Here is the text of a statement I read for Wisconsin Public TV. It ended up, when I read it to be over 5 minutes (all the time I was given), so when you see it, it will be a little different.

Anyway, here's the gist:

Hello, my name is Jef Hall, I am a Candidate for the 6th Congressional District.
In 1944’s State of the Union, Franklin Roosevelt set forth what he called “a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all regardless of station, race, or creed.”
This was a statement of what Americans deserve from their government, and 60 years later, we still owe these basic rights to our people.
Franklin Roosevelt dreamed of an America that worked for a living, and received fair pay for that work. He wanted to build strong families by educating our children, and ensuring them food, clothing and shelter.
He demanded honesty of our corporations, and fair compensation for our farmers and small business owners.
He wanted to guarantee Social Security benefits at the end of your career, and demanded healthcare for all Americans 60 years ago.
And now, 60 years later, we are still fighting for these basic rights.
Growing up in the small town of Princeton, I learned many of these values of which Roosevelt spoke. I learned that people deserve fair pay for a hard days work, that you aren’t really getting ahead if you are doing it at someone else’s expense.
I learned passion for your beliefs and compassion for others. I learned that the most important question is how can I help others?
I am afraid that these are values that our government has since forgotten. If you look at the policies supported by the current administration and my district’s representation, they are values of property over people.
I want to change this. As a proud member of Middle America, I want to return government’s focus to people over property. I realize that without a vibrant, empowered middle class, we will not have the strong marketplace and tax base that America needs to grow. I propose to end the Bush/Petri tax cuts on the wealthy, shifting this relief to the middle and working class, as well as to reduce the deficit that is eating America’s potential.
If you look at our history, you will see that in every period of growth and prosperity, it was through the work and discipline of the middle class.
We have not seen the growth that we were promised from the current economic policy, and it is easy to see why. You cannot grow the economy and add jobs by giving tax breaks to the wealthy. It is said that if you give a business owner another $20,000 in tax cuts, they will hire someone. This does not stand up to reason. To stimulate hiring, you need to increase demand for that business owner’s product or service. You grow both economy and jobs by increasing the consumer base.
What we have seen as a result of the current policy is a slowly growing economy; however, this is accompanied by a dramatic increase in the number of people living in poverty, over 4 million in the last 4 years.
What does this mean; we have a small amount of people with a lot more money, and a large amount of people losing income. We are gutting the middle class – precisely the people that America was built on and we need to advance.
One of the first business stories we learn in school is that Henry Ford believed if we paid workers enough, they would all go out and buy cars. On this principle he built the largest corporation in the world at the time. Wal-Mart seems to believe the same thing, they pay their employees so little, they can’t afford to shop anywhere else.
Now, don’t think I am anti-business, just like Roosevelt, I believe that every business deserves to make a fair profit. It has been said that what is good for business is good for America, I disagree with this statement. I believe that what is good for Americans is good for business. You cannot send your customer’s jobs overseas and still expect them to buy your product or service.
Every day we hear about more jobs moving oversees. Wisconsin has lost 75,000 manufacturing jobs to foreign factories in the last 4 years alone. Just recently, 190 good people in Oshkosh lost their jobs. Their average age was 53 years old. Do you really believe that these skilled workers will find employment at a similar level? Where did these jobs move? Canada.
Why Canada? Because of what I feel is the most important issue in this election cycle, and the decade: healthcare.
We have all felt the blow of raising healthcare and insurance costs. However, the response we have seen from Washington has been either ineffective or actually helping the drug and insurance interests.
I want to propose a solution. I propose we allow Medicare to negotiate for all health services. We need to use the power of the marketplace to get better prices for all Americans.
The recent Medicare Drug law actually made it illegal for Medicare to negotiate better prices for our seniors. As a result, since this law was passed, the top 138 drugs used by seniors have risen over 8% in cost. In Walgreen’s 2003 corporate report, they estimated this law adding 75-100 million prescriptions added to their books in the next year.
A law sold to the people to cut prescription costs should not add costs into the system. My opponent said that this law was the quote “Without question the most significant domestic legislative accomplishment of 2003” unquote.
Why would he say that a bill that actually raises costs on our seniors was so important to pass? He personally owns up to $25 million dollars in Walgreen stock.
One thing I can guarantee as your representative is, if you’ve seen my stock portfolio, there is absolutely no conflict of interest. Just like most of you, I have only a small 401k in index and mutual funds. I will also, while I represent the people of Wisconsin, stick to investing in only index funds.
We need to separate the money from politics. And we need representatives for the people that are of the people. As a member of the middle class, I will bring the integrity that comes from knowing a hard days work to Washington. I will bring the understanding that healthcare is a right, not a privilege, and that you should never be denied lifesaving medications simply because of your station in life.
I thank you for taking the time to listen to me today. If you would like more information on me, you can look me up online at www.jefhall.com – now, I spell jef with one ‘f’ so it is j-e-f-h-a-l-l dot com. Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Thank you for your time, and please vote November 2nd.

