From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V9 #205 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Monday, July 24 2000 Volume 09 : Number 205 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: oh, don't ask why.... [Chris Gillis ] robyn covers nite/cone exhibit ["Paul Montagne" ] Re: robyn covers nite/cone exhibit ["John B" ] Re: semi-random question [Mark_Gloster@3com.com] Re: Physics ["Noe Shalev" ] Re: just curious ["matt sewell" ] Re: Physics [John McIntyre ] Re: Anglophobic sheep in A minor ["matt sewell" ] gaiman/carroll [Natalie Jacobs ] robyn tribute [Natalie Jacobs ] won't you ever leave off? ["chris browning" ] Speaking of Bedazzled... [Capuchin ] The Ice Cream Hands ["jbranscombe@compuserve.com" ] Re: WOW [Eb ] teevee [Eb ] Fw: Bush and Gore Make Me Wanna Ralph ["hamlet007" Subject: Re: oh, don't ask why.... The Great Quail wrote: > > >You know that Doors song "whiskey bar"? Is this a cover of a german > >drinking song? This ain't no original, or is it? > > This has already been answered -- Weill/Brecht's "Alabama Song" -- > but I thought I would further it by mentioning that it's from "The > Rise and Fall of the State of Mahoganny," And wheill were on the topic, Ute Lemper has put forth two definitive volumes on the subject: Ute Lemper sings Kurt Weill (which contains Alabama Song) and, imaginatively, Ute Lemper sings Kurt Weill Vol. 2. Her Berlin Carbaret Songs is another work worth noting. .chris - -- chris@photogenica.net http://photogenica.net - -- ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2000 18:35:15 -0700 From: "Paul Montagne" Subject: robyn covers nite/cone exhibit > so how did this go? > Whew! What a party. I'd have to say it went pretty well Bayard. It was nice to catch up with all of the PDX Fegs who I rarely get to hang out with and finally meet Viv and gNAT. A great bunch of people. The music was mostly acoustic guitar and vocals, without any other bands besides the delicious 'cats mini-set. Unfortuantely I don't have a setlist, but my personal favorites were viv and gnat, et. al. rocking out Higsons and Only The Stones; Jen Bernard, one of the organizers, doing a beautiful rendition of Twilight Coast, and everything I did. ;-). HAR HAR. A buddy of mine captured it all on digital video. I'll try and get some short clips out to you all ASAP. We will eventually cut and paste the best performances into a 60 min video. As far as audio, capuchin and Professor JohnB were seen with their gear. Still hungover...must sleep. Paul somewhere in Oregon ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2000 19:48:43 -0700 From: Eb Subject: semi-random question What's the recording process involved with Cher's vocal on "Believe"? Is there a generally agreed term for it? You know, where the vocal sort of morphs into a sampled keyboard sound, temporarily? Eb, saving "Whatever happened to pogs?" for another time ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jul 2000 20:15:32 -0700 From: "John B" Subject: Re: robyn covers nite/cone exhibit > As far as audio, capuchin and Professor >JohnB were seen with their gear. It is true, I did get some audio from the night's festivities. You'll find three of my favorites here: http://hillstrom.iww.org/~fanshaw Enjoy! =jbj= ps. NOTE: The Spacecat's "Only The Stones Remain" was another huge favorite of mine, but unfortunately I had recorder problems during their set. You've got to hear this, though...... Jeme, can you digitize their set? Pretty please? ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2000 21:00:08 -0700 From: Mark_Gloster@3com.com Subject: Re: semi-random question Not terribly random for this list.... Her voice was processed through an Antares AR-1 Autotune device, which snapped each note exactly to pitch within scale hard and fast. It gives a "vocoding-like" effect, but does something different. Perhaps a midi instrument was syc'd behind it to double the note as well. It was kind of clever, except I've heard several recordings that mimicked this technique already, and it's getting old. The AR-1 can be used wonderfully and subtly, as well, and I recommend it. Happies, - -Markg Eb on 07/23/2000 07:48:43 PM Please respond to Eb Sent by: Eb To: fegmaniax@smoe.org cc: (Mark Gloster/HQ/3Com) Subject: semi-random question What's the recording process involved with Cher's vocal on "Believe"? Is there a generally agreed term for it? You know, where the vocal sort of morphs