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| Dear Friends,
I am deeply concerned that my President has stated
that he would stand behind any measure to keep me and
other gays and lesbians from equality.
This really hits hard at home since Adrian and I
decided to make a committment to each other this past
May. We both wanted to share our lives and proclaim
to our friends and family that we too wanted just what
every couple wants-- a home, alove and bond between
two people.
It makes me sad that my President can say that I am
inferior, that I am a second class citizen, and that
everything Adrian and I have worked for together
is worthless. My President and Republican leaders
of the nation want to deny me my civil right to marriage,
thereby making me a lower, second class citizen. I no
longer exist to the fullest extent of the law. I no longer have
a voice. I no longer have the right to care for my partner.
According to George W. Bush and the Republican party,
I am worthless. Now you decide if I am worthless as President Bush has said.
-Andres
Sign the petition.
Go to: http//www.pfaw.org/go/save our constitution/
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| Day 3..too lazy to write!
My friend Kurt,from San Antonio, e-mailed this to me today:
Subject: Three Easy Pieces for Any Decent American (from Michael Moore)
From: Michael Moore\'s Mailing List
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2003 07:17:29 -0600
Three Easy Pieces for Any Decent American (from Michael Moore)
September 15, 2003
There are many otherwise decent Americans who are either still on the fence about George W. Bush or they actually profess to like the man. They are the ones who make up the 58% approval ratings and the 64% who say they still believe the war was a good idea. You know these people well. They work next to you, or they sit in the classroom next to you, or they may even be sitting at your kitchen table right now!
I think that we need to hold out a hand to them, not in a partisan sort of way, and not with any condescension. I think that if we share with them a few pieces of information, and do it with common sense instead of politics, there is a chance we just might break through and turn things around. Perhaps it's my foolish optimism in the goodness that is in every person, and in their ability to ultimately know right from wrong.
I would like to give you three little vignettes to share with them. They are so simple and so shocking in their very content that, if you pass them around the office, the school, the neighborhood or the bedroom, it may just do the trick. Here they are:
1. GEORGE AND LAURA ON 9/11 -- A BARREL OF LAUGHS!
The following is an interview with the First Couple from the current issue of one of my favorite magazines, Ladies Home Journal (Oct. '03). They are asked about what September 11, 2001, was like for them personally, and, although over 3,000 people had just perished, George W. was able to find some humor by the end of that day:
Peggy Noonan (the interviewer): You were separated on September 11th. What was it like when you saw each other again?
Laura Bush: Well, we just hugged. I think there was a certain amount of security in being with each other than being apart.
George W. Bush: But the day ended on a relatively humorous note. The agents said, "you'll be sleeping downstairs. Washington's still a dangerous place." And I said no, I can't sleep down there, the bed didn't look comfortable. I was really tired, Laura was tired, we like our own bed. We like our own routine. You know, kind of a nester. I knew I had to deal with the issue the next day and provide strength and comfort to the country, and so I needed rest in order to be mentally prepared. So I told the agent we're going upstairs, and he reluctantly said okay. Laura wears contacts, and she was sound asleep. Barney was there. And the agent comes running up and says, "We're under attack. We need you downstairs," and so there we go. I'm in my running shorts and my T-shirt, and I'm barefooted. Got the dog in one hand, Laura had a cat, I'm holding Laura --
Laura Bush: I don't have my contacts in , and I'm in my fuzzy house slippers --
George W. Bush: And this guy's out of breath, and we're heading straight down to the basement because there's an incoming unidentified airplane, which is coming toward the White House. Then the guy says it's a friendly airplane. And we hustle all the way back up stairs and go to bed.
Mrs. Bush: [LAUGHS] And we just lay there thinking about the way we must have looked.
Peggy Noonan (interviewer): So the day starts in tragedy and ends in Marx Brothers.
George W. Bush: THAT'S RIGHT-- WE GOT A LAUGH OUT OF IT!
(end)
Although America had just suffered the worst attack ever on our own soil, somehow this man was able to end his day on a funny note. I wonder how many of the 3,000 families who lost someone earlier that day had a funny ending before they went to sleep? Please read the above exchange aloud to anyone who will listen. It speaks volumes.
2. WE HAVE JUST WRECKED OUR KIDS' FUTURE.
The first paragraph in yesterday's New York Times story on how Bush has taken a record surplus and demolished it into a record deficit was one of the best lead paragraphs I have ever read in a newspaper article.
Here's how it went:
"When President Bush informed the nation last Sunday night that remaining in Iraq next year will cost another $87 billion, many of those who will actually pay that bill were unable to watch. They had already been put to bed by their parents."
Bingo. Gee, I hope the kids thank us some day!
Here's the next paragraph (my emphasis added):
"Administration officials acknowledged the next day that every dollar of that cost will be BORROWED, a loan that economists say will be repaid by the NEXT generation of taxpayers AND THE GENERATION AFTER THAT. The $166 BILLION cost of the work SO FAR in Iraq and Afghanistan, which has stunned many in Washington, will be added to what was already the largest budget deficit the nation has ever known."
