2004.

From the first Clinton term to the second Clinton term, environmental prosecutions jumped 28 percent. But from the second Clinton term to the current Bush years, prosecutions dropped 23 percent.

Likewise, the number of convictions declined under Bush, and the number of defendants who actually went to prison dropped significantly. During the Bush years the number of defendants who served time dropped 28 percent from the previous administration.

SOURCES:
[1] TRAC Report.

*******************************************************************

To hear President Bush tell it, Iraq is a bed of roses: "Our strategy is succeeding," he said last week. Yesterday at the U.N., he said Iraq is "on the path to democracy and freedom."

Yet the CIA told Bush recently that the scenarios we're really facing there range from a quagmire to a bloodbath. The CIA's July report outlines three possibilities for Iraq, ranging from "an Iraq whose stability would remain tenuous" to "civil war," according to the New York Times. [1]

Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) is calling on Bush to level with us, by releasing the report, formally called a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), to the public. Graham, the former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has read the NIE, and he thinks we all should see it too.

Join Senator Graham in demanding that President Bush to face the facts and tell us the truth about Iraq, by releasing the NIE, at:

http://www.moveon.org/tellthetruth/

It's not just Democrats who are questioning the President's grip on reality.

Senator Chuck Hagel (NE), a Republican, says: "The worst thing we can do is hold ourselves hostage to some grand illusion that we're winning. Right now, we are not winning. Things are getting worse." [2] "The fact is, we're in trouble. We're in deep trouble in Iraq." [3]

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) also supports releasing the NIE [4] and says: "We made serious mistakes right after the initial successes by not having enough troops there on the ground, by allowing the looting, by not securing the borders." [3]

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), says "he believes the situation in Iraq is going to get worse before it gets better, adding that he believes the administration has done a 'poor job of implementing and adjusting at times.'" and says "We do not need to paint a rosy scenario for the American people...." [3]

Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) says it's "exasperating for anybody look at this from any vantage point." [1]

Those are Republicans talking. Here's what the generals and national security experts are saying, in a terrific recent piece in the UK's Guardian newspaper:

Retired general William Odom, former head of the National Security Agency, said: "Bush hasn't found the WMD. Al-Qaida, it's worse, he's lost on that front. That he's going to achieve a democracy there? That goal is lost, too. It's lost." He adds: "Right now, the course we're on, we're achieving Bin Laden's ends."

Retired general Joseph Hoare, the former marine commandant and head of US Central Command, [said]: "The idea that this is going to go the way these guys planned is ludicrous. There are no good options.... The priorities are just all wrong."

Jeffrey Record, professor of strategy at the Air War College, said: "I see no ray of light on the horizon at all. The worst case has become true..."

W. Andrew Terrill, professor at the Army War College's strategic studies institute -- and the top expert on Iraq there -- said: "I don't think that you can kill the insurgency"... "The idea there are x number of insurgents, and that when they're all dead we can get out is wrong. The insurgency has shown an ability to regenerate itself because there are people willing to fill the ranks of those who are killed"... "Most Iraqis consider us occupiers, not liberators."

General Odom [also] said: "This is far graver than Vietnam. There wasn't as much at stake strategically, though in both cases we mindlessly went ahead with the war that was not constructive for US aims. But now we're in a region far more volatile, and we're in much worse shape with our allies."... "I've never seen [tensions] so bad between the office of the secretary of defence and the military. There's a significant majority believing this is a disaster." [5]

Just as important are the opinions of those whose loved ones are serving in Iraq, like Martha Jo McCarthy, whose husband is on National Guard duty there. She says:

"Everyone supports the troops, and I know they're doing a phenomenal job over there, not only fighting but building schools and digging wells. But supporting the troops has to mean something more than putting yellow-ribbon magnets on your car and praying they come home safely."

"I read the casualty Web site every day and ask myself, 'Do I feel safer here?' No. I don't think we can win this war through arrogance. Arrogance is different from strength. Strength requires wisdom, and I think we need to change from arrogance to solid strength." [6]

Join Senator Graham now in calling on President Bush to face the facts and level with us, by releasing the CIA's report, at:

http://www.moveon.org/tellthetruth/

President Bush has got to tell us the truth about Iraq. No weapons of mass destruction. No Saddam-al Qaeda connection. The mission is not accomplished. The transition has not been peaceful and stable. Attacks on our troops are increasing, not decreasing. These failures lie solely with the president, and he owes us an honest explanation.

Thanks for signing our petition today, and for everything you do.