into a sampled keyboard sound, temporarily? Eb, saving "Whatever happened to pogs?" for another time ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 09:55:42 +0200 From: "Noe Shalev" Subject: Re: Physics Subject: Physics >Someone said that a bullet fired horizontally and one dropped from the same >height as the firing gun would hit the ground at the same time. sopposed to hit the ground at the same time since u can devide the bullet speed to horizontal and vertical, one does not affect the other so they both free falling verticaly and because of that reach the ground at the same time but bulets have airodynamic structure so if u try it at home it might not work like in theory All the best(and so is music) NOE ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 12:53:27 BST From: "matt sewell" Subject: Re: just curious Eb Said: >Three earlier Iggy Pop albums (New Values, Soldier, Party) were just >reissued by Buddha. > >I've never heard 'em...any opinions? Hmm... I've only heard New Values and Soldier... New Values is superb, if only for the title track and Five Foot One ("I'm only 5 foot 1 - I gotta pain in my neck! I'm looking up at the city - what the hell what the heck!") Soldier, really not worth it, sadly (although ISTR it's got Bored on it, which is pretty good) Cheers Matt ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 09:22:47 -0400 From: John McIntyre Subject: Re: Physics Mark_Gloster@3com.com wrote: > Yes, gravity will act the same on both objects, but my guess is that > they would not hit at the same time for other reasons of physics > affecting the fired bullet. Air density and the randomizing effect > upon the spiralling projectile could skew the results. If done at > sea level and at 8000 feet, there would almost certainly be different > results, though the dropped bullet would drop at a reasonably > constant rate. While the force of gravity will be a bit weaker at 8000 feet compared to sea level, it will still be acting the same on both bullets. The weaker force at the higher altitude would mean that it would take slightly longer for both bullets to hit the ground than at sea level, but they would still hit at the same time. What would happen if you used two different guns, such that the bullets would be going at different speeds when they left the barrels? They would still hit the ground at the same time, although the one that was going faster would cover a greater horizontal distance. John McIntyre Physics - Astronomy Domine Dept Michigan State University mcintyre@pa.msu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 14:51:34 BST From: "matt sewell" Subject: Re: Anglophobic sheep in A minor Asa Land: >Do not insult Blues in A, it is a masterpiece, and of exceptionl value >because, among other things, it proves the our beloved Bald Headed Cunt, >unlike oh so many other Brits, dosnt have a stick up his ass. I've checked and I can't find mine... Oh, wait, got it... *whew!* > >This is why people hate the Brits. Not because their atrocities are any >worse or better than any other segment of humanities atrocities(nature red >etc)but because they are so pathetic. They are subjects, not citizens, and >they like it that way. Are you having a go at HM The Queen? Leave the miserable old bag alone... If it wasnt for immigration there would be >no >paltable cheap food in all of England(alright, fish and chips are OK, but >thats about it.) That's absolutely right... I had to have mashed caterpillars for lunch, on a bed of tripe (no furniture in the dining room...) They line up naturally. They pay too much for >everything. >They dont get angry, they winge or get pompous. Pompous whingeing perhaps, but *polite* pompous whingeing... > >All over the world, people who are happy citizens of countries that have >had >the sense to thrown the assholes out are more than happy to watch movies >where Mel Gibson is kind enough to remove the stick from said body part and >thump them over the head with it. > >Its that simple. Do we have to "go figure", or perhaps "deal with it"? > >Once, long ago and far away, I spent a semester at LSE. Or rather, >pretended to. Most of the time I spent with friends hitching around the >Brit Isles and Europe. We wern't completely reckless and there was only >one >bad experience. In the home countries of course. Oxfordshire to be exact. Oxfordshire isn't one of the home counties, although it's where my home is, so it's my home county... >An