A woman interviewed me yesterday. She wanted to get life stories from Hispanic women activists. I don’t really know, actually, why she picked me, but I have the sneaking suspicion that she was tired of interviewing women who spoke only Spanish. It is really laborious to have to transcribe everything (believe me it is a tedious job) then translate everything and then try to understand it.
Obviously she and I are very similar women. We had the same kinds of glasses, the same big hippie bag, the same body even, we did social sciences and believed that politics is bread and water. We liked sesame bagels – toasted AND with loads of cream cheese; we drink coffee as soon as we wake up – and sometimes before we go to sleep; we have nose rings, and we both had tongue rings at one point in our lives. The similarities piled on top of each other, on and on they went. Except one thing: we did see our role in the world very differently. When it came time to talk about how to reach equality and give voice to others, she chose the path of ‘using’ her privilege to the advantage of others and took the path of ‘denying’ and ‘surrendering’ my privilege and at the same time work for the betterment of others. It is a necessity that to reach equality, justice and basic human rights those that are PRIVILEGED have to give up some of the rights while AT THE SAME TIME those that are not privileged work to reach higher. I mean, it wasn’t until recently that the women’s movement started to really focus on men and their vital involvement in the fight for women’s rights. Men have to understand that for everybody to reach a higher level of humanity everybody has to work towards the goal. Those that are poor, or are of the “wrong” gender, or social class, religion, etc have to strive up while those that are rich and are in power HAVE TO give up some of their rights. Ni modos, that’s how it has to be.

But I digress, the interview went well and you might see it posted online. I am sure I won’t like what I read, but what comes out of my mouth is not mine anymore. Only my thoughts.

Cheers to all!

Miriam

Source: http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php

Dear Mr. Bush,

I am so confused. Where exactly do you stand on the issue of Iraq? You, your Dad, Rummy, Condi, Colin, and Wolfie -- you have all changed your minds so many times, I am out of breath just trying to keep up with you!

Which of these 10 positions that you, your family and your cabinet have taken over the years represents your CURRENT thinking:

1983-88: WE LOVE SADDAM. On December 19, 1983, Donald Rumsfeld was sent by your dad and Mr. Reagan to go and have a friendly meeting with Saddam Hussein, the dictator of Iraq. Rummy looked so happy in the picture. Just twelve days after this visit, Saddam gassed thousands of Iranian troops. Your dad and Rummy seemed pretty happy with the results because ‘The Donald R.’ went back to have another chummy hang-out with Saddam’s right-hand man, Tariq Aziz, just four months later. All of this resulted in the U.S. providing credits and loans to Iraq that enabled Saddam to buy billions of dollars worth of weapons and chemical agents. The Washington Post reported that your dad and Reagan let it be known to their Arab allies that the Reagan/Bush administration wanted Iraq to win its war with Iran and anyone who helped Saddam accomplish this was a friend of ours.

1990: WE HATE SADDAM. In 1990, when Saddam invaded Kuwait, your dad and his defense secretary, Dick Cheney, decided they didn't like Saddam anymore so they attacked Iraq and returned Kuwait to its rightful dictators.

1991: WE WANT SADDAM TO LIVE. After the war, your dad and Cheney and Colin Powell told the Shiites to rise up against Saddam and we would support them. So they rose up. But then we changed our minds. When the Shiites rose up against Saddam, the Bush inner circle changed its mind and decided NOT to help the Shiites. Thus, they were massacred by Saddam.

1998: WE WANT SADDAM TO DIE. In 1998, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and others, as part of the Project for the New American Century, wrote an open letter to President Clinton insisting he invade and topple Saddam Hussein.

2000: WE DON'T BELIEVE IN WAR AND NATION BUILDING. Just three years later, during your debate with Al Gore in the 2000 election, when asked by the moderator Jim Lehrer where you stood when it came to using force for regime change, you turned out to be a downright pacifist:


“I--I would take the use of force very seriously. I would be guarded in my approach. I don't think we can be all things to all people in the world. I think we've got to be very careful when we commit our troops. The vice president [Al Gore] and I have a disagreement about the use of troops. He believes in nation building. I--I would be very careful about using our troops as nation builders. I believe the role of the military is to fight and win war and, therefore, prevent war from happening in the first place. And so I take my--I take my--my responsibility seriously.” --October 3, 2000

2001 (early): WE DON'T BELIEVE SADDAM IS A THREAT. When you took office in 2001, you sent your Secretary of State, Colin Powell, and your National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice, in front of the cameras to assure the American people they need not worry about Saddam Hussein. Here is what they said:


Powell: “We should constantly be reviewing our policies, constantly be looking at those sanctions to make sure that they have directed that purpose. That purpose is every bit as important now as it was 10 years ago when we began it. And frankly, they have worked. He has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbors.” --February 24, 2001


Rice: “But in terms of Saddam Hussein being there, let's remember that his country is divided, in effect. He does not control the northern part of his country. We are able to keep arms from him. His military forces have not been rebuilt.” --July 29, 2001

2001 (late): WE BELIEVE SADDAM IS GOING TO KILL US! Just a few months later, in the hours and days after the 9/11 tragedy, you had no interest in going after Osama bin Laden. You wanted only to bomb Iraq and kill Saddam and you then told all of America we were under imminent threat because weapons of mass destruction were coming our way. You led the American people to believe that Saddam had something to do with Osama and 9/11. Without the UN's sanction, you broke international law and invaded Iraq.

