{"article":{"id":117653,"heading":"Meet the Opposition","author":"Lakota","created":"2004-10-13 16:49:29","modified":"2013-11-11 00:31:24","last_modified":"Mon, 11 Nov 2013 07:31:24","article":"\r\n\r\n\r\n
 <\/td>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n \r\n John F. Kerry<\/strong>
Middle-Aged
Yale Educated
White Christian Male<\/td>\r\n		 <\/td>\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n <\/strong>George W. Bush<\/strong>
Middle-Aged
Yale Educated
White Christian Male<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Total Assets:<\/strong>
·<\/strong> Worth as much as $839 million, Kerry would be the 3rd richest president ever (source: Forbes)
Corporate Allies:<\/strong>
·<\/strong> Fleet Boston Financial ($180,000 donation)
·<\/strong> Time Warner ($145, 000 donation)
·<\/strong> Citigroup ($115,000 donation)
·<\/strong> Received more contributions from lobbyists than any other senator in the last 15 years (source: Washington Post).
For the Record:<\/strong>
·<\/strong> Voted for the Homeland Security Act (PL 107-296)
·<\/strong> Voted for the Resolution Authorizing force Against Iraq (HJ Res 114), yet voted against an alternative conditioned on support from the UN Security Council (SJ Res 45)
·<\/strong> Voted for No Child Left Behind (PL 107-110)
·<\/strong> Voted for the Patriot Act (PL 107-56)
·<\/strong> Voted for Plan Colombia (PL 106-246)
·<\/strong> Voted for National ID Cards (S.1664)
·<\/strong> Voted for the Telecommunications Act (PL 104-104)
·<\/strong> Voted for NAFTA (PL 103-182)
·<\/strong> Opposes marriage rights for non-heterosexuals
·<\/strong> As a member of the \"opposition\" party in 2003, Kerry didn't show up for 72% of the votes on which the White House took a position (source: Congressional Quarterly)<\/td>\r\n		 <\/td>\r\nTotal Assets:<\/strong>
·<\/strong> Worth as much as $21.9 million, Bush is ranked as one of the 10 richest presidents ever (source: Forbes)
Corporate Allies:<\/strong>
·<\/strong> Enron Corp. ($600,000 donation)
·<\/strong> MBNA Corp. ($590,000 donation)
·<\/strong> Merrill Lynch Co. ($560,000 donation)
·<\/strong> Recieved more contributions from corporations than any other politician in history (source: Corp Watch)
For the Record:<\/strong>
·<\/strong> Created the Department of Homeland Security (the largest bureaucracy in US history)
·<\/strong> Unilaterally invaded and occupied Iraq
·<\/strong> Set up detention camps to hold immigrants and POWs without trial
·<\/strong> Cloaked the presidency in a veil of secrecy (Executive Order 13233)
·<\/strong> Invaded and occupied Afghanistan
·<\/strong> Signed the Patriot Act (PL 107-56)
·<\/strong> Failed to prevent the largest terrorist attack in history
·<\/strong> Expanded the drug war to Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela and Panama (Andean Initiative)
·<\/strong> \"Won\" the election without the popular vote
·<\/strong> Opposes marriage rights for non-heterosexuals
·<\/strong> Spent 27% of his presidency on vacation (source: Washington Post)<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n

The odds that two members of Yale's Skull and Bones could face each other in a presidential election are 1 in 26 billion.<\/div><\/td><\/tr><\/table>\r\n

Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Some people may be so bold as to suggest that there is nothing uniquely heinous about this cycle's candidates; that we'd be unhappy no matter who the candidates were. Some might even claim that we seem opposed to the very concept of representative democracy!<\/p>\r\n

Well, they're right! It doesn't matter who runs for president because the root problem isn't with the competitors, it's with the prize. And as long as decision making in this nation is made by a political elite, empowered by an apathetic majority, true democracy will elude us.<\/p>\r\n

So vote for No One! And if that threatens to keep you up all night, questioning your patriotism, you can always vote for Nader - which is pretty much the same as voting for No One!<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/table>\n","contact":"","link":"","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/html","summary":"-","numcomment":0,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2004\/10\/117653.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[]}