old guy picked us up, said he was heading to London, but drove us into >the middle of nowhere and there dropped us off. My friend and I shouldered >our packs and got ready for a long walk. This was Oxfordshire, right? >Sooner or later we were bound to fall over civilization of some kind. After >about 5 minutes I heard my friend let out an expletive. She was looking >behind her, so I looked that way to. The old guy was up on a hill fucking >a >sheep. And smiling and waving at us. Yes... I'm afraid that once you get out of Oxford proper, you find it's surrounded by terrible, violent, ugly backwaters (Abingdon, Kidlington, Wantage, Banbury, Bicester (with the honourable exception of Launton!) to name a mere few...). Sheepfucking is a common offence round these parts - around the village of Garford, many of the residents require shearing... >Nuff said. > Yes, quite! ;-) Matt "America? That place that had the good sense to instantly deport me, to the point of getting an armed guard back onto the plane?" Sewell ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 08:53:19 -0700 From: Natalie Jacobs Subject: gaiman/carroll > Jonathan Carroll and Neil are not a match I would have imagined at any point. Huh. Carroll and Gaiman are friends, and Gaiman (with permission from Carroll, apparently), ripped off the plot of Carroll's "Bones of the Moon" to use in the "Sandman" storyline "A Game of You." Personally, I think Gaiman improved on it. I like Carroll but his stuff never seems to quite work for me. I'm not really sure why. n. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 09:20:10 -0700 From: Natalie Jacobs Subject: robyn tribute > so how did this go? The Spacecats were pelted with rocks and garbage and ran off stage crying for their mommies. Oh, no, wait. Our set went really well (despite a few goofs) and left the punters literally yelling for more. The other performers were uniformly excellent - including our very own Paul Montagne - though there probably could have been a little more variety, as everyone except us (and one other guy) were acoustical singer-songwriter folks. The one other guy was in a band with a very long name, but the band couldn't make it, so he played alone on a nifty mirrored Stratocaster. Along with being a Spacecat, Viv also sang impromptu-fashion with a couple of girls from Seattle, but was drowned out by the guitarist's amazingly loud, melodramatic voice. And our very own Michael Keefe provided skillful drumming accompaniment on a rendition of "Heaven." Trusty Spacecats-for-hire Ross and Teresa, who have participated in many other tribute shows, were impressed by all the talented performers. Ross and Teresa, incidentally, showed great generosity as well as great skill - they're not even familiar with Robyn's material, but picked up on it really fast and were the musical nucleus of the band, as well as letting us use their equipment and the their basement for rehearsal. We wouldn't be proper Spacecats without them. The show has been captured in photographic and audio form, and there was a guy video-taping as well. n. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 18:49:41 +0100 From: "chris browning" Subject: won't you ever leave off? re: rise and rise of michael rimmer being a digest bloke i don't know if anyone has mentioned this but the film was a thinly veiled attack on TW3 mainstay david frost (the set designer managed to erect a set of rimmer's flat that was almost *identical* to frost's by complete coincidence) and written by john cleese and graham chapman with other bits by cook and director kevin billington. there is some fantastic stuff on it in harry thompson's *WONDERFUL* biography of cook, which any serious scholar of comedy needs to own... "bedazzled" is an absolute corker. MOJO correctly cited drimble wedge and the vegetation's "bedazzled" as one of the best psych songs ever. a thing to die for.. my personal favourite cook bit (of simply loads) is from his incarnation as sir arthur streeb greebling "my mother was a saint. whenevr i think of my dear mother i have an abiding image of a small, kindly, plump, grey haired lady pottering at the sink. 