Every conservative friend of yours should weep when they read that, and then you should hug them and tell them that it'll be okay, once we all do what we need to do.
3. WHAT WOULD $87 BILLION BUY?
If you can't get through this list without wanting to throw up, I'll understand. But pass it around anyway. This is the nail in the Iraq War's coffin for any sane, thinking individual, regardless of their political stripe (thanks to TomPaine.com and the Center for American Progress)...
To get some perspective, here are some real-life comparisons about what $87 billion means:
$87 Billion Is More Than The Combined Total Of All State Budget Deficits In The United States.
The Bush administration proposed absolutely zero funds to help states deal with these deficits, despite the fact that their tax cuts drove down state revenues. [Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
$87 Billion Is Enough To Pay The 3.3 Million People Who Have Lost Jobs Under George W. Bush $26,363 Each!
The unemployment benefits extension passed by Congress at the beginning of this year provides zero benefits to "workers who exhausted their regular, state unemployment benefits and cannot find work." All told, two-thirds of unemployed workers have exhausted their benefits. [Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
$87 Billion Is More Than DOUBLE The Total Amount The Government Spends On Homeland Security.
The U.S. spends about $36 billion on homeland security. Yet, Sen. Warren Rudman (R-N.H.) wrote "America will fall approximately $98.4 billion short of meeting critical emergency responder needs" for homeland security without a funding increase. [Source: Council on Foreign Relations]
$87 Billion Is 87 Times The Amount The Federal Government Spends On After School Programs.
George W. Bush proposed a budget that reduces the $1 billion for after-school programs to $600 million -- cutting off about 475,000 children from the program. [Source: The Republican-dominated House Appropriations Committee]
$87 Billion Is More Than 10 Times What The Government Spends On All Environmental Protection.
The Bush administration requested just $7.6 billion for the entire Environmental Protection Agency. This included a 32 percent cut to water quality grants, a 6 percent reduction in enforcement staff, and a 50 percent cut to land acquisition and conservation. [Source: Natural Resources Defense Council]
There you go. In black and white. A few million of you will receive this letter. Please share the above with at least a half-dozen people today and tomorrow. I, like you, do not want to see another approval rating over 50%.
Yours,
Michael Moore
www.michaelmoore.com
moorelist@aol.com
PS. Thanks for the astounding response to the Wesley Clark letter (and for your kind comments to me). Over 95% of the thousands of letters received favored the General tossing his helmet in the ring. All were passed on to his organization. More to come on the road to removing Bush...
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| Check out this web site...and sign up to get the TRUTH on George Bush
--------------
President Bush's Mis-State of the Union
Sixteen untrue words in the President's State of the Union message
helped push American into war with Iraq. It's now clear that the remaining
5397 words in the speech were just as misleading. For example:
On the Economy:
"We will not pass along our problems to other Congresses, to other
presidents and other generations."
The truth: Factoring in the cost of reconstruction in Iraq and other
laws that are set to be enacted, the federal budget deficit is close to
$5 trillion over the next 10 years. The President's latest request to
make his tax cuts permanent would add another nearly $1.6 trillion to the
federal debt through 2013. That's $41,300 for every man, woman and
child.
On Jobs:
My "first goal is an economy that [will] employ every man and woman who
seeks a job."
The truth: 2.5 million jobs have already been lost since 2001 and the
President's own economic advisors project that his economic plan - if
everything goes well - will create fewer jobs in the next year than were
lost in the last year. This will make President Bush the first
president since Hoover's Great Depression-era presidency to preside over an
economy that has lost more jobs than it's created.
This website will chronicle the Bush Administration's ongoing
misstatements, misleading figures, and outright deception. Unfortunately for all
of us, there is enough misleading to keep this website busy.
(Research by Robert Borosage, Co-Director of Campaign for America's
Future.)
--------------
Sign up to receive the Daily Mislead delivered to your inbox...daily,
here http://www.misleader.org/.
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| Ok...I know what you are saying, this guy is so lazy, all he does is cut and paste. But my partner makes a wonderful point and I would like to share it with you guys! I actually used this in my family's monthly newsletter. Hope you enjoy!
So What Does It Matter Anyway?
Why Voting Is Important by Adrian Cardwell
On Monday, 25 August 2003, Andres and I shared an amazing experience. We hopped on a chartered bus in Austin with a bunch of strangers (some of them were very strange strangers!) and made the 75-mile trek to San Antonio to attend a political rally and hear former Vermont governor Howard Dean speak, and who knew, maybe even meet the man himself. The man we hope will become President of the United States in 2004.
When we arrived in the auditorium at La Villita, we could already feel a buzz. Then, as thousands more people arrived, that buzz became an electricity like I’ve never felt before. Thousands of people from different races, cultures, religions were all gathered together, united, rich and poor, for one purpose: To use their voice. They shouted. They sang. They raised their hands. They clinched their fists. They cheered.
