It's been nearly two months since I announced the formation of the Rescue Party and my subsequent run for the White House. The response has been... well, there hasn't exactly been a response. So, in the name of shameless self-promotion, I started this e-mail conversation with my running mate, Rosemarie "RMJ" Jackowski:
RMJ: The way I see it, the Rescue Party is needed because so many inside and outside of the US need to be rescued from US policies. Today there is some good news and some bad news. The good news is that it looks like Blackwater is being thrown out of Iraq. The bad news is that Blackwater is coming back to the US. The rest of the bad news is that Blackwater is just one of many major problems. It seems to me that the burden of changing things falls upon the voters. The voters get what they vote for. They continue to vote for Democrats and Republicans and then are surprised when nothing changes. Since the last election many Democrats feel that they have been betrayed by those they voted into Congress. Roughly 95% vote for Democrats or Republicans. About 10% of those voters are members of the wealthy privileged class. I understand their votes. They are voting for the status quo. They are voting for their self-interest. That means that 85% of those who vote are voting against their own interests. They are voting against placing limits on the power of corporations, improving working conditions, health care for all, peace, etc. The world needs to be rescued from US foreign policy but 85% of the voters in this country need to be rescued from their habit of uninformed voting. Those who have not studied the issues should not vote because they only cancel the votes of those who have done their homework.
MZ: It's not a coincidence that elections play out they way they do here. Decades of conditioning in the form of corporate and government propaganda have created a malleable populace. Even those who identify as "left" or "progressive" or "liberal" are often traveling on the preordained path.
RMJ: Yes, Mickey. I agree. Most people have been conditioned to "think inside the box." That does not excuse citizens of their responsibility, especially when the government is slaughtering civilians in their name. At some point, everyone is responsible for the vote that they cast. For me it is not complicated. Voting for a Democrat or Republican is voting for war. War is the ultimate in child abuse. People get tired of hearing me say, "Look at the Fisk war photos." (http://www.robert-fisk.com/iraqwarvictims_mar2003.htm)
MZ: Unfortunately, most people see it as complicated. It's so much easier to believe the company line that America is spreading democracy, defending freedom, and all that shit. If only we had a campaign fund, we could crisscross the country with the Fisk photos.
RMJ: Those images defy description. Seeing them for the first time was an event in my life that I will never forget. Looking at the photos of beautiful children - children now bloodied and with body parts missing has had a permanent affect on me. There is one photo that is forever imprinted on my mind. It is of a little girl in a pink dress. She has dark hair and a very pretty face. At first glance I did not know why this photo was in with the other war photos. Then I realized that the little girl was missing the whole back of her head. It had been blown off by a bomb.
MZ: A bomb paid for by you and me and all the other taxpayers.
RMJ: That is exactly right. You, I, and everyone else who pays taxes or in any way supports the economy of the US is complicit in war crimes.
MZ: Sounds to me like we should send out a rescue party...so to speak.
RMJ: Yes, definitely yes. Mickey, do you think that any other political party could defeat the war mongering Repubs and Dems? How much money would have to be raised to give the voters of the USA a real choice in the voting booth - and will voting alone be enough to create change or is creative thinking and outside intervention needed?
MZ: That's the root of the problem right there: money. As long as you need a half-billion dollars to become president, the system remains rigged.
RMJ: Yes, money is the root of the problem - not only the money necessary to become president but also the "secret money" that finances the government's dirty deeds all around the world. As long as the "Black Budget" is allowed, citizens have no access to the most important information necessary to cast an informed ballot. What would you do, as president, about the "Black Budget" and so many other government secrets. What about the secret prisons all over the world? What about torture? Someone recently said that the government needs to keep secrets and lie to the people because if it told the truth there would be a Revolution.
MZ: If that is the case then, as president, I'd immediately tell the truth and then stand back to watch the revolution begin.
RMJ: Maybe our campaign slogan should be "RESCUE THROUGH REVOLUTION."
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