Subject: Conason
 

Since I don't know how to contact Joe Conason, I offer this in response to an
editorial of his that you put up - hopefully he'll see it.

    First of all, I sleep quite well, thank you for asking.  It then needs to be made clear that
I do not and can not speak for Ralph Nader or all the people who voted for him - only myself.
I proudly voted for him and would do so again, even knowing everything I know now.

    Next, it appears you can't grasp the difference between the words/name Ralph
Nader and the words/name George Bush. I voted for Ralph Nader (in '96 and '00)
because, of the available options, I wanted him to be elected President of the
U.S.  I deeply regret that more people didn't feel the same.  I could go on for
pages with the detailed reasons for my deciding to vote as I did, but it would
clearly be a pointless and wasted effort here.  The critical fact is that I did
not vote for George Bush.  I did not and do not want Boy George to be the
resident of the White House.  Obviously, your objection is to the fact that I
(and others) didn't vote for Al Gore.  I'm not aware of a rule or law that
requires anyone who doesn't care for the candidate the Repuglicans put up must
vote for the Democrat's offering.  Perhaps you'd like to see such a law enacted
- a more authoritarian electoral system where there are only two options on the ballot.

Maybe you're upset or confused by all the choices and options you have in life.
It would be much simpler if we had only two kinds of cereal, two kinds of liquid refreshment, two
television channels and on and on.  Screw freedom - Joe Canason's world would be much easier.

    I have to ask where you've been for the last 60+ days Mr. Conason?  Maybe you haven't heard about the
events of Florida or the lawlessness of the Supreme Clowns.  Have someone bring you up to date.  In the
process, you need to get a grip on the reality that neither Ralph Nader nor any of his voters played a part in any
of that.  Al Gore won the popular vote and probably won more than enough electoral votes.  Beyond that, you
need to acknowledge the absolute reality that conservative/moderate? southern white males like Carter, Clinton
and Gore have topped the Democrat ticket with the cynical intent of appealing to Strom Thurmond's Dixiecrat
remnants.  Clinton did it - Gore didn't!   Ralph Nader wasn't on the ballot in Tennessee and Gore still couldn't
win there.  Had he simply carried his home state by one vote, he wouldn't have needed Florida.
You still want to assert that Naderites are responsible for the whole mess?   Earth to Ranger Joe - -
    You then think we should be falling all over ourselves with praise for Clinton's parting symbolic acts - the
executive orders.  Had you bothered to read them, you'd know that they are full of holes big enough to drive
logging trucks through.  You also need to understand that executive orders are simply not the same as laws.
Exactly what member(s) of Dumbya's administration do you think will enforce Clinton's executive orders?
Clinton's parting symbolism was in the shredder before his shadow was out of sight.
    As to your inquiry about our whereabouts over the last few weeks.  Well Joe, we've been out there
on the front lines of protest.  You acknowledge Phil Donahue's having spoken out. Michael Moore,
Jim Hightower, and Nader himself have expressed displeasure with the Florida fiasco and the Supremes
duplicity - and they've been criticized for doing so right here on this same site.  In case you hadn't noticed,
Nader and his  backers had trouble getting the "mainstream" media to cover them during the campaign
- should things be different now?  Would it make a whole lot of difference any-way?
Myself and every Naderite I know has been writing, e-mailing and  telephoning our Senators in hopes
that they'll find the spine to stand up to Asscroft and the other Smirk appointments - so far with little success.
Incidentally, wouldn't some of your slings and arrows be better aimed in that direction?
    Finally, it won't surprise me if True Believer Democrats like yourself spend at least the next four years hanging
blame for all the sins of the world on those of us who voted for Nader.  The cheap shots and ad-homonym attacks
are easier to spew than a thoughtful examination of how your sanctified Democratic party might be cleaned up.
Throwing bricks at Naderites is certainly easier than seeking ways to bring us back into the flock.  If you think
brickbats, insults to our integrity and intelligence or intimidation will cause us to vote for whatever corporate
flunky hack the Democratic Leadership Council puts up next - you'd better think again (no matter how much it
hurts).  I can tell you that your new party boss - former fundraiser par-exilance and notorious bag-man
- McAuliffe doesn't signal a change for the better to me.  Perhaps you think you can win
without us - in which case you should just leave us alone and proceed along your Republican-Lite path.

  I started voting for Democrat presidential candidates with LBJ.  Over time it
got harder and harder to hold my nose tight enough to go for the lesser-evil
duds.  NAFTA, GATT, and the destruction of any remnant of FDR's band-aids on the
darker side of capitalism were the last straw.  I decided to quit voting for any
evil.  For whatever remains of my voting life, I will vote for the most
progressive/liberal option available.  If that happens to be a Democrat, so be
it - if not, people like Joe Conason can kiss my freedom loving back-side. I'm
sure I'll sleep well too!
        Wobbly ol' Fart