'get away from the BLOODY sink', my mother would yell at her, 'and get out of my kitchen you awful plump little kindly woman!' we never found out who she was." truly a genius crisp ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 14:48:56 -0700 (PDT) From: Capuchin Subject: Speaking of Bedazzled... I've been wondering: There's a scene in Bedazzled where the Devil is up on a telephone pole tapping into telephone calls and making prank calls to folks (informing wives of affairs and partners of embezzlement, and so on). Mr. Spiggott makes one call referencing a Mr. Abercrombie and his partner, Fitch. What's this all about? Is that where the offensive all-image no-substance poorly constructed billboard-like mall clothes get their name? Is there an even older reference I'm not getting? I feel like I've asked this before. If anyone can shed some light on this, I'm indebted. J. - -- _______________________________________________ Capuchin capuchin@bitmine.net Jeme A Brelin _______________________________________________ [cc] counter-copyright http://www.openlaw.org ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 18:03:15 -0400 From: "jbranscombe@compuserve.com" Subject: The Ice Cream Hands I've just picked up a nice little CD from Woronzow Records (the chaps intimately linked with the Ptolemaic Terrascope magazine and Terrastock festivals). It's by a band from Adelaide called Vic Conrad & The First Third. And lo and behold the backing vocalists on a couple of tracks are called The Ice Cream Hands. The record itself is quite good in a modern-psych way, bits of Barrett and the Olivias winding in and out...but I'm afraid that tribute band name has been taken now. jmbc Thanks to all the physicists who put me in touch with the real world... ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 01:00:17 -0400 From: tim fuller but not yet randi spiegel Subject: shel sells sea shells (0% Oliver Stone) > Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 15:28:54 -0700 > From: Eb > Subject: WOW > > http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=386859719 > > Eb If this is for real, we can expect the inevitable EARLY WHO REMASTERED 2 CD set coming out rather soon. These were all the tracks that *still* sounded crappy on the box set, since MCA couldn't get access to the original tapes. Shel was busy being a pest and wouldn't sacrifice these tapes for the greater good. If we all chip in, maybe we can buy them? Maybe we can buy one track? Maybe we can buy one of the three tracks of one track? Maybe we can buy the box that the reel-to-reel is in? Maybe we can buy the pen that wrote up the reel-to-reel box that... Does anyone out there have the Virgin edition of the first Who CD? I only heard rumours (and saw a catalogue listing). I would like to know if it sounds any better than the gloriously awful US version. And - for the record - you are not going to convince me that Rush has really contributed to the history or rawk music since 1981 so don't even try. Tim ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 20:39:40 -0700 From: "(The Arch-Villain) West" Subject: Re: WOW Eb wrote: > http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=386859719 > > Eb Is this a hoax? And if this isn't a hoax, has anyone told The Who? And if anyone hasn't told The Who, does anyone have a few million dollars I can borrow? West ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 21:59:48 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: WOW >><>http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=386859719 >Is this a hoax? And if this isn't a hoax, has anyone told The Who? And >if anyone hasn't told The Who, does anyone have a few million dollars I >can borrow? Well, apparently it's a representative of producer Shel Talmy doing the auction, and the battle between Talmy and the Who's label is pretty common knowledge (hence, My Generation being the one classic Who album which MCA hasn't remastered/reissued, because of the disputes). For what it's worth, this is the AOL profile of the seller: Member Name: Bruce L. Bialosky Location: Studio City, California, United States Sex: Male Marital Status: married Hobbies: Softball, watching Dodgers,playing baseball Computers: 5 Occupation: C.P.A Personal Quote: "Get me the manager." Hrm. Eb now ehhing: Everclear ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 13:15:54 -0700 From: Eb Subject: teevee Is it just me, or does Madonna at #8 really stick out as a bum entry? Heck, I might even rank the Sonny & Cher reunion on Letterman above that. :) And it seems like #4 somewhat negates any *other* mentions of SNL, which is a shame because there were some fairly epochal appearances on the show (Elvis Costello's