Actually, Ken, Kendall has provided some proof of Mag's post, and I have read
comments from Republicans who are appalled at the strong-arm tactics of the
administration.   There are plenty of people who voted for Bush in 2000 but
are voting for Kerry this time.

Kat

On Friday 22 October 2004 08:30 pm, ken barber wrote:
>  bogus as a 3 dollar bill.
>
>  --- Tamar Raine <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>  > This is an interesting letter!
>  >
>  > Tamar Mag Raine
>  > [log in to unmask]
>  > IM: tamarmag48
>  > Oakland Mayor's Commission on People with
>  > disabilities
>  >
>  > > [Original Message]
>  > > From: Edward Evans
>  >
>  > <[log in to unmask]>
>  >
>  > > To: Edward Evans <[log in to unmask]>
>  > > Date: 10/21/2004 9:29:04 PM
>  > > Subject: [berkeley-disabled] THE LAST STRAW
>  > >
>  > >
>  > > THE LAST STRAW
>  > > Carl F. Worden
>  > >
>  > >
>  > > That's it, I've had it.
>  > >
>  > > I've been a registered Republican since I pulled
>  >
>  > my first lever in a
>  >
>  > > voting booth, and I've voted as a loyal
>
>  Republican
>
>  > for Republican
>  >
>  > > candidates consistently every year.  I am 55
>
>  years
>
>  > of age.  I am
>  >
>  > > considered a right-wing Christian conservative
>
>  and
>
>  > strict constitutionist
>  >
>  > > who knows the Framers of the Constitution
>
>  expected
>
>  > strict adherence
>  >
>  > > to that original document unless and until it is
>  >
>  > amended.
>  >
>  > > You don't get much more conservative and
>  >
>  > constitutionally-minded than I
>  >
>  > > am, and that is why I just cast my Oregon
>  >
>  > vote-by-mail ballot for
>  >
>  > > Democrat John Kerry as the next president of the
>  >
>  > United States.  So did
>  >
>  > > my wife -- and she's a very independent thinker.
>  >
>  > I know there are
>  >
>  > > thousands of lifelong Republican/Independent
>  >
>  > conservatives who are
>  >
>  > > going to do the same thing on November 2nd,
>  >
>  > because they've written and
>  >
>  > > told me so.
>  > >
>  > > The absolute last straw for me took place at the
>  >
>  > Bush rally, held in
>  >
>  > > Central Point, Oregon on October 14th.
>
>  President
>
>  > Bush stayed in
>  >
>  > > Jacksonville, Oregon overnight after the rally,
>  >
>  > and protesters and
>  >
>  > > police clashed on the streets.  I sent out a
>
>  photo
>
>  > of a Jackson County
>  >
>  > > Sheriff's Deputy, all Nazi's up in black leather
>  >
>  > riot control gear and
>  >
>  > > grinning evilly as he shoved a woman holding her
>
>  5
>
>  > year-old daughter.
>  >
>  > > It wasn't the finest hour for local law
>  >
>  > enforcement, but even that
>  >
>  > > wasn't the last straw for me.  No, the last
>
>  straw
>
>  > for me happened just
>  >
>  > > before the Bush rally itself.
>  > >
>  > > Three local teachers got tickets to the Bush
>  >
>  > rally, passed all the
>  >
>  > > security checkpoints and scrutiny and got in.
>  >
>  > They never created or
>  >
>  > > caused a disturbance, and they were perfectly
>  >
>  > peaceful members of the
>  >
>  > > audience waiting to hear Bush speak.  But before
>  >
>  > they got to hear Bush,
>  >
>  > > they were expelled from the rally by Bush rally
>  >
>  > staff who objected to
>  >
>  > > the words printed on the T-shirts they were
>  >
>  > wearing.
>  >
>  > > No, the words on the T-shirts the ladies were
>  >
>  > wearing did not disparage
>  >
>  > > Bush, nor did they suggest support for Kerry or
>  >
>  > any other candidate.
>  >
>  > > The words did not condemn or support the war in
>  >
>  > Iraq, nor did they slam
>  >
>  > > any Administration policy.  No, the T-shirts the
>  >
>  > three women wore
>  >
>  > > showed an American flag, and under it the words,
>  >
>  > "Protect Our Civil
>  >
>  > > Liberties".  That was all -- I kid you not.
>  > >
>  > > That was it.  That was the last straw for me.
>  >
>  > That was the defining
>  >
>  > > moment I'll never forget.  That was my epiphany.
>  > >
>  > > Bryan Platt, Chairman of the Jackson County
>  >
>  > Republican Central
>  >
>  > > Committee, said he stood 100 percent behind the
>  >
>  > person who made the
>  >
>  > > decision to exclude the women, removing any
>
>  doubt
>
>  > that one or two
>  >
>  > > individuals exceeded their authority and blew
>
>  it.
