Citizens
For Legitimate Government™
is a multi-partisan
activist group established to expose the Bush
coup d'etat, and to oppose the Bush
occupation in all of its manifestations.
See our charter
Sign Petitions the CLG has authored or endorsed
Michael Rectenwald replies to a rightwinger who asks, "Shouldn't you be ashamed of yourself?" (Original letter is below.)
Dear P*
If the Democratic party had conspired to do to Bush what the Republicans
did to Gore, we would, first of all, have been very surprised and completely
appalled. The question is theoretically a valid concern, but practically
not really relevant. The Democratic party traditionally does better
when more people vote and when the votes are counted. The Republican
party, on the other hand, does better when less people vote, and, as
we have seen, when votes are not counted. Likewise, it is not really
a practical possibility that the Democrats would conspire to keep tens
of thousands of people from voting (as in the Florida Purge), nor to
keep hundreds of thousands of ballots from being counted (as in the
"recount"). So, while theoretically we would assume the same
position had the Democrats committed the crimes that the Republicans
did, it is not really a practical problem with which we should expect
to contend.
As to your second question, it is based
on a false premise and misinformation. The fact of the matter is the
following: "[I]f the recount had been started from scratch in
each of Florida's 67 counties, The Herald concluded, 'Gore would
be in the White House today.'" Published in the Miami Herald, Sunday,
April 8, 2001. Click here
to read the whole article, entitled, "Votes aren't sacred,"
by Tom Fiedler. A recount of the entire state, which, as you probably
don't remember, Gore himself asked Bush to agree to early on in the
controversy, would have given Gore the electoral win.
As for your third question: none of us are "making a living"
from this political group. Personally, I work two jobs in academia,
one as a writer and editor and a second one as a professor. I make NO
MONEY AT ALL from the CLG. All of my services are rendered VOLUNTARILY,
in order to advocate and stand behind principles I consider to be of
paramount importance. I have donated my time, money, personal possessions
and sometimes much needed sleeping hours to pursue this, a most worthy
cause of democratic principles and a fair, equitable government. We
have only one paid staff member, who receives a small stipend. Contrary
to what this administration apparently believes should be the income
of the majority, this is hardly "a living." Our webmaster,
the only paid person, works over 80 hours a week for a meagre salary.
Our supporters are not "poor," and nothing is required of
them to read and enjoy our site. We sell T-shirts at a nominal price
and accept donations to keep the site up and running. We do not merely
play on emotions (like the rhetoric of the rightwing, which relies on
the mere sound and repetition of words supposed to signify evil things
(such as the noble word "liberal" turned into an epithet by
the preachers to their ditto head choirs)), but rather rely on information,
knowledge and insight to get our arguments across. Our tens of thousands
of daily readers apparently appreciate our approach.
As for the question of whether or not we should be "ashamed of ourselves,"
we would ask in return: shouldn't those who dominate the once "public"
radio and television airwaves (rightwing mouthpieces, who, since the
repeal of the Fairness in Broadcasting Act in 1986 due to Republican
maneuvering, are found shamelessly supporting the Republican Party when
said party has less than 30% support of the "public"); those who buy
and control these media for their own interests and present "news" with
such a slant as to completely bolster their own positions and interests;
those who watch in apparent approval as a nation is defrocked of its
right to have a real and fair election, who work as the apparent arm
of this government in promulgating its viewpoint in return for tax cuts
and other corporate benefits (the majority of the corporate-owned and
run media in the US); or those who worked to make sure votes weren't
counted; or those who contributed vast teams of lawyers and vast sums
of money to contrive arguments against having votes counted (Enron and
Halliburton, who paid for the Republican "no-count" lawyers in Florida
and supplied jets to ferry them around); or those who conspired behind
closed doors (Cheney) with those same energy companies to construe a
national "energy plan" while these same energy companies simultaneously
defrauded the largest state in the country (California) and stole billions
of dollars, while also knowingly keeping hundreds of thousands of dollars
of employees' stock money after selling their stocks high, knowing full
well that the stocks were worthless thanks to their own sinister and
disgusting schemes of fraud; or the politicians who accepted the monies
from these companies, both for the "no-count" and for their campaigns,
and have protected, to date, these same corporate heads from facing
prosecution; or those who provided tax cuts to 1% of the wealthiest
Americans to curry favor with their money while plunging the federal
budget into a six trillion dollar deficit; or those who received said
tax cuts at the expense of the national budget and those people and
programs that needed that money; or those who benefit by the billions
for phony wars waged on "dictators" propped up by those same companies
and interests in the first place, and whose wars are only for oil imperialism
and for not the protection of American citizens, as the case of Saudi
Arabia terrorism support and the lack of any action against them makes
so clear; in short, should we, whose collected contributions and T-shirt
sale monies amount to a few hundred dollars per month--should we feel
ashamed of ourselves as we fight for a legitimate government representing
the interests of a vast majority, or should those above-referenced billionaires
defrauding our government and using it as an arm for their own get-richer
schemes, should they be the ones to be ashamed?
We have no shame! Shame on the frauds that steal our government, ruin our world and now make war on false terms. Shame on those who are too self-interested, lazy, or credulous to unveil their hypocrisy and lies. Shame on the media that yield unqualified support for their schemes and promulgate willingly their daily falsehoods. Shame on these, I say, and pride for those who fight these monsters. We will not be deterred. We will not quit. We ask you to come over from the dark side and support the fight for right, reason and justice.
Sincerely,
Michael
Rectenwald
Founder and Chair
Citizens for Legitimate Government
December 4, 2002
Writings of Michael Rectenwald
*Original letter received by CLG, Dec. 4, 2002:
Subject: Let me ask you some questions
Hello
I would like to ask you some questions. First off, would you oppose Gore, if the tables had been turned, say that what supposedly happened to Gore happened to Bush in its entirety? Secondly, When a recount of the entire state was done Bush won, does that mean anything to you? I mean, true that when the recount is done only in a few counties Gore wins, but if you cry that voters lost rights in one sector shouldn't that hold true in all sectors. Finally aren't you doing this to simply earn a living. Aren't you merely using this as a vehicle to separate money for the pockets of poor people by playing with their minds and emotions? And shouldn't you be ashamed of yourself.
P. V., a minority who is a Republican.
![[tshirt photo]](graphics/tshirts/tanimated.gif)