They are admitting it now:

"A Bush adviser said the president hopes to change the dynamics of the race with more biting attacks on Kerry's record and trustworthiness and on what Bush charges is Kerry's reluctance to use U.S. military force to defeat terrorism. The strategy is aimed at stoking public fears about terrorism, raising new concerns about Kerry's ability to protect Americans and reinforcing Bush's image as the steady anti-terrorism candidate, aides said. "

I quote again: "The strategy is aimed at stoking public fears about terrorism."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A10573-2004Oct6?language=printer

They are admitting that they lie about our danger for their own political gain....

-jef-

More evidence of no collusion between Al-Quaida & Iraq:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6196962/

Duelfer found that Saddam, hoping to end U.N. sanctions, gradually began ending prohibited weapons programs starting in 1991. But as Iraq started receiving money through the U.N. oil-for-food program in the late 1990s, and as enforcement of the sanctions weakened, Saddam was able to take steps to rebuild his military, such as acquiring parts for missile systems and restoring domestic chemical production.
However, the erosion of sanctions stopped after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Duelfer found, preventing Saddam from pursuing weapons of mass destruction.
“He was making progress in eroding sanctions — a lot of sanctions,” Duelfer told Congress. “And had it not been for the events of 9-11-2001, things would have taken a very different course for the regime.”

Here's one for Cheney saying he had never met Edwards....

http://www.dailykos.com/images/admin/cheney_edwards.jpg

The More Things Change:

Here are some adds from the Ford campaign:

http://www.pbs.org/30secondcandidate/timeline/years/1976c.html#movie

Watch the 'Man on the Steet" add - then remember that a lot of the people from the Ford administration are, in fact, in the Whitehouse now (Cheney, Rumsfeld....).

Let's hope we have the same conclusion.

Note: The second add "Feeling Good About America" has a message W couldn't put out there.

Here's an old one from emails:

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF MIKE RIGHT-WING REPUBLICAN

Mike gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards.

With his first swallow of coffee, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to insure their safety and that they work as advertised. All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer's medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance - now Mike gets it too.

He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Mike's bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry. In the morning shower, Mike reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some crybaby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained.

Mike dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

Mike begins his work day. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Mike's employer pays these standards because Mike's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union. If Mike is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he'll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some stupid liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

Its noontime and Mike needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Mike's deposit is federally insured by the FDIC because some godless liberal wanted to protect Mike's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression. Mike has to pay his Fannie Mae-underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some elitist liberal decided that Mike and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime.

Mike is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers' Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans. The house didn't have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification. He is happy to see his father, who is now retired.

His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Mike wouldn't have to.

Mike gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn't mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Mike enjoys throughout his day.

Mike agrees:"We don't need those big-government liberals ruining our lives!After all, I'm a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have."