>
>  > No, it was solid,
>  >
>  > > Republican neo-conservative fascist policy on
>  >
>  > open
>  > display, and the
>  >
>  > > Brown Shirts weren't about to apologize for it.
>  >
>  > No way.
>  >
>  > > I am now a man without a political party.  I
>
>  will
>
>  > never again register
>  >
>  > > as a Republican unless the party returns to what
>  >
>  > it was before the
>  >
>  > > fascists took it over.  I'm certainly not a
>  >
>  > Democrat or a liberal, but
>  >
>  > > I might just register as a Democrat to help them
>  >
>  > avoid mistakes in the
>  >
>  > > next primary, like running another John Kerry
>
>  for
>
>  > president.  Any
>  >
>  > > moderate, pro-gun southern Democrat would have
>  >
>  > easily swept Bush aside
>  >
>  > > this election.  As it is, the race is so close
>
>  it
>
>  > could go either way
>  >
>  > > at this point.
>  > >
>  > > My decision to vote for Kerry was a vote to get
>  >
>  > Bush and his
>  >
>  > > administration out.  I could have voted for a
>  >
>  > third party candidate who
>  >
>  > > couldn't possibly win, but that would have
>  >
>  > translated into a vote for
>  >
>  > > Bush, and I just couldn't do that.  Too many
>
>  kids
>
>  > in uniform have
>  >
>  > > already been killed and maimed for nothing, and
>
>  I
>
>  > see it as my primary
>  >
>  > > duty to save as many of them as I can.  If my
>
>  vote
>
>  > for a third party
>  >
>  > > candidate means Bush wins and more kids come
>
>  home
>
>  > dead and mutilated,
>  >
>  > > then I have abrogated my duty as an American, as
>
>  a
>
>  > Christian and as a
>  >
>  > > decent human being.  I didn't know better during
>  >
>  > the Vietnam War, when
>  >
>  > > I voted for Nixon twice, but I would be without
>  >
>  > excuse if I did it
>  >
>  > > again now.
>  > >
>  > > This election is different:  In this election,
>
>  we
>
>  > all have to answer
>  >
>  > > the call to vote wisely.  Lives depend on it,
>
>  and
>
>  > God is watching how
>  >
>  > > we vote as well.  When an individual sins, God
>  >
>  > deals with him
>  >
>  > > individually.  When a whole nation sins, God
>
>  deals
>
>  > with the nation
>  >
>  > > nationally.  It's right there in the Bible.
>  > >
>  > > The way I see it, the threat Bush presents is
>
>  just
>
>  > too great.  I know
>  >
>  > > what Bush did with his first four years on good
>  >
>  > behavior, and so do
>  >
>  > > you.  What scares the bejeebers out of me is
>
>  what
>
>  > Bush would do with
>  >
>  > > four more years with nothing to lose -- and an
>  >
>  > assumed mandate from the
>  >
>  > > people for what he did the first four.  At least
>
>  a
>
>  > Kerry Administration
>  >
>  > > would be strapped down by a Republican Congress,
>  >
>  > so I'm not too worried
>  >
>  > > about major gun control bills being passed, and
>
>  as
>
>  > far as abortion is
>  >
>  > > concerned, it really doesn't matter what a
>  >
>  > president believes, because
>  >
>  > > that issue is decided only by the Judiciary
>
>  Branch
>
>  > now.
>  >
>  > > Regardless of the proclaimed Bush position on
>  >
>  > abortion, he never issued
>  >
>  > > an executive order banning any form of abortion
>  >
>  > because he knew such an
>  >
>  > > order would be overturned by the courts.  Oh,
>
>  and
>
>  > that phony Late-Term
>  >
>  > > Abortion Ban Bush signed?  It's as good as dead
>
>  --
>
>  > and I have a
>  >
>  > > niggling feeling it was intended to be killed
>
>  even
>
>  > as they wrote it.
>  >
>  > > The lower Federal Courts are already finding it
>  >
>  > unconstitutional, and
>  >
>  > > why?, because the people who authored it left no
>  >
>  > possibility for a
>  >
>  > > woman to use late term abortion to save her
>
>  life,
>
>  > let alone to preserve
>  >
>  > > her health.  In lieu of that provision, any
>
>  first
>
>  > year law student knew
>  >
>  > > the federal courts would overturn it, so why did
>  >
>  > seasoned
>  >
>  > > lawyers/legislators write it that way?  Don't
>
>  even
>
>  > try to convince me
>
>  === message truncated ===
>
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