I am fond of ranting on my blog how we are not doing enough as a global community to eradicate the cancer of the Christian Capitalist Crusaders, but I don't really get in to specifics. So when people write me and ask me what they can do, I think long and hard and then I google.

There is a great list on Stop Bush in 2004, that gives 10 things a single person can do to make a difference. 10 Preliminary Actions to Defeat Bush in 2004. In addition to providing us with a detailed list of how every part of our lives is effected by companies that support Bush- even banks which brought forth flashbacks of the scene from Mary Poppins when there was a run on the bank because little Michael kept shouting, "give me back my tuppence!"- it brings up the point of swing states. I am not as politically savvy as I may seem. This whole idea of swing states is just as weird as the electoral college. But here is what Stop Bushers had to say:

"Choose Your STATE of Action. We must emphasize the importance of taking action in Swing States and take action in them. If you live in one of the following swing states, you will likely focus all of your efforts on your state.

Swing States: Florida, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Potential Swing States: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, and Virginia.

If you don't live in a Swing State, split time between taking action in your state and a neighboring swing state. Determine which swing states are good for you."

Now take a moment and determine if you are a swing state or a potential swing state. I am not. I live in New York. Which means I must locate my nearest swing state, probably Pennsylvania if my public school geography education was accurate, and flock there with flyers and pamphlets and voter registration cards. You can also check out www.swingstateproject.com for a wonderfully informative map of all of states and where they stand, to the left or to the right, and you know who you are, the ones swinging in the middle.

I can tell you what I have started to do and what I plan to start doing to inform people of the election and their choices. I don't try to tell people how to vote, because voting is about choice. So I present them with as many facts as I possibly can about where the candidates stand. At work, I provided many of my coworkers with a packet of information on Bush, Kerry, and Nader and where they stand on ALL of the issues. Military, Social Security, Education, etc.. One coworker admitted she didn't vote and even though she was 30 she had never registered. After I recovered from this confession I downloaded an application for her from RockTheVote.com and gave one to her fiance too so that he could re-register after moving from another state. I am also in the process of compiling more flyers and I am going to put together a packet to leave at local businesses, in the ATM area at the bank, scattered with the free newspapers at Barnes and Nobles, in the laundromat, on the subway. When I have everything assembled I will even offer it here, so everyone can send in for it and I will mail it out at my own expense. So stay tuned for more info.

Back to swing states and what we can each do. Get your friends together. Make this a community affair. You don't have to be scary and confrontational, you are just informing the public, registering them to vote and answering any questions they might have. That is definitely something each of us can do in our lives. If you carry the flyers or a few voter registration cards in your purse or briefcase it's not really going to break you. You might even think of going into the less fortunate areas of your community. See if the poor people have registered. If you speak another language, help them fill out the form. Organize a field trip on November 4th, so that the English impaired can have a buddy that speaks and reads the language in order to help them vote. We can do it!


In other news:

Here are some great stuff that you should be reading. Now that Reagan is dead and the President has told us that we have to be a nation in mourning, it is important to remember the REAL Reagan: what he did and what he left for future generations. Check this out on Redefeatbush.org, What Reagan Taught Bush:Lessons for Counterrevolutionaries

Also, Check out Common Dreams: Amid Tributes, Activists Lament Reagan's Failures on Homelessness

Finally, all I have to say to the Iraqi Detainees that suffered abuse at Abu Ghraib is: Welcome to Democracy. Following the American tradition of suing when you have been wronged, Ex-Detainees Sue 2 U.S. Contractors

It seems only fair that if our president is hanging the soldiers involved out to dry for the abuse, saying they worked alone, etc., then why shouldn't these detainees seek justice in a civil court? It reminds me of the OJ Simpson case where the parents of the man that was killed sued him for lots of money and won despite his not guilty verdict. If you read the article you can see just how shitty these prisoners were treated and the companies should pay. PAY PAY PAY!!!! That is the only form of punishment the CCC's understand. (The Christian Capitalist Crusaders for those who are just joining me)

I am going to be working on an updated version, more elaborate, bells, whistles, the whole shebang, of this website. So if my postings don't come as often as they used to, bear with me. Keep spreading the love and write me back to let me know how you are fighting the good fight!

1 Comments:

Hi Scarlet,

In regards to the abuse article, take a look at the actual memo released through the WSJ (surprisingly)...

http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/military_0604.pdf

-Peace

By  Anonymous, at 12:36 PM  

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