Sincerely,

--Carrie, Joan, Lee, Marika, Noah, Peter, and Wes
The MoveOn.org Team
September 22nd, 2004

**************************************************************************

From Nader

It certainly pays to be a corporate criminal these days—so many different ways to inflict misery and suffering on the public at large, while at the same time serving your craven lust for the accumulation of wealth! Sure, you're a criminal, but it's not as if the Department of Justice is breathing down your neck. Luckily for you, the FBI doesn't take the trouble to collect data on "suite" crime like they do for "street" crime. The DoJ's corporate crime division is so under-funded that it's unlikely they'll ever get around to you, unless you really slip up. Should things spiral out of control and a couple of plainclothes federal agents appear on your porch, rest assured that you'll have the wherewithal to retain the choicest legal counsel. Worst case scenario, you spend a little time in a minimum-security facility, catching up on all the reading you meant to do while you were ruining the lives of unsuspecting consumers, employees, and shareholders. After all, you're a white-collar criminal in a country that's run by corporate white-collar money.

Of course, the outlook's not as rosy if you're among the Americans currently trapped in the underbelly of the US criminal in-justice system—in which "three strikes" legislation runs rampant, and the threat of illegal search and seizure, harassment, and detainment without due process looms large for the poor and minorities. Two million men and women, whose numbers are increasing in lockstep with the expansion of the prison-industrial complex, constitute the largest prison population among industrialized nations and one-quarter of the world's prisoners. Nader/Camejo 2004 supports the achievement of a criminal justice system with impartial, humane standards.

The label criminal , as it is reserved for use by the mainstream media and the courts, has ceased to be synonymous with the concept of justice. The Nader/Camejo campaign wants to see more corporate criminals brought to account for their crimes, as they are sadly under-represented in the American prison population. This is no accident—corporate criminals have long been in the practice of papering government walls with money, for the purpose of currying favor with legislators and regulatory bodies. The fruits of their labor can be seen on the front pages with frightening regularity, whether in the form of another corporate swindle or the invasion of a sovereign nation for the oily satisfaction of corporate interests. The trend must be reversed by a galvanized effort from informed citizens—no one should be fooled into believing that either major-party candidate is capable of lifting a finger in the service of such an effort.

The Nader/Camejo Team

****************************************************************************

BUSH ATTACKS KERRY WHILE COZYING UP TO DICTATORS

President Bush earlier this week attacked his
opponent, saying "It's hard to imagine a candidate
running for President prefers the stability of a
dictatorship to the hope and security of democracy."[1]
Yet, it is President Bush who regularly declares his
personal friendship and gratitude to some of the
world's most oppressive dictators, often wining and
dining them at his
ranch in Texas.

In June of 2004, Bush referred to the Crown Prince
of Saudi Arabia as "my friend,"[2] even though the
Saudi Arabian government has been investigated for
its financial ties to the 9/11 terrorists[3] and is
listed by the U.S. State Department as one of the
world's most oppressive regimes on the planet.[4]

In April, he referred to the Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak as "my friend" and welcomed him to the
Crawford ranch by saying "I always look forward to
visiting with him."[5] Bush gave this praise to a
dictator, even though Human Rights Watch notes that
government "torture in Egypt is widespread and
systemic"[6] and the State Department says Mubarak has
passed a Constitution in which the electorate is
barred from being "presented with a choice among
competing presidential candidates."[7]

In 2002, it was Bush who said "I want to welcome
the President of China to our ranch, and to
Texas."[8] Bush was inviting into his home a dictator who,
according to the U.S. State Department, presides
over a government that regularly engages in the
"arbitrary or unlawful" murder of its own citizens,
kidnappings of political dissidents, and repression of
religious minorities.[9]

Sources:

1. "President's Remarks at Victory 2004 Rally in
New York City," The White House, 9/20/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=57525.
2. "President Bush Holds Press Conference Following
the G8 Summit," The White House, 6/10/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=57526.
3. "Saudi Government Provided Aid to 9/11
Hijackers, Sources Say," Truthout.org, 8/02/03,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=57527.
4. "Saudi Arabia: Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices 2003," U.S. Department of State, 2/25/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=57528.
5. "President Bush, Egyptian President Mubarak Meet
with Reporters," The White House, 4/12/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=57529.
6. "Egypt: Human Rights Background," Human Rights
Watch, 10/2001,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=57530.
7. "Egypt: Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices 2003," U.S. Department of State, 2/25/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=57531.
8. "President Bush, Chinese President Jiang Zemin
Discuss Iraq, N. Korea," The White House, 10/25/02,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=57532.
9. "China: Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices 2003," U.S. Department of State, 2/25/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=57533.

