[PAA-Discuss] Fwd: my letter to Howard Dean

[Bill Crosier]

Below is a great letter from Pokey Anderson, who tells Howard Dean 
about the REAL issues he and the DNC should be talking about.  I 
think Dean and the DNC should be hearing from more people about this.

Pokey, are you interested in running for Congress next year?  You 
talk the way candidates should be talking.  You'd get my vote!  Or at 
least, I hope some Congressional candidates listen to your advice.

I encourage all of you to listen to Pokey and Mark's show "Sunday 
Monitor", every Sunday, 6-7 pm on KPFT where they talk about news on 
issues like this.  Or listen to it via the KPFT archives after the 
show, at http://kpftx.org

Bill

Pokey's letter follows.

- - - - - - - -

From: Pokeyink at aol.com
Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2005 12:45:06 EST
Subject: my letter to Howard Dean
To: codepinkhouston at lists.riseup.net, paa at crosierbiomed.com,
         macdoggie02 at yahoo.com, roadie at roadwomen.com, stokes at baylessstokes.com,
         stan.merriman at sbcglobal.net

Okay, I got one of those DNC "surveys" in the mail, that lists 
multiple-choice "solutions" for education, taxation, Social Security, 
abortion. The signature is HOWARD DEAN.

These just piss me off, because they don't even have the commonly 
accepted alternatives on there, for those issues. Plus, they leave 
off the big issues. (Okay, and we all know they're not really surveys 
anyway, but fundraising letters. But, let's ignore that here.)

So, I used their envelope and their postage to send back my OWN 
answers, on nice paper, very proper. (Permission hereby granted to 
steal any of this language at will.)


Howard Dean
Democratic National Committee
P O Box 96585
Washington, DC 20077-7242

Dear Governor Dean,

Your signature is at the bottom on the DNC survey/fundraising letter 
I just received.

Gosh, you forgot a few issues, didn't you? In fact, I'm a bit 
confused. When I heard you speak here in Houston in your presidential 
campaign, you were on fire, fella! You had real issues, real passion. 
You shook the outdoor Miller Theater with your fire and ideas.

Now, you send me this warmed over issue survey, that doesn't even 
supply the standard warmed over possible solutions to problems.

And, gee, you forgot the biggest issues of our time.

Allow me to refresh your memory:

1. Electronic voting machines are riddled with hundreds of documented 
examples of failure and statistically impossible results. Optical 
scan machines have been shown, because they are tabulated 
electronically, to have similar vulnerabilities to bugs and thugs. 
You yourself participated in a quick hack demonstration. John Kerry 
had hundreds of attorneys and millions of dollars reserved for any 
recount/challenges after the presidential election, but chose not to 
use them except in a few isolated instances, even with massive 
evidence of fraud and intimidation, especially of African-American 
voters. Unless our votes count, gee, you're raising tax money and 
campaign money from us, but our opinions never really get counted. 
(Unless my name is Jack Abramoff.)  ELECTION VALIDITY IS FUNDAMENTAL 
TO A DEMOCRACY. THE PEOPLE ARE GETTING RESTLESS!

2. Over sixty percent of Americans believe the Iraq war is a 
continuing mistake. I'm sure you have your own growing count of the 
outright lies used to foist this war on Americans, our (shrinking) 
allies, and Iraqis. The U.S. ($400 billion defense budget) was never 
for a moment in danger from Iraq ($1.5 billion defense budget). What 
IS the noble cause US troops are there for, Howard? Oil and empire? 
Then say so, and let's quit beating around the bush. Let the American 
people decide if they want to spend all their resources on futile 
wars whipped up by ideologues and military spending hogs. Democrats 
are about to become an IRRELEVANT POLITICAL PARTY if you don't take a 
stand on this.

3. The country that fought Hitler and stood atop the world after 
World War II, the country that got well-wishes from people around the 
world after September 11, is now the country that is feared and 
disdained around the world. The U.S. has tortured prisoners in 
Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, has outsourced torture to other countries, 
has used cruel weapons like phosphorus and depleted uranium, and has 
used rendition to send prisoners to secret prisons away from the 
perview of humanitarian agencies. The most powerful three members of 
the Bush administration, Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld, are advocating 
for official torture policies. OFFICIALLY-SANCTIONED TORTURE BY THE 
U.S. IS A ROT ON OUR NATIONAL SOUL.

4. If this country had vibrant, diverse, independent media, more 
truth about our real problems (a hint - the country's biggest problem 
is NOT abortion) would be available to the general public, instead of 
pap about J-Lo or Michael Jackson. Big media need to be forced to 
reverse their trend of consolidation and control of ideas and 
information. We have big problems to solve in this country; fake, 
lying, distracting media performers will not help us address them.

I repeat, the people are restless. The people are seeing through the 
illusions, and know their jobs and pensions are on shaky ground, and 
that their country is in the hands of crooks.

The Democratic Party needs to decide whether it will weigh in with 
the people. ... or the crooks in nice suits.

Sincerely,

Pokey Anderson
Houston, Texas


-- 
Bill Crosier
Progressive Action Alliance   http://paa-tx.org/ 
http://progressiveactionalliance.org/
paa at crosierbiomed.com     713-641-4941
Tell Bush: WE WANT THE TRUTH!    http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/
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