false-start "Radio Radio," the Simon & Garfunkel reunion, etc.). Seems like there are some other events which might be substituted, but I'm blanking. Or maybe I'm just not old enough to remember some of the likely candidates, in proper perspective. And I guess they restricted the list to pop music? Hrm. Eb (the "Soy Bomb" gag seems rather overrated, as well) - --- The top music moments on television, as selected by VH1 and Entertainment Weekly magazine: 1. The Beatles' debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show,'' 1964 2. Elvis Presley's comeback special on NBC, 1968 3. MTV launches with first video, "Video Killed the Radio Star'' by the Buggles, 1981 4. "Saturday Night Live'' premieres, showcasing musical acts each week, 1975 5. "Motown 25'' special featuring Michael Jackson's first moonwalk, 1983 6. Dick Clark's "American Bandstand'' series premieres, 1957 7. Live Aid aired by ABC and MTV, 1985 8. Madonna rolls around the stage in a wedding gown singing "Like a Virgin'' on the MTV Video Awards, 1984 9. Elvis Presley performs on "The Ed Sullivan Show,'' shown only from the waist up, 1956 10. The Who's use of too much explosives ending their performance on the "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'' in 1967 11. Michael Jackson's "Thriller'' video debuts on MTV, 1983 12. Elton John performs his "Candle in the Wind'' remake at Princess Diana's funeral, 1997 13. "The Monkees'' TV series premieres, 1966 14. John Lennon and Yoko Ono co-host a week of "The Mike Douglas Show,'' 1972 15. The Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Chuck Berry and James Brown perform on "The T.A.M.I. Show'' on ABC, 1964 16. The Doors sing "girl we couldn't get much higher'' on "The Ed Sullivan Show'' after censors tell them not to, 1968 17. Dancer with "Soy Bomb'' written on his chest crashes Bob Dylan's Grammy Awards performance, 1998 18. Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit'' video debuts on MTV, 1991 19. Musicians tape the "We Are the World'' video, 1985 20. James Brown appears live from the Boston Garden after Martin Luther King's assassination, 1968 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 17:00:20 -0700 From: "hamlet007" Subject: Fw: Bush and Gore Make Me Wanna Ralph > Please take the time to read this. If nothing else, it will bring a smile > to your face. But then again, it might make you think about things as well. Corporate America owns your government. Our election process does not reflect the will of the people. Now is the time to take the power back! > > > Bush and Gore Make Me Wanna Ralph > > A Letter from Michael Moore to the > > Non-Voters of America > > > Dear friends, > > > > DISCLAIMER: If you are planning to > > vote for Al Gore in November, good for > > you. Don't let what I'm about to say > > change your mind because I've been > > told by all the experts that if you do > > change your mind based on what I'm > > about to say, George W. Bush might win > > the election and I certainly couldn't live > > with myself if that connoisseur of > > pharmaceuticals (the kind you snort up > > your nose or the kind you inject on > > death row) won, in part, because of a > > letter I spit out over the Internet. > > > > So let's review -- you like Gore, you vote > > for Gore. He's a decent guy. I met him > > last year at some benefit, he came up to > > me, big hug -- whoa, this veep is no stiff, > > I thought -- and thanked me for this and > > that. He even quoted lines from "The > > Awful Truth" - whoa, scary, I thought, > > what's he doing watching cable > > channels above 40 on the box...not > > much to do on this veep gig, eh? > > > > I told him I admired what he did when > > he came home to America as a Vietnam > > Vet and spoke out against the war. That > > took a lot of courage, I said (his dad lost > > his Senate seat for being an early > > opponent of the war). > > > > So, if Al Gore is your man, go for it. In > > fact, I insist on it, even if you are just > > throwing your vote away. > > > > What I am about to say, though, is not > > intended for any Al Gore (or George W.) > > voters. If you are one, please click off > > now. > > > > > > > > To Whom It May Concern: > > > > I address this letter to the largest > > political party in the United States - the > > 55% of you in the voting public who are > > so disillusioned with politics and > > politicians, so sick and tired of all the > > broken promises, so