END

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Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Kerry's Fighting Back: Powerful Speech on Iraq

The war in Iraq is President Bush's signature failure. To reduce the damage the war has caused him, Bush and his campaign operatives have spent the last six months attacking and distorting John Kerry's position on Iraq. But yesterday, in a powerful speech in New York, Kerry set the record straight.

John Kerry laid out a plan to end Bush's irrational, deceptive and unilateral policy in Iraq, and pursue a policy of international cooperation to end the worsening insurgency and rebuild Iraq -- and bring our troops home. And Kerry made it clear that we would not be in Iraq today if he were president.

The action today is simple: if you like what you hear from Kerry in the speech below, pass this email on to your friends, neighbors, co-workers -- anyone who wants to hear from you on this issue. It's critical that progressives like us spread the word that John Kerry is fighting back on Iraq.

We've excerpted a few of the highlights, below. You can read the whole thing at:

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/speeches/spc_2004_0920.html

Here are the main points from Kerry's speech on Iraq yesterday:

The war on Iraq was a mistake -- war was unnecessary because the inspections were working: "Today, President Bush tells us that he would do everything all over again, the same way. How can he possibly be serious? Is he really saying that if we knew there were no imminent threat, no weapons of mass destruction, no ties to Al Qaeda, the United States should have invaded Iraq? My answer is no -- because a commander in chief's first responsibility is to make a wise and responsible decision to keep America safe."
Iraq distracted from the war on terror: "The president claims it is the centerpiece of his war on terror. In fact, Iraq was a profound diversion from that war and the battle against our greatest enemy, Osama bin Laden and the terrorists. Invading Iraq has created a crisis of historic proportions and, if we do not change course, there is the prospect of a war with no end in sight."
President Bush misled us about the reasons for the war before it occurred: "He failed to tell the truth about the rationale for going to war. And he failed to tell the truth about the burden this war would impose on our soldiers and our citizens. By one count, the president offered 23 different rationales for this war."
President Bush is still misleading people about Iraq, painting an optimistic picture directly contradicted by his own intelligence officials: "In June, the president declared, 'The Iraqi people have their country back.' Just last week, he told us: 'This country is headed toward democracy. Freedom is on the march.' But the Administration's own official intelligence estimate, given to the president last July, tells a very different story. According to press reports, the intelligence estimate totally contradicts what the president is saying to the American people."
Bush went to war for ideological reasons and consistently misjudged the situation on the ground: "This president was in denial. He hitched his wagon to the ideologues who surround him, filtering out those who disagreed, including leaders of his own party and the uniformed military. The result is a long litany of misjudgments with terrible consequences. The administration told us we'd be greeted as liberators. They were wrong. They told us not to worry about looting or the sorry state of Iraq's infrastructure. They were wrong. They told us we had enough troops to provide security and stability, defeat the insurgents, guard the borders and secure the arms depots. They were wrong. They told us we could rely on exiles like Ahmed Chalabi to build political legitimacy. They were wrong. They told us we would quickly restore an Iraqi civil service to run the country and a police force and army to secure it. They were wrong. In Iraq, this administration has consistently over-promised and under-performed. This policy has been plagued by a lack of planning, an absence of candor, arrogance and outright incompetence. And the president has held no one accountable, including himself."
John Kerry has a four-point plan to fix our Iraq policy:

