TruthOutDawg's msg to DUers re Election 2004

Posted in this thread:

VOTE FRAUD Links - a DU Compendium
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=201&topic_id=1984#

I think it's a great idea, and I love the bumper sticker/t-shirt too. Whadya'll say? (Whatever it is, say hello and welcome to TruthOutDawg and all the other great new DUers -- we've got a ton of them the past few days and most of them are absolutely outstanding!!)


From TruthOutDawg:

I haven't been a member long enough to send you a private message, but I wanted to, first, THANK YOU, profusely for all the work that you've been doing, and, second, make a suggestion that if you think is a good idea, I'm hoping you will post as a new thread.

SO, first, THANK YOU. I cannot even begin to tell you how much this website and the work of its members - especially those like you and socaldemocrat and althecat and cacyclist and faun (?) who were crunching the numbers and putting together evidence from the very beginning to support what many of us in our guts knew to be the case but didn't begin to know how to quantify or act upon. In the week since the "election", you have been my only hope for the future of this country and you have given me a way to come back to the table and try to work for our democratic process again. THANK YOU eternally!

Second, I know this may sound kind of corny or maybe kind of ineffective or something, but it struck me that part of what's fighting against us all is that without the press on "our side", there is no way for us all to know how widespread our beliefs are or whether they are gaining ground or losing momentum. There are moments when I really feel like maybe we're just a small delusional group clinging to any hope that Bush wasn't really chosen by the people we love and to whom we have tied our futures. Then I see another flicker of evidence that the ball is rolling faster and faster and more and more people are taking notice and trying to be heard.

Anyway, it struck me that maybe it would be really helpful on a psychological basis if we found a way to display our unity. A way that we could identify those around us who are on the same page and are desperately hoping to be able to do something to right this enormous wrong. And, maybe, a way to also call the attention of others to our "cause"... SO, here it is, the big proposal I've been building up to... maybe it's silly, BUT, here it is: I propose that we all start wearing a black armband - black as symbolic of (a) the potential death knell to our democratic process sounded by this election and (b) the absence of color, i.e. neither red nor blue, i.e. non-partisan nature of this issue; and armband in the long tradition of populist, grass-roots, peoples movements.

My thought is that this would make it easier for us to organize locally and it would give us the opportunity to talk to people about these issues. I was thinking that maybe those of you who have been really on top of how this issue is progressing could recommend maybe 10-20 pages of articles, stat. analysis, etc. that are best standing up to anaylsis and are most persuasive, and the rest of us could keep a few packets with copies of those materials on us at all times and when we're out in the world at large (a place I've tried not to venture to since the election but will ultimately have to return to) and people ask about the armbands we can explain that they represent our participation in the growing movement to demand reform of the electoral process in light of the corruption of this election. Moreover, as this movement builds up steam, and I believe, truly believe it will, we will be able to see our numbers grow and will be reinvigorated to continue the fight.

I also saw a t-shirt and bumper sticker being offered today by Campaign for America's Future that reads "It's Not Over", which I think I'm going to pick up several of and wear often and post in many places. BUT, I think the less "commercial" our symbol the better - the more "homemade" the armband the better - and I think it should be truly a grassroots movement - not tied to any other organization (that can be attacked as partisan in its agenda, etc.).

Anway, just wondered what you thought of this idea and if you like it if you'd considered starting a thread for it (I think that's what the process is called, yes? I'm really new at this... AND, thank you again and again. AND, if I can help somehow with your research or in any other way, please let me know!

THANK YOU!