2003: WE DON’T BELIEVE SADDAM IS GOING TO KILL US. After no WMDs were found, you changed your mind about why you said we needed to invade, coming up with a brand new after-the-fact reason -- we started this war so we could have regime change, liberate Iraq and give the Iraqis democracy!

2003: “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!” Yes, everyone saw you say it -- in costume, no less!

2004: OOPS. MISSION NOT ACCOMPLISHED! Now you call the Iraq invasion a "catastrophic success." That's what you called it this month. Over a thousand U.S. soldiers have died, Iraq is in a state of total chaos where no one is safe, and you have no clue how to get us out of there.

Mr. Bush, please tell us -- when will you change your mind again?

I know you hate the words "flip" and "flop," so I won't use them both on you. In fact, I'll use just one: Flop. That is what you are. A huge, colossal flop. The war is a flop, your advisors and the "intelligence" they gave you is a flop, and now we are all a flop to the rest of the world. Flop. Flop. Flop.

And you have the audacity to criticize John Kerry with what you call the "many positions" he has taken on Iraq. By my count, he has taken only one: He believed you. That was his position. You told him and the rest of congress that Saddam had WMDs. So he -- and the vast majority of Americans, even those who didn't vote for you -- believed you. You see, Americans, like John Kerry, want to live in a country where they can believe their president.

That was the one, single position John Kerry took. He didn't support the war, he supported YOU. And YOU let him and this great country down. And that is why tens of millions can't wait to get to the polls on Election Day -- to remove a major, catastrophic flop from our dear, beloved White House -- to stop all the flipping you and your men have done, flipping us and the rest of the world off.

We can't take another minute of it.

Yours,

Michael Moore

I'm moving in 3 weeks, or less or more, who knows, its unclear..

I will be in Korea and I think it'll be fun and exciting and superb but at the same time it'll be hard to be in a new country where i don't know that many people and I suck at Korean. Also, the food will be different and particularly coming from a latin origin, it'll be hard to be around people who are not very touchy like we latinos are.

If anybody has traveled to Korea or is from Korea please write to me and let me know about any ideas, thoughts, events!!!

thanks

Will you volunteer to go to Florida on 10/29?

This year, just voting is simply not enough! We need to take action. That's why I'm inviting you to please join with other EMILY's List members, friends and supporters in an historic effort to turn out voters in Florida, the state which could decide which party controls the White House and the U.S. Senate.


WANTED: Volunteers who want to make the difference in this election and can commit to working from Friday evening, October 29, through Tuesday evening, November 2. Volunteers will return to DC Wednesday morning, November 3. Air travel, accommodations, and meals will be paid for by EMILY's List. Training will be provided.

WHO: EMILY's List, the nation's premier political network dedicated to electing pro-choice Democratic women, is seeking volunteers who can commit to knocking on the doors of key voters and urge them to go to the polls.

WHAT: An historic, massive volunteer effort to turn out voters that could determine who controls the White House and the U.S. Senate.

WHEN: Buses will leave downtown Washington, DC en route to BWI late in the day on Friday, October 29, and return the morning of Wednesday, November 3. Please note we are sending people from Washington, DC, only and will not be booking tickets from other locations. However, we’re happy to work with volunteers who want to fly or drive themselves to Washington, DC, or directly to Florida.

WHERE: Volunteers will talk to voters in Florida communities where high Democratic turnout is the key to victory.

HOW: If you haven't registered as a Team EMILY member, click here now <http://activate.emilyslist.org/t?ctl=8DC5B5:2B87536> and then fill out the volunteer form here <http://activate.emilyslist.org/t?ctl=8DC5B1:2B87536> . Shortly after, you will be contacted by telephone by an EMILY's List employee. When you fill out a volunteer form, you are committing to work from Friday evening, October 29, through the polls closing on November 2.

If you're unable to join us on the ground as a volunteer, please make a generous contribution today to support this historic effort. Just go online to www.emilyslist.org

Never lose hope in people. I found that out last Saturday, when, with a group of totally amazing human beings, I went out into the streets of St. Paul, Minnesota and talked to people about the upcoming election. Despite the conservative control over the media people know that Bush has lied and terrorized the US and the world. It was exhilarating to realize that it was old people with statues of Virgin Mary in their front yard, as well as new Hmong and Vietnamese citizens, war veterans, men, women, black, white who are going to vote for change. The only people who vote Bush are ignorant Americans. And to realize that is really amazing.