"First, the president has to get the promised international support so our men and women in uniform don't have to go it alone. It is late; the president must respond by moving this week to gain and regain international support. The president should convene a summit meeting of the world's major powers and Iraq's neighbors, this week, in New York, where many leaders will attend the U.N. General Assembly. He should insist that they make good on that U.N. resolution. He should offer potential troop contributors specific, but critical roles, in training Iraqi security personnel and securing Iraq's borders. He should give other countries a stake in Iraq's future by encouraging them to help develop Iraq's oil resources and by letting them bid on contracts instead of locking them out of the reconstruction process."
"Second, the president must get serious about training Iraqi security forces. The president should urgently expand the security forces training program inside and outside Iraq. He should strengthen the vetting of recruits, double classroom training time, and require follow-on field training. He should recruit thousands of qualified trainers from our allies, especially those who have no troops in Iraq. He should press our NATO allies to open training centers in their countries. And he should stop misleading the American people with phony, inflated numbers."
"Third, the president must carry out a reconstruction plan that finally brings tangible benefits to the Iraqi people. One year ago, the administration asked for and received $18 billion to help the Iraqis and relieve the conditions that contribute to the insurgency. Today, less than a $1 billion of those funds have actually been spent. I said at the time that we had to rethink our policies and set standards of accountability. Now we're paying the price. Now, the president should look at the whole reconstruction package, draw up a list of high visibility, quick impact projects, and cut through the red tape. He should use more Iraqi contractors and workers, instead of big corporations like Halliburton. He should stop paying companies under investigation for fraud or corruption. And he should fire the civilians in the Pentagon responsible for mismanaging the reconstruction effort."
"Fourth, the president must take immediate, urgent, essential steps to guarantee the promised elections can be held next year. If the president would move in this direction, if he would bring in more help from other countries to provide resources and forces, train the Iraqis to provide their own security, develop a reconstruction plan that brings real benefits to the Iraqi people, and take the steps necessary to hold credible elections next year -- we could begin to withdraw U.S. forces starting next summer and realistically aim to bring all our troops home within the next four years."
Most people will see a second or two of the speech, if they see it at all. But by forwarding this email to your friends and family, you can help make sure people get a full picture of Kerry's position on Iraq -- in his own words. And you can read the whole speech at:

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/speeches/spc_2004_0920.html

Thanks for everything,

--Eli Pariser
Executive Director, MoveOn PAC

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Nader News press conference on TV tonight

In case you missed Ralph's press conference this afternoon—blasting the involvement of John Kerry and the Democratic National Committee for their involvement in ongoing obstructionist tactics designed to keep the Nader/Camejo ticket off the ballot—be sure to tune in to the re-broadcasts this evening on C-SPAN 1, 12:31am and 3:48am EDT. (Subject schedule to change—check listings at www.c-span.org)

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BUSH REJECTED PLANS TO GO AFTER TOP TERRORIST

In his effort to claim he is the strongest
candidate on national security, President Bush has lately
been speaking a lot about how he is doing everything
possible to track down terrorist Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi[1] - the man thought to be responsible for
escalating attacks on U.S. soldiers in
Iraq.[2] But according to NBC News, it was Bush who
in 2002 and 2003 rejected three plans to strike and
neutralize Zarqawi because he believed a successful
strike would undermine the public case for
targeting Saddam Hussein.

As NBC News reported, "Long before the war, the
Bush administration had several chances to wipe out
his terrorist operation and perhaps kill Zarqawi
himself - but never pulled the trigger." In June 2002,
the Pentagon drafted plans to attack a camp Zarqawi
was at with cruise missiles and airstrikes. The
plan was killed by the White House. Four months later,
as Zarqawi planned to use ricin in terrorist
attacks in Europe, the Pentagon drew up a second strike
plan, yet "the White House again killed it." In
January 2003, the Pentagon drew up still another attack
plan, and for the third time, the White House
killed it.[3]

According to NBC, "Military officials insist their
case for attacking Zarqawi's operation was
airtight, but the administration feared destroying the
terrorist camp in Iraq could undercut its case for war
against Saddam."[4]

Zarqawi is thought to be at least indirectly
responsible for hundreds of U.S. casualties. Just
yesterday, Zarqawi's terrorist group beheaded an American
civilian in Baghdad.[5]

Sources:

1. "President's Remarks to the General Conference
of the National Guard Association of the United
States," The White House, 9/14/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=56809.
2. "Going after Iraq's most wanted man," The
Christian Science Monitor, 9/21/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=56810.
3. "Avoiding attacking suspected terrorist
mastermind," NBC News, 3/02/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=56811.
4. Ibid,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=56811.
5. "Zarqawi Group Beheads U.S. Hostage Armstrong,"
Reuters, 9/20/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2460565&l=56812.

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the-peoples-patriot, a political Blog

Saturday, September 25, 2004

A letter from Michael Moore, you know Fahreheit 9/11

Another pic, another thousand words

Friday, September 24, 2004

Outdoor Industry Upset By Bush Environmental Policies

listen to C-span.org over the Internet, yes this would be a good thing to do

Thursday, September 23, 2004

Steelhoof - Register now so you can VOTE later

Sept. 23

A letter from Micheal Moore

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

RESUME GEORGE W. BUSH, now would you hire him again?

Sept. 22

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Kerry's Fighting Back: Powerful Speech on Iraq

Nader News press conference on TV tonight

BUSH REJECTED PLANS TO GO AFTER TOP TERRORIST

Agree or not, talking it over is better...

Saturday Night Live - Palin / Hillary Open

Live feed from my webcam via www.stickam.com

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