I got this in email today - I don't know who wrote it.

The Republican Guide to Hurricane Preparedness.

1. Wait for government funded agency to issuehurricane alert.

2. Board up windows at on home that is insuredwith government sponsored flood insurance.

3. Drive family and pets to safety on world-classgovernment built highway system.

4. Spend the night in gymnasium at governmentbuilt/subsidized school or shelter.

5. Watch government funded guardsmen and policeon tv as they patrol the streets andneighborhoods protecting my personal belongingsand government insured home.

6. Wait in government built shelter whilegovernment subsidized contractors clear the roadsand streets so that I can return to my governmentinsured home.

7. Be first in line to pick up governmentwelfare , erh, I mean FEMA "relief" check.

8. Go out on November 2 and vote for George Bushto "get big government off my back."

I was right all along.....

"When Paul Samuelson, the dean of American economists, begins questioning the benefits of free trade, it is a bit like the pope having doubts about the virgin birth. "
"If enough higher-paying jobs are lost by American workers to outsourcing, he calculates, then the gain from the cheaper prices may not compensate for the loss in U.S. purchasing power. In other words, the low wages at Wal-Mart do not necessarily make up for their bargain prices. "
http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=8686

Anyone that has seen me speak has heard me tell the Wal-Mart story - it goes like this:

Back in the day. Henry Ford believed that if he paid his employees enough, they would all go out and buy cars.... Wal-Mart believes the same thing, they pay their employees so little, the can't shop anywhere else.

WAL-MART IS THE SINGLE GREATEST ANCHOR ON THE AMERICAN ECONOMY. I don't think that I can state it any more clearly than that. Until they pay their employees a fair wage, and attempt to sell American products when possible, they will continue to gut America's purchasing power by forcing manufacturing jobs oversees and decimating pay in the retail sector.

DO NOT SHOP THERE UNTIL THEY REFORM.

Here's a last Wal-Mart Joke -

Q: Did you know that you can't but Sam Walton's book there anymore?
A: They don't allow anything in there with 'Made in America' on it.

Here's the letter I sent to the Alliance for Retired Americans asking for endorsement. I think it covers my ideas pretty well:


Alliance for Retired Americans
Department of Government and Political Affairs
888 16th Street, NW, Suite 520
Washington, DC 20006


To Whom It May Concern,

Thank you for the opportunity to discuss my views regarding retirees’ issues for the upcoming election. I feel that the issues you detailed in your questionnaire are some of the most pressing domestic issues in America today.

They touch upon all American life, not just retirees. The skyrocketing costs of healthcare are not only bankrupting seniors, but contributing to job losses and hardship for all American families.

I consider controlling the spiraling costs of Healthcare to be the most important issue in this election cycle. I feel that Medicare should be empowered to negotiate for healthcare costs across the board, and for all Americans, not just for drug prices, and not just for seniors, the indigent and the poor.

When Medicare negotiates with current providers for all health services, they will be doing so from a standpoint of providing for all Americans, offering businesses and individuals to buy into their programs based on ability to pay. Only when Medicare leverages this huge buying power, will we truly get the best of our healthcare dollar.

My opponent does not believe that Medicare should have this power. He has argued that competition alone should result in lower prices. He has also stated that the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act of 2003 was “without question, the most significant legislative accomplishment of 2003.” We have seen that this a failure of a law has only resulted in higher drug costs for seniors.

It is in this spirit that I would like to request the endorsement of the Alliance for Retired Americans in the race for Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional Seat.

I can be reached for comment or questions at 920.203.6883. My email is jef@jef4wi.com.

