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We've seen a lot of press in the past couple of days that seems to concede this thing to John Kerry. It took the republicans to knock some sense back into me. This is usually the case. We can be involved in a titanic ideological struggle about shades of the political spectrum and the republicans pop up and render all arguments moot as we are reminded what this is about.
Nine of our American kids that their families sacrificed to bring into this world, struggled to educate them, fought for their right to stay drug free, instilled with the values of American morality, strength with restraint, and defense of freedom, nine of these kids were killed today in Iraq. Yesterday, three died. Forever removed from our society. Yet, the outcry from Senator Kerry, where is it? Is it wrong of me to expect a little remorse out of respect to those brave soldiers? I already know this is not something I will hear from Bush and Cheney.
The media is still calling us the "anti-war crowd" because we don't seem to accept that a WAR in IRAQ is justifiable on any level, let alone the primary lie foisted upon us that we eliminated an "imminent threat". If we were so bent on doing this as a society; i.e. removing imminent threats, wouldn't we start with our OWN causes and effects, the gang murders right here at home? Tens of thousands more Americans were killed last year by gang violence than in the attacks of 9-11 , yet we mobilize every resource at our command to avenge those unfortunate deaths on a September day. Currently, nothing is being done or said in the media about the gang killings. This is every bit as much an act of terrorism as any Moslem extremist planning to kill Americans. Every day, thousands of gang members plan to do the same thing. Yet the resources we could use to fight this scourge are all consumed by a War Machine that grows ever hungrier. Currently that machine is demanding we feed it 3-4 of our kids per day, and if we get behind it makes up for it with volume. The question becomes, whose kids do we want to be next?
WHEN DOES THIS MADNESS STOP? The war machine has consumed and FAILED TO ACCOUNT FOR OVER A TRILLION DOLLARS just last year alone!! Yet we propose to spend a Hundred billion MORE, we focus on health care, infrastructure and education of a population in the Middle East, while we see more and more layoffs here at home to pay for this. In the meantime it is OUR Health care, infrastructure and education that suffers. We seem determined to construct as many nuclear weapons possible at a cost of millions each, yet our schools are wanting for lack of pencils and paper.
Our current leaders tell us that this is the price of freedom. This is how America must now be. That everything is different now. Is it really? I recall in the not too distant past, an entire economic system characterized by Ronald Reagan as an "Evil Empire" collapsed from the continued pursuit of empire and armament. Yet this is the path we are on in America today, as the Machine has learned: we must find NEW enemies to replace the vanquished, in order to stoke its fires, and too feed its gaping maw that growls for fresh flesh daily.
Into this debate I ask: has our "rage" been quelled because the corporate media tells us again that "this turns off the voters"? Is Howard Dean the only candidate who can see through this sham?
It would seem so. The great forces that massed against us in these past two weeks remind me anew of the fight we are facing: we are engaged in a battle to TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK! WE ARE MAD AS HELL!! I say this isn't Over UNTIL WE ACCOMPLISH THAT! To gamely accede to things, to find ourselves rolling over AGAIN, this is something I just WILL NOT DO.
I knew a year ago what I still know today: Howard Dean has the vision to see things as they are. We were outside then, and John Kerry was at 35% in the polls. Today, we are outside, and John Kerry is at 35% at the polls.
But things are different this time. In that past year, we set record after record for donations collected! We motivated hundreds of thousands to rejoin the political fight, many who had given up, and many to come to the fight for the first time! We've experienced the thrill of taking it to them, of slapping them upside their heads and jarring them out of their somnambulant complacency!
But it has come at a heavy cost. We have just experienced the full force and fury of an establishment counter attack so fierce, so strong, that we were left dazed and reeling. Our very core has been shaken, our general killed in action.
The smoke of that attack has cleared, and hey, guess what? WE MADE IT THROUGH! We are stronger and wiser, and let me tell you, hardly ready to surrender. If anything, I'm even madder! WE CAN FIGHT AGAIN! WE MUST! WE WILL!
The time, my friends, is here. We reassemble and prepare. Our new General is laying the plan. We fight on, and remember those of us we have lost along the way, for it is for them we fight. The kids over there, the ones who aren't coming back. We have broached the battle and emerged tempered and strengthened. What I say now is: show them what we're made of. Remember who we are. Remember our cause is just; that we have the support of millions worldwide. Let's show these guys what happens when they mess with us. Let them recall that they tried to take us out, and failed. Let them see what OUR battle is like. And so we go, again my friends, again.
TO TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK.
btw we have raised 1.5 million in the past two days.
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