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But we watched as they were suckered into serving interests which betrayed their own countries and their own people. As they confidently presented the official line, it was really an exploitation of them by their leaders. And we are no better. It can happen to us, and to many it already has.
So, the question is, are we going to fight for the public discourse of facts? Or will we be shamed into hiding? Not only by the O'Reilly's and the Limbaugh's and the Hannitys, but also by the confident disparaging of thought handed down by the James Carvilles of the mainstream media.
Hope is never arrived at through staunch pragmatism, and it's for that reason that I am still considering my own decision as to whom I will vote for. But in fairness to Ralph Nader, the American hero in this building with us tonight; to the Bob Barrs, the Ron Pauls, Cynthia McKinneys and the independent spirit of Dennis Kucinich:
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When we are told not to vote for someone because he or she is a spoiler, let's remember that Barack Obama himself is considered the greatest spoiler of all-- by a narcissistic branch of democrats who simply have forgotten their manners, a slip of hubris which most certainly has Dr. King clawing at his casket. In their defiance to the American voter-- like little kids loosing a game, they take the ball from the field and switch their allegiance to the man who would be George Bush the Third, John McCain.
In whatever decision we make, it's imperative that we address the future. That's what this is all about. Quality of life is the singular global issue, and it's upon all of us to seek it for all the rest.
(Applause)
Our hopes for our children are the clearest path to that end, and I would like to sum up in this way.
I don't believe that the habit of impeaching our presidents, as illustrated in the silliness of the Clinton affair, is beneficial for our system. However, I learned a long time ago that the toughest guy on the block is the one with the least to loose. And though most Democrats were initially critical of President Ford's decision to pardon Richard Nixon, what was most appalling were the revisionist positions expressed upon the death of Gerald Ford. Democrat after Democrat lined up to praise the way he unified our country in a divided time. And yes, in the short term, that was a reasonable success. But as the toughest guy on the block is the one with the least to loose, so is the weakest--the one with the most to loose.
We see it in the statistics of the death penalty states where executions serve as no deterrent because the homicidal mind so often considers that there's nothing to loose. But if these elitist terrorists, the elitist traitors of the Bush administration,
(Applause)
...had grown their political careers as Richard Nixon ended his--in prison, I think it's a pretty good bet that their feeding at the trough--devouring our Constitution would have been kept to a minimum. We have to focus on equal justice and accountability if we are to achieve the democracy we dream of.
We all know that another hurricane is threatening the Golf Coast at this very moment. So few have been held accountable to the disastrous and inhumane response to the devastation that was Katrina. We have a long, long way to go and we should all pray that the defining moment will not come in the form of a category five hurricane in the coming days or weeks. But even if that current threat were not present--Katrina still would be.
Not only have we not held those that failed the Golf Coast accountable, we have continued to fail the needs of those in the Golf Coast today.
The defining moment really, is that whoever you vote for, you better hold his ass to the fire. Putting on pressure district by district, media outlet by media outlet--that as it is our job, it is theirs to serve this country's great Constitution.