disgusted with all > > the b.s. that you have absolutely no > > intention of voting in November. > > > > You know who you are. > > > > AND YOU ARE THE MAJORITY! > > > > You rule. You are the Non-Voters, all > > 100 million of you! > > > > Until now, you have been the subject of > > scorn and ridicule. You've been called > > apathetic, lazy, ignorant. Your actions > > have been viewed as unAmerican (I > > mean, what kind of citizen in the World's > > Greatest Democracy would not exercise > > his or her most important and cherished > > right - the right to freely choose your > > leader!). > > > > Well, may I be the first to tell you that, > > not only are you NOT stupid and > > apathetic, I believe you are smarter than > > all the rest of us combined. YOU figured > > it out. YOU uncovered the scam. And > > YOU had the guts to no longer > > participate in a lie. Way to go! In 1996, > > you helped set the all-time American > > record for lowest turnout ever at a > > presidential election. > > > > The reason you, the majority, no longer > > vote in America is because you, the > > majority, realize there is no real choice > > on the ballot. The "two" parties both do > > the bidding of the wealthy and agree > > with each other on 90% of the issues. > > They take 90% of their money from > > people who make over a hundred-grand > > a year, and then enact over 90% of the > > laws those contributors want passed. > > > > On the ballot this November, you > > already know there is no contest. The > > independent Cook Political Report in > > D.C. last week announced that, out of > > 435 House seats up for election in > > November, there are only 47 seats > > where there is a "true race" between > > opponents - and, of those, only 14 > > seats have a race that is even "close" > > between the two candidates. 14 out of > > 435! > > > > "Ninety-seven to ninety-nine percent of > > incumbents running for re-election will > > be returned to Congress in November," > > according to the Cook Report. > > > > The Non-Voters already understand > > this. And they are not going to waste > > one iota of their day on November 7 > > driving to some smelly elementary > > school gymnasium to participate in a > > Soviet-style election with no friggin' > > choice on the ballot. > > > > So, to you brave voter-resisters, I say > > congratulations on your act of civic > > disobedience! I joined you this primary > > season and refused to go along with > > this charade of "choice." Nearly 80% of > > those of us of voting age - over 160 > > million Americans - staged a sit-in on our > > living room couches during this year's > > primaries. THAT is the great untold story > > of this election year. How much longer > > will the punditocracy be able to get > > away with dismissing this massive > > no-show as "a sign Americans are > > content with the booming economy?" > > > > Now that we have made our presence > > known (you all don't mind me speaking > > for us, do you? Good. In fact, I'll just > > assume the currently-vacant mantle of > > this majority party and serve as your > > leader until you say otherwise...), it is > > time to find a way that says, loudly and > > clearly, just how mad as hell we are and > > how we are not going to take it > > anymore. We need to find a way where > > our vote screams "None of the Above!" > > A chance to act, like that Chinese guy in > > Tieneman Square, standing in front of a > > moving tank and stopping it in its path. > > > > In November, we should find a way to > > follow in the footsteps of those > > intelligent Minnesotans who, even > > thought they could care less about > > professional wrestling (and even less, > > I'm sure, for Jesse "The Body"), proved > > to the world that they not only have a > > sense of humor, but they know how to > > stick it to the whole bloody system. > > Think of just how high their level of > > anger must have been against the > > One-Party-With-Two-Heads monopoly! I > > mean, state government is no joke - > > somebody's gotta build the roads, run > > the schools, catch the criminals. You > > don't want to turn the asylum over to the > > chief lunatic but, damn it, that's what the > > people of Minnesota did - just to send a > > message! Wow. That took some guts. > > > > So, for those of you who weren't going > > to vote anyway, well...what if you > > actually did? What if you drove down to > > that stinky gym where the little shell > > game behind