Support Cindy, Buy Nothing

For many years I've watched the slow and agonizing death of the republic. The fourth amendment is all but dead thanks in large part to the patriot act and the war on drugs. Both the fifth and sixth amendments are now meaningless in a world where every government act is justified in the "war on Terra". The ninth and tenth amendments are also long gone.

The federal government has grown from one with only the power of defense to a monstrosity whose tentacles reach into every niche of daily life, yet all without a change to the constitution, from whence its power comes.

I've watched the media with interest, noting what it says, and more importantly what it does not say. Some examples of what you did not see:

Did you know in the 2004 presidential election there was another candidate on the ballot in 48 states? (Ralph Nader was on the ballot in only 34)

Did you know he was a staunch anti-war candidate?

Did you know that he was arrested for trying to attend the presidential debates?

Yet none of this was mentioned on the nightly news. Ask yourself, If this had happened in Iraq under Saddam Hussein, would the news have covered it?

Today our troops are bogged down in Iraq. There were no weapons of mass destruction, Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 and we are now there to spread "democracy". Strangely the administration no longer mentions Osama Bin Laden, the whole reason we invaded in the first place. We are told the troops cannot be pulled out because our prestige as a nation is at stake, or that if we do withdraw all the troops that have died will have died in vain.

If you lost your son in Iraq, would you want your neighbors son to die fighting just to make yourself feel better? Is the prestige of the nation worth more than your own son or daughter? If this war is so important, why do less than 10 members of congress have children serving in the military? Ask yourself, what would you do if Chinese or Russian troops were here in the USA to promote their version of "democracy"? Well intentioned or not, democracy cannot be imposed.

Cindy Sheehan, having gone through the loss of her son, is determined to ask the president (her public servant remember) exactly why it is he feels he can play at empire regardless of the consequences. One woman alone can be ignored. She has neither the wealth nor the influence to be taken seriously. Neither do we. Even a few hundred people gathered outside the presidential vacation house can be safely shunted aside.

What cannot be ignored is the corporate bottom line. My suggestion is simple:

Buy NOTHING. From this moment on until the troops are withdrawn from Iraq, until the Patriot Act is repealed, until the National I.D. is repealed we as freedom loving people refuse to buy anything from corporations. Stop buying from Wal-mart and McDonald's and Taco Bell. Don't rent movies from Blockbuster, don't buy music, don't buy airline tickets, don't go to major league sporting events. Boycott the corporate news networks. For the things you have to buy, use only local mom-and-pop shops.

How long would it take before the corporate donors are screaming in the halls of congress? Two weeks? A Month?

If you really want to restore our freedoms, tell your family and your friends.
Buy NOTHING.