I presume your websites' mission is to Educate as well as Entertain. You do
a damn good job Entertaining but lately you're missing the "no child left behind"
part of educating. Recently two aspects of your site have stood out, most importantly
your disdain for the Greens who cost Al Gore the election (maybe, maybe not),
and your desire to debate a freeper, or at least an intelligent conservative
(good luck finding one). I propose that you give up on the hope of a live debate
with Rush, Dubya, George Will, or any of that ilk and instead concentrate on
developing a dialogue with the left side of the Democratic party. I know it would
be fun and entertaining to drag a Republican into the bright light of coherent thought,
but give up on that dream for now, it "ain't" worth the trouble. Besides, the only time
a conservative converts is just before he shuffles off to meet his maker i.e., George Wallace.

  No, it would be a waste of time and besides all your work would just be preaching
to the choir - We all know the TRUTH - now we need to try to "just get along."

Which brings us to the point of this letter. Several times in the recent past
you have asked readers to withhold contributions from the Democrats until
they develop a spine. But, if you withhold individual contributions to the
Democrats you don't help them develop a spine, you just push them further
down the slippery slope of corporate toadyism (who already "donate" too
much). The only thing we can withhold that a wayward Democrat can't find
elsewhere is OUR VOTE. After all, he's not going to out Republican a
Republican, and pick up their votes.

  To me the Green party is not unlike your "Bartcop Big Hammer." It's a tool
to bring wavering and outright "right" thinking Democrats back into the fold.
God knows the recent votes on Oil drilling in the Arctic and HMO's shows we
have too many "Democrats" who forget what party they belong to, not to mention
the ones who rode the "moral outrage" train against Clinton for eight years.

  In New Mexico we have a viable Green party that has had a profound effect
on 2 Congressional seats. In the first race a rabid right-winger was opposed
by a handpicked Democratic insider complete with a history of toadyism,
bribery, and insider dealing. The Greens ran a relatively unknown but clean
candidate who made a very good showing. The result was a win for the
Republicans, but more importantly it began to teach the Democrats a lesson
about what their voters wanted. Two years later the incumbent right-winger
was turned out by a moderate Democrat, more inline with the voters.

  In the other district the Democrats chose to run a GW Bush clone, so like the
original (ran on name alone, unable to complete a thought, no accomplishments
in life except what he was given by his family, even down to a sports team) that
it was uncanny. The Greens ran a very competent candidate who made a huge
dent in the Democrats' totals 'spoiling' his chance to win.

This happened again with the same characters in the next election. In the
next election the Democrats realized their candidate couldn't win against the
Greens as well as the Republicans, so they choose another. Unfortunately they
kept to the same formula and choose a right leaning moderate with plenty of
'baggage.'  The result was the same as the last 2 elections, with the Republican
winning, but the Democratic/Green total being significantly greater.
(kinda begs for IRV -instant runoff voting - but more on that some other time).

 I don't know who the Democrats will pick to run for this seat next time, but I do
know if they stick to the same formula they will get hit with same "hammer" again.

For the record, I have suggested that Democrats withhold their money UNTIL the Demos agree to fight back.

And since the Gore Nader score was 48-3 last time, how many Republicans will be elected
before we "learn" to vote the way the Greens want?