Thank you,



Jef Hall
Democrat for Congress – Wisconsin’s 6th District

Some healthcare figures that need to get out more:

"Worker premiums rose 35.9 percent over the past four years, nearly three times the average growth in earnings, the report said. For family coverage, the employee's portion of the average annual premium grew to $1,947 from $1,433, it said.
But in 26 states, including closely contested Colorado, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico and Wisconsin, premiums paid by workers increased more than 40 percent since 2000, the report said.
At the same time, the number of Americans younger than 65 who spent more than a quarter of their earnings on health care increased by 22 percent.
The number of people without health insurance in a two-year period also rose substantially during the Bush administration, from 72.5 million in 1999 and 2000 to 85.2 million during 2003-2004. The latter figure represents more than a third of Americans younger than 65, and thus not covered by the Medicare program. "

Here's more:

http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2004/09/27/ap1562399.html

I want to make sure all Americans have access to affordable healthcare. We need policy that protects patients, not profits.

I have been saying this all along. We need to stand up and make sure we get the best prices!

"The Big Scare for drug companies isn't really Canadian imports, despite all the noise they've made. It's the threat that the government will step in to negotiate prices once the new Medicare drug benefit gets underway next year. The Feds already negotiate prices for Veterans Administration insurance and pay about the same as the Canadian price, says Bill Hubbard, an FDA associate commissioner. Wouldn't it be nice if the rest of us could, too?"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6039139/site/newsweek/

If you want to see why we don't get the best prices, look here:

http://www.jef4wi.com/petrivert_files/slide0001.htm

Jimmy Carter on voting in Florida:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52800-2004Sep26.html?referrer=emailarticle

This goes back to things I have pointed out in other posts - we do not have a fair system in Florida.

In Venezuela, there were receipt printed out for all electronic votes, but we are told we cannot do that in America?

Watch out for your freedom come Nov 2nd. The only way to make sure we have a fair election is to get so many Democratic votes out that the ones they take away will be irrelevant.

Here is a great counterpoint to Bush spin - the Iraq War as seen through Powel's words, then & now:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/27/opinion/27herbert.html?th

Great Kerry quote:

“Four years ago, this president came to office calling himself a ‘compassionate conservative.’ Well, in the story of the Good Samaritan, we are told of two men who pass by or cross to the other side of the street when they come upon a robbed and beaten man. They felt compassion, but there were no deeds. Then the Good Samaritan gave both his heart and his help. For four years, this president has talked about compassion, but he’s walked right by. He’s seen people in need, but he’s crossed over to the other side of the street. For four years, we’ve heard a lot of talk about values. But values are not just words. They’re what we live by.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6083383/site/newsweek/

Federal workers offered Catholic health-care plan

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/north/chi-0409250057sep25,1,1924604.story?coll=chi-newslocalnorth-hed

Not only is this a church/state problem, but are we really using our resources the best? High deductible health insurance resulting in profits for a religious organization through tax-payer funds, that will actually cut benefits to the workers.

Exactly how many levels can this be wrong on at one time?

-jef-

If we want to advance as a country, we need to be able to think our way out of any hole we end up in.

Which candidate is the most supportive of science?

Here's the skinny:

http://www.nature.com/news/specials/uselection/index.html

Winning Hearts and Minds......

http://www.freep.com/news/nw/iraq25e_20040925.htm

"BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Operations by U.S. and multinational forces and Iraqi police are killing twice as many Iraqis -- most of them civilians -- as attacks by insurgents are, according to statistics compiled by the Iraqi Ministry of Health."
"According to the ministry, which provided the Free Press with the figures Friday, the interim Iraqi government recorded 3,487 Iraqi deaths in 15 of the country's 18 provinces from April 5 -- when the ministry began compiling the data -- until Sept. 19. Of those, 328 were women and children. Another 13,720 Iraqis were injured, the ministry said."

"From that date until Sept. 10, 1,295 Iraqis were killed in clashes with multinational forces and police versus 516 killed in terrorist operations, the ministry said. The ministry defines terrorist operations as incidents in which someone is killed by an explosive device in a residential area, killed by a car bomb or assassinated."
"The Health Ministry is the only organization that attempts to track deaths through government agencies. The U.S. military said it kept estimates, but refused to release them."

