These websites are intended for myself and any other
Kitsap County Democratic activists who might be interested. Their purpose is to collect background information
to supplement the signs that we carry in street rallies - and to help us answer anyone who might ask, "What's so wrong
with George Bush? He's doing the best he can."
We are told that our signs should be short and punchy. The
problem is that passersby who look at the signs think that they understand what the words mean.
Someone who sees the sign "Bush Lied" may think only of those sixteen
words in his pre-war State of the Union speech--when in fact there have been untruths, deceptions, and hidden agendas
in almost every area of the Bush administration. The lies are all-pervading, a central feature of his presidency.
How do we get this across?
Similarly, when people see "Stop Bush's War on Women" they may take
it as meaning that we want to have abortions (absolutely not, in my case). What it really means is that Bush's radical-right
policies have led to sickness and death for thousands of women around the world.
I became aware of this problem at my very first demonstration this past
August, the Seattle rally with the theme "Beat Back Bush." (Why so violent? I wondered. I much preferred
the button I bought that said "Re-Defeat Bush in 2004.")
At that time I was one of those who thought that "Bush
Lied" just referred to the infamous sixteen words. It was the speeches at the rally that taught
me what this slogan really means.
I am a believer in civil discourse. I don't like name-calling or
extremist statements that are certain to estrange anyone who disagrees with us. I would like my signs to be an invitation
to dialog, and I want to be able to back up each slogan with a written defense of my position.
As an inveterate news junkie, I troll the Internet for at least an hour
each day looking for the best articles or documents I can find to explain our stand against the Bush administration.
Since my goal is to persuade the unconverted, I give preference to the mainstream media, though I also call on well-reasoned
frankly partisan liberal sources.
"Bush Lied" is admittedly a rude way of putting things (perhaps
I should try to find some gentler expression) but it is by now a proven fact. Bush has very often said--or allowed
others on his staff to say--things that he had good reason to know were not true.
As it stands, this slogan serves as a challenge that
at least gets people's attention. But I want more information to show to those who don't yet see what the
fuss is about, or who think it's safe to just go on living their daily lives and hoping for the best.
Thank you,
Alene
PLEASE NOTE: When I started these sites I thought I was making
them inaccessible through Google or any other search engine - they were intended only to share information with other local
activists. Somehow they did get into the search engines, so now I'm in the process of reducing or eliminating many of
the texts in favor of quoted passages, with links (whenever possible) to the complete articles.
If for any reason you believe that specific material on this
site does not fall within the fair use guidelines (see "Fair Use Notice" below) then please notify me immediately and I will
take corrective action.
