n/a

Let us say that you do some digging (research), scratch your head, ponder a matter, and then a lightbulb is hanging over you, and you "get it".

- bing -

You suddenly understand, crisp as fresh lettuce, that a horrible, nasty, ugly thing is about to happen! America is about to elect a president with and through an election process about as democratic as a lynch mob.

Yet almost nobody seems to notice! And if they notice, they seldom feel in the least empowered to do anything about it.

So you stomp around and fume, and spit epithets into thin air, and drink too many beers, and finally end up in a fetal position under the sheets with a pillow pulled over your head.

But you refuse to stay there, and pretty soon you are thinking "Hey, what if, somehow, the Internet could be used to build a sudden coalition or movement? What if the Internet were used to bypass the faulty mechanisms of corporate media...?" And you are thinking about all of this when you think to do a little math.

Numerically, I am but one. Let us say that I send three e-mails out to three friends, or organizations, or whatever. The e-mail has a message in its text, asking that anyone who reads it passes it on to several others, and so forth-- you get the picture.

In the world of pure mathematics, which little resembles our world, we can assume that if I send out three e-mails, which in turn are sent out three times each ....

1 x 3 = 3 ; 3 x 3 = 9 ; 9 x 3 = 27 ; 27 x 3 = 81 ; 81 x 3 = 243

729 ; 2,187 ; 6,561 ... and by the end of the day a million e-mails sent!

So it is mathematically possible to reach the entire world with a message, provided that it is crafted well. It should take no more than a very few minutes to read, and should end with the suggestion that it be passed on to others.

Here are a few facts which should probably be included:

~ The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) is comprised exclusively of Republicans and Democrats.

~ 38% of Americans describe themselves as neither Republican or Democrat.

~ A majority of Americans say they would have liked to have seen independent and/or "third party" candidates in the nationally televised debates, which are managed by the CPD.

~ For these and other reasons, we believe the CPD has not represented the will of the people, and has dishonored our democratic elections.

~ We propose that a sudden mass movement be created (We are that movement!), in which our complaints are heard in the press, on the radio, on t.v., everywhere.

~ And we propose that the unrepresented candidates hold their own televised forum, in which their issues, ideas, and candidacy can reach the people BEFORE THE ELECTION!

This letter, which you might like to compose yourself, WITH THE "PLEASE PASS THIS ON" NOTE, should be sent to television, radio, newspapers, web-sites, media activist groups, other activist groups, etc....

Let us all find our own creative means to insure that the other presidential candidates have their own media event.

-- ANYONE WHO WANTS TO TAKE A STAB AT A GOOD CUT-AND-PASTE LETTER TO SEND OUT CAN WRITE IT AND PASTE IT HERE.