Where are our jobs?

http://www.workingamerica.org/jobtracker/index.cfm

Here is a great resource to see if the companies you do business are exporting American jobs.

-jef-

This is how Bush plans to keep up the Army. Is this how we 'honor' our armed forces:

Soldiers from a Fort Carson combat unit say they have been issued an ultimatum - re-enlist for three more years or be transferred to other units expected to deploy to Iraq.

Hundreds of soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team were presented with that message and a re-enlistment form in a series of assemblies last Thursday, said two soldiers who spoke on condition of anonymity.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3185596,00.html

This is another example of how our government thinks that regular people like you and me are merely to be used for their ends, not individuals with hopes, dreams and maybe even some rights.

It is reflected across the board from military policy, tax policy, healthcare - name it, and if you scratch the surface you will see that the policy is merely subterfuge for another way to use regular people for their means.

That is why we need to elect one of us to the congress.

-jef-

Some thoughts on campaign financing

Here is a link to Rep. Petri's money sources:

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/geog.asp?CID=N00004426&cycle=2004

In-State vs. Out-of-State:

In-State $38,050 (28.9%)
Out-of-State $93,384 (71.1%)


Top Metro Areas:

WASHINGTON, DC-MD-VA-WV $36,199
DALLAS $25,500
APPLETON-OSHKOSH-NEENAH $9,550
LOS ANGELES-LONG BEACH $8,250
MILWAUKEE-WAUKESHA $6,350

Is he our representative or Texas/DC's?

If you look more on the site, you will see that I show $0 in contributions. That is because I did not cross $5,000 in contributions until Aug 31. You do not have to report until after you hit that threshold. My reporting will be in in October - the next deadline.

As of today, I have raised about $8,000. Petri has about $1,000,000 in the bank.

Why? He has saved his money from year to year when no one ran against him. I believe this is wrong. At the end of any election cycle, your account should be at $0. If someone contributes to my campaign, they are because they think that this year, I am the best choice. I should not be allowed to carry that over into the next election cycle. I might no longer be that persons choice.

Allowing the carry-over of dollars to following election cycles is an incumbancy protection program that is bad for democracy.

I will, as you congress member introduce legislation abolishing this.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1756&e=2&u=/040911/480/whre11109111723

Put your hand on your heart, Mr. Bush......

This is not the way to treat freedom of speach:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1756&e=3&u=/040909/480/pajl10109091829

Look at the smile on the guy's face....

-jef-

Here is what Petri voted against:

The bill reads as follows, at section 521:
"None of the funds provided in this Act may be used by the Department of Labor to implement or administer any change to regulations regarding overtime compensation (contained in part 541 of title 29, Code of Federal Regulations) in effect on July 14, 2004, except those changes in the Department of Labor ’s final regulation published in the Federal Register on April 23, 2004 at section 541.600 of such title 29."
Section 541.600 indicates that for employees to qualify as exempt, they must earn at least $455 per week.

This amendment signifies that the people the the Bush Administration say will be added to overtime will still be added, but no one will be removed.

If Dave Obie is your rep, send him a heartfelt thanks.

-jef-

Petri Misses Another Opportunity to Defend Workers

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2004/roll434.xml

Yesterday, the House voted on an amendment removng the new overtime regulations (originally co-sponsored by Petri).

These remove overtime protections for up to 6 millions workers (I have written more about this below).

Petri had an opportunity to change his position and support Wisconsin's working families yesterday, but did not take it.

This is yet another example of Petri's the out-of-touch policies. It's time for change.

Tomorrow's Headlines today.....

This from a Pakistani paper:

"In counter-terrorism, the programmes are in place. We are after these guys globally. Success against people that you know about, Osama could happen tomorrow, could happen the day after, a week from now, or month from now. Everything is in place. A little bit is needed to localise these people and to catch them,” he said.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_4-9-2004_pg7_8

For the record, we have been saying for over a year that the October surprise will be the capture of Osama. If this is truly going to happen, it is politics.