Speaker after speaker came up to tell us why they were there - teachers, single mothers, state representatives, labor leaders, students, grandmothers, workers, dancers, singers – to tell George W. Bush and the Republican party that they have had enough. They were planning to use their voice – their vote – to send that message.
Then Howard Dean arrived on stage, and he told us all why he was different from George Bush.
He’s committed to balancing the budget by repealing Bush’s tax cuts that only benefited the rich.
He has a plan to guarantee health insurance coverage for ALL Americans. The same health plan that Senators and government employees enjoy.
He opposes rushing to war without the support of the international community.
He believes in protecting the environment, not drilling in wildlife zones so corporations can benefit
Those aren’t just empty campaign promises. He did each of those things as governor of Vermont.
Because I don’t feel my life is better than it was in 2000, and because I don’t like the direction Bush is taking this country, I’m joining with those folks in San Antonio. I’m going to use my voice. I am going to vote.
And yes, I did get to meet Mr. Dean. Standing there on the front row, he stood in front of me, looked in my eyes, shook my hand, and said, “Thanks for coming.” It was then that I knew I had just met the man that will be president of the United States of America.
So now, I’m working harder than ever. I’ve joined a campaign training program in Dallas later this month. Then at the end of the month, the Dean campaign is paying for me, and several hundred others from Texas, to fly to Iowa and knock on doors to tell Iowans one thing: Your opinion really does matter.
Use your voice. Vote.
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| I recieved an e-mail today about a poll/petition on CNN asking if you support the President's view that a Constitutional amendment may be justified to legislate that marriage should be only between one man and one woman. The email sent stated so-called "Christians" had an obligation to influence their opinion that homosexuals somehow do not deserve this equality. I always try to find the right words to say, but my partner just nailed it! Sad thing is that his mother is the one who e-mailed us the poll.
Let me tell you about this stupid petition, let me tell you about Republicans, and let me tell you about the Village Idiot, otherwise known as G.W. Bush.
First, let me say I am very angry and hurt. I am angry and hurt that my family, the same people who share my flesh and blood, consider me to be an inferior form of human life not worthy of the same dignity and respect that they expect in their daily lives. I'm angry, hurt...and ashamed.
Now, let me tell you what "marriage" should be: "Marriage" should be about loving, supportive, nurturing relationships, and such relationships are not dependent on gender. Gay unions will only strengthen and enrich the social concept of "marriage."
Statistics don't support the notion that "striaght" marriages are more cohesive than gay "marriages." Time and time again, "straight" couples vow to "love, honor, and cherish, until death do us part," knowing full well that at least 50% of them will break those vows. Even members of this family, including those who passed this along, have been married multiple times! This isn't about "sanctity of marriage". This is about people using "religion" to pronounce judgement and to justify discrimination.
Remember, it wasn't that long ago when society, including the "church," said it was okay to prevent women from voting or to segregate our nation, including keeping African-Americans from drinking out of the same water fountains as white people! This issue is no different!
To "religious" folk, god hates the gays and the "evil, wretched" gays should be persecuted and punished and despised and discriminated against in this life and the next.
What does "marriage" as a legal institution have to do with the Bible, or the Scripture, or Jesus Christ? This may a newsflash to some people, but people of ALL religions get married, not just Christians, and so do agnostics and atheists who don't even believe in God. Even if Jesus, or the "church" for that matter, who is supposed to be all-forgiving and loving, can't accept gay unions, that doesn't mean the state and the law cannot legally recognize it. The last time I checked, America was a multi-cultural, secular government and its laws weren't simply an extension of Christ's (or any other religion) teachings, as interpreted by religious zealots. If you want to see the dangers of mixing religious "morality" with the laws of the government, and vice versa, I suggest you look at news reports from the Middle East.
I find it sad and deplorable that anyone who considers themselves a "Christian" could possibly be against anything founded on two people loving one another. Isn't that exactly what Jesus was trying to teach us? Legalizing gay relationships would be one more recognition that love conquers all. The sort of drivel being passed around below is mindless hate-mongering and scare tactics.
At the bottom of all of this, there are two very separate questions: (1) Should the "CHURCH" recognize gay relationships, and (2) should the "LAW" recognize a relationship between two loving, consenting adult human beings, regardless of gender. These are each mutually eclusive questions, neiter of which should have any bearing on the other. The law has no place in the pulpit, and the pulpit has no place in the courthouse! You can not and should not offer one set of rules for one group of people, but deny those same rights to another group of people simply because you hate or dislike them. This has nothing to do with "morality" but has everything to do with equality and fairness.
I am a law-abiding American citizen. I vote, volunteer, donate money to charity AND I pay over $25,000 a year in taxes. If these people think I'm a second-class citizen, or somehow an unworthy human, then why not reduce my taxes accordingly?
If what I see below is any indication as to how my family feels about me, it's no wonder I've not seen or spoken to any of them in years. They are not worth my time, energy or consideration. I don't have time to put up with people who hate who I am, thereby hating me.
So -- NO, I do not support this petition, and I DO NOT support president Bush!
Adrian
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