the pretend curtains is > > taking place ("Pay no attention to the > > voters behind the curtains!"), walk in, > > sign in, take the ballot they hand you, > > and toss yourselves inside the booth > > like a political molotov cocktail. > > > > Boom! > > > > "You wanna tell me there's a choice > > here between two guys who both > > support NAFTA, WTO, the death > > penalty, the Cuban embargo, increased > > Pentagon spending, sleazy HMOs, > > greedy hospital chains, 250 million guns > > in our homes, more bombing of Iraq, the > > rich getting richer and the rest of us > > declaring bankruptcy?" > > > > Boom! > > > > Not me. > > > > Boom! > > > > I'm voting for Ralph Nader. > > > > KAAAABOOM! > > > > Friends, we are losing our democratic > > control over our country. We may have > > already lost it. I hope not. But in the last > > 20 years of the Reagan administration, > > Corporate America has merged and > > morphed itself to such an extent that > > just a handful of companies now call all > > the shots. They own Congress. They > > own us. In order to work for them, we > > have to take urine tests and lie > > detectors and wear bar codes on chains > > around our necks. In order to keep our > > jobs we have had to give up decent > > health care, the 8-hour day (and time > > with our kids), the security that we'll > > even have a job next year, and any > > unwillingness we may have to compete > > with a 14-year old Indonesian girl who > > gets a dollar a day. > > > > And how frightening (and great) is it that > > the last place we can freely try to inform > > and communicate with each other is on > > this very Web? Six companies run by six > > men control the majority of the news we > > now get from newspapers, television, > > radio and the Internet. One out of every > > two books is bought at a bookstore > > owned by one of only two companies. Is > > it safe in a "free society" to have the > > sources of our information and mass > > communication in the hands of just a > > few wealthy men who have a VESTED > > interest in keeping us as stupid as > > possible - or at least in keeping us > > thinking like them so that we vote for > > THEIR candidates? > > > > I fear the cement on this new oligarchy > > of power is quickly drying, and when it is > > finished hardening, we are finished. The > > democracy, the one that's supposed to > > be of, by, and for the people, will cease > > to exist. > > > > We must not let this happen, no matter > > how cynical and disgusted we've > > become at the whole electoral process. > > > > Ralph Nader, to me, represents a > > chance for us to at least temporarily > > stop the cement from drying. We need > > him in there kicking things up, stirring > > the pot and forcing a real debate about > > the issues. Whether it's Ralph as > > Candidate or Ralph as President, he > > may represent our last hope to get our > > country back from the clutches of the > > powerful few. > > > > I am not writing these words lightly. I am > > hoping to sound a siren and rally the > > majority who, for good reason, have > > given up - but might just have it in them > > to find the will for one last fight against > > the bastards. > > > > Can Ralph win? Well, stranger things > > have happened in the past decade. > > C'mon, think about it, not a single one > > of us ever thought we'd see the Berlin > > Wall come down or Nelson Mandela as > > President of South Africa. After those > > two things happened, I joined a new > > school of thought that said ANYTHING > > was possible. Jesse Ventura started > > with 3% in the polls and won. Ross > > Perot in '92 started with 6% and, after > > proving to everyone that he was > > certifiably insane, still got nearly 20% of > > the vote. > > > > Ralph already has between 7% and > > 10% in the polls - before he's done any > > serious campaigning. He's gone from > > 3% to 8% in my home state of Michigan. > > These are amazing numbers and the > > pundits and lobbyists and Republicrats > > are running scared. Hey, you like to > > watch scared Republicrats running? Tell > > a pollster you're voting for Ralph. > > > > Now, look, before you all send me a lot > > of mail about how weird Ralph is 'cause > > he doesn't own a car or is a "sell-out" > > 'cause he's got a few million dollars, let > > me say this: I used to work out of his > > office, and Ralph is definitely one of a > > kind. In a future letter I will write of those > > experiences