Be a skeptic.

"At some level the people at that convention know that their designated hero is a man who never in his life took a risk or made a sacrifice for his country, and that they are impugning the patriotism of men who have."

"Nothing makes you hate people as much as knowing in your heart that you are in the wrong and they are in the right."
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/03/opinion/03krugman.html?hp

Krugman always says it better than I ever could.

Let's talk about how we can make America better.

Not all GOP youths willing to fight

"Young Republicans gathered here for their party's national convention are united in applauding the war in Iraq, supporting the U.S. troops there and calling the U.S. mission a noble cause."

"But there's no such unanimity when they're asked a more personal question: Would you be willing to put on the uniform and go to fight in Iraq?"

"Frankly, I want to be a politician. I'd like to survive to see that," said Vivian Lee, 17, a war supporter visiting the convention from Los Angeles,

"As long as there’s a steady stream of volunteers, I don't see why I necessarily should volunteer," said Lee, who has a cousin deployed in the Middle East.

http://www.columbiatribune.com/2004/Sep/20040902News017.asp

They obviously exhibit the moral character of their party leaders....

http://www.nhgazette.com/cgi-bin/NHGstore.cgi?user_action=list&category=%20NEWS%3B%20Chickenhawks

Who do you think said this:

"Tonight I can tell you of dramatic changes in our strategic nuclear force. These are actions we are taking on our own, because they are the right thing to do. "

"After completing 20 planes for which we have begun procurement, we will shut down production of the B-2 bomber. We will cancel the ICBM program. We will cease production of new warheads for our sea-based missiles. We will stop all production of the peacekeeper missile. And we will not purchase any more advanced cruise missiles. "

"We will eliminate all Peacekeeper missiles. We will reduce the number of warheads on Minuteman missiles to one and reduce the number of warheads on our sea-based missiles by about one-third. And we will convert a substantial portion of our strategic to primarily conventional use. "

Is this an example of John Kerry irresponsibly cutting defense as the Bush campaign alleges?

Nope, this is George H. W. Bush's 1992 State of the Union speech. Kerry did vote to cut these programs, with George H. W. Bush.

But, who proposed all of these cuts? From the same speech:

"The Secretary of Defense recommended these cuts after consultation with the joint chiefs of staff."

Who was the Secretary of Defense at the time? Dick Cheney. In every case, the defense cuts they accuse Kerry of voting for were proposed by Cheney and a Bush.

Do not believe what you are told by these people, research on your own....

-jef-

A Newsweek article that makes some good points:

"18 months ago the goal should have been to calm the international scene and build cooperation. The cancer of Al Qaeda had largely been cut out. The challenge was to keep it from metastasizing. This was the moment for the war of ideas to begin in earnest and international cooperation to be at its height. This was the time when terrorist recruiters could have been isolated and their lies exposed."
"Instead, our impulsive, almost petulant invasion of Iraq did just what so many of our friends and allies warned it would do. It created a whole new hot-bed of fanaticism, and an inspiration to terrorist recruiters everywhere."
"As a voter trying to choose, I confess I find it pretty disconcerting to watch Bush make big lies sound like simple truths, while Kerry makes complicated truths sound like embarrassed fictions."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5878893/site/newsweek/

We need to make sure we are working WITH people. The phrase, "If you aren't with us, you are against us." cuts both ways.

If we are not working with our allies, are we against them?

How many assaults on fair and private voting are we going to tolerate:

"It is unclear how good the protections are to guard against tampering. The e-mailed ballots will be handled by a contractor, Omega Technologies, hired for this purpose, at the company's offices and without the election observers who are present at normal polling places."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/31/opinion/31tues1.html?th

I urge all to ensure there is a physical piece of paper when you vote.

Even if you have to go out of your way to vote absentee.