but, for now, let's just agree > > that Ralph is at least half as crazy as > > Jesse Ventura - and about a hundred > > times as smart. I'd say he's also saved > > about a million or so lives, thanks to the > > consumer and environmental legislation > > he has devoted his life to. > > > > And between Gore, Bush, and himself, > > he's the only person running who would > > guarantee universal health care for all, > > the only candidate who would raise the > > minimum wage to a decent level, the > > only one who would get up each > > morning asking himself the question, > > "What can I do today to serve all the > > people of this country?" > > > > The list goes on and on. You can read > > more about what Ralph stands for by > > going to his website > > (http://www.votenader.org). You'll agree, > > I'm sure, there's lots of common sense > > there, regardless of what political stripe > > you are. > > > > But remember. If you are even > > THINKING of voting for Al Gore, vote for > > Al Gore. Ralph Nader does not need a > > single Gore vote. There are a hundred > > million of us out there who are > > uncommitted and currently not voting. > > Right now, Gore and Bush are each > > hoping to win by getting only 40 million > > votes. > > > > If you are in the Non-Voting majority and > > want to let 'em all have it, if you want to > > get our country back in our hands...well, > > if even half of you show up and vote > > November 7 then you won't be held > > responsible for Bush winning the White > > House. > > > > In fact, you won't be held responsible > > for putting Gore in the White House, > > either. > > > > Rather, you will have made history by > > putting a true American hero at 1600 > > Pennsylvania Avenue. > > > > And you will have given every company, > > every boss who's done ya wrong, the > > worst nightmare of their lives. > > > > November 7. Payback Time. > > > > The revenge of the Non-Voters! > > > > So sayeth their unappointed leader, > > yours truly, > > Michael Moore > > mmflint@aol.com > > http://www.theawfultruth.com > > http://www.michaelmoore.com > > > > PS. Come to think of it, Democrats > > should be on their knees thanking > > Ralph for running. Rather than taking > > votes from Gore, Ralph's going to be > > the one responsible for turning the > > House back over to the Democrats. > > > > When millions of these Non-Voters enter > > that booth to vote for Ralph, and they > > come across their local race for > > Congress, they will find no Green Party > > candidate in most of the 435 > > Congressional districts. So who do you > > think Ralph's army of Non-Voters will > > plunk down for Congress? The > > Republican? I don't think so. > > > > The Democrats are only six seats short > > of regaining control of the House. Ralph > > Nader will be the reason the Democrats > > get the House back for the first time > > since Newt's Contract on America in > > 1994. > > > > Democrats should send their checks to > > Nader 2000, P.O. Box 18002, > > Washington, DC 20035. > > > > (Or, better yet, let's try to elect enough > > Greens to Congress -- a dozen or so -- > > and they'll hold the deciding votes > > because neither the Democrats nor the > > Republicans will have the majority. It'll > > be a friggin' Knesset!) > > > > PPS. If you're still worried this letter > > might convince a weak-kneed Gore > > voter to flip over to Nader - and thus > > lead to President George W. stacking > > the Supreme Court to make abortion > > illegal, well, it's all a bunch of hooey. > > Please read my latest grassroots.com > > column entitled, "I Ain't Fallin for That > > One Again" at: > > http://www.michaelmoore.com/aint.html > > > > PPPS. Tonight, Wednesday July 19, on > > "The Awful Truth" (Bravo, 10 p.m. > > ET/PT), Crackers the Corporate Crime > > Fighting Chicken makes a surprise > > return visit. Don't miss it! > > > > > > PLEASE PASS THIS LETTER ON TO > > YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY. > > PERMISSION IS GRANTED TO > > REPRINT ANYWHERE. > -- > "I dreamt that I was dancing with God. God wanted me to lead, but I was > embarrassed. I dreamt that I was singing with God. God wanted me to > harmonize, but I was afraid I'd sing off-key. I dreamt that God and I were > smoking a joint. I was worried someone might see us. God was laughing. " > > -Sy Syfransky, Notebook, July 2000 ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V9 #205 *******************************