The Erinistas Weekly | December 15

Gore won't run in 2004
Former Vice President Al Gore announced Sunday that he will not be a presidential candidate in 2004. Gore's 2000 presidential bid ended with defeat after an electoral crisis in Florida. In an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," Gore said "[the 2004 election] will likely be my last opportunity to run for president... and I have decided that I will not be a candidate in 2004." Gore had said repeatedly this month that he would not announce his decision until after the holidays, but decided to go forward with the announcement following a slew of recent media appearances, including "Saturday Night Live."

When asked, the former VP did not endorse one specific candidate, but stated that he firmly believed "a Democrat could beat George W. Bush." Gore said he was looking at other opportunities to support the Demcoratic Party.

With the Elections over, and new PCOs around the state, it is time for the Semiannual Reorganization meetings. At the State, County and Local levels, Democrats will elected new officers all across Washington. This is also a great time for Democrats to REDEDICATE themselves to building a strong party, and for us to REVITALIZE our message of Equality, Diversity, and Compassion. We must remember that Democrats are not just our elected officials and party leaders. They are each and every one of us.

We have fallen behind in many areas. For us to even consider victory in future elections we must pick up the pace. Some of the areas we must get to work on:

Letters to the Editor: Everyday you can pick up almost any newspaper in the country and find Republican leaning letters. We need to challenge the GOP at every level with our letters. We need to do as the GOP does in having regular consistent writers and flood the editors desk with Democratic thinking.

Talk Radio: This is an area in which the GOP has been hammering Democrats. We have listened to these shows and heard how misguided and misinformed some of the callers are, Yet we let it go unchallenged. Democrats need to regularly call talk radio shows on all stations and talk about Democratic ideas.

Party Building: This is not just recruiting more PCOs and members to our organization. This is identifying potential members in our communities and getting them involved. Every person who gets this newsletter knows at least 2 more people that hold the same values as they do. We need to get these people involved in our issues, and maybe even get them involved in our party.

Personal Commitment: An area in which the GOP has consistently beat us in recent years is the personal commitment of its members. It is not up to the Democratic Party to fight the Rabid Right by itself. It is not up to our Democratic elected officials. It is up to the people. Each of us has to make the personal commitment that we are going to make a difference. Each of us has to make a commitment that the Rabid Right will not go unchallenged.

These seem like very simple ideas, but it is amazing how little some people take them to heart. I know everyone has busy lives, but it is critical we find the time. I work 50+ hours per week, am a City Council member and serve on 5 boards and committees. Another member, who has been very active in our fight is also taking care of a critically ill family member. Those who are active do not have more time to spend, they have a commitment to our party, our ideals and most of all not allowing the Rabid Right to go unchallenged.

Rich is a long time Political and Labor Activist, and currently is a City Council member in a small town in South King County.

I have been trying to figure out why America keeps getting caught flatfooted by each new crisis. For a Society that has to have our daily dose of "Extreme & Shock" delivered to us via TV and Movies, we appear to be very na�ve when it comes to our government. We are shocked by what they do and stand there gaping, with open mouth, unable to react to the situation presented to us, until the moment for ACTION has passed and all we can do is REACT.

Let�s look at the past two years and you can see the examples of this, time after time. Start with the National Election. Even Gore did the Hesitation Two Step, before he was finally goaded into questioning the events in Florida. By the time ACTION was finally initiated, the moment had passed and the die was cast. So, the American Public was left to stand around, mouths gaping, yelling "Not Fair" and demanding an investigation, all the while, the Earth continued to rotate and The New Administration was fortifying their walls. While America was crying FOUL and demanding recount upon recount (did anyone really believe that the GW Administration would step aside and say... "Oh Wow, We really did Lose, We will leave now"..?) the New Administration set into motion its Energy Program. While Ballots were being recounted and Chads were being discussed, examined and debated, Cheney and gang proceeded to set up a situation that would drive the West Coast to its Energy knees.

Little voices in the wilderness were crying "Watch what Cheney is doing!" but they were drowned out by the Chorus of Hanging Chad Singers.

By the time the Energy Crisis hit the West Coast, all America could do was stand there with their mouths gaping, yell "Not Fair" and demand an investigation. By this time, Enron and others had already reaped their profits and run for the hills, leaving a twisted trail of deceit. While America was crying FOUL and demanding that Cheney, GW and Lay be drawn and quartered (Congress continues to "investigate") Tenet sent out a memo on June 22nd, which was passed to the State Department and Military world wide, repeating what Tenet had been trying to get the White House to pay attention to: The Al-Qaida were planning a major attack on the US.

Little Voices in the Wilderness were crying "What did GW do with bin Laden and the Al-Qaida and why the push for contracting with Carlyle?" but were drowned out by the Chorus of Enron Enron Enron Singers.

The Military upped their Anti-Terrorist Command Training, instituting an Online Briefing and Training you could take in the comfort of your own quarters. Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Ashcroft refused to travel via commercial carriers, heeding the warning of Tenet�s regarding Airplanes being part of the Al-Qaida threat... and... September 11, 2001 went down in History. While America stood in shock with its mouth gaping.. in horror, fear and anger-- demanding to know how this could have happened, wanting an investigation; GW launched his Homeland Security Department.

Little Voices in the Wilderness were crying "Beware the Homeland Security Department!" while being drowned out by the chorus of Support the President: War War War Singers.

While America has been listening to the Continuance of the Chorus, it has seen an erosion of Our Constitutional Rights (but the Right to Bear Arms isn�t under attack, so that�s okay). While we listened to the Chorus sing "Enron", GW set in motion the start of a new war, being supplied by, you got it, Carlyle. While we listened to the Chorus sing "How many Butt Warts does Rush Have?" The Office of Homeland Security started stripping away your personal rights and freedoms. While the Chorus was singing in the Halls of Congress "Support the President in his War or Look like a Commie" GW and gang took control of that Congress. While the Chorus was singing "Homeland Security Forever No Matter What the Cost" our economy has headed south and now resides in the dumper.

We have become a Nation of Reactionaries, not a Nation of Action. Like the man who was warned of the coming floods with the winter rains, who waits till his house is floating in two feet of water to finally do something, our Nation�s Legislators are willing to wait until the disaster is sitting on their desk before they are willing to move.

When push came to shove, the Washington State Senators voted WITH the Chorus to give GW and his Office of Homeland Security Unlimited Powers under the guise of Protecting the US, but, both have said NOW that *IF* the Administration tries to use some of those Powers, they will fight against their use. Is this what we want?

The Chorus is still singing the same tunes, covering up the Little Voices in the Wilderness, warning of N Korea, The Economic disasters regarding the taxes, the Unconstitutional Intrusion into our lives by the Office of Homeland Security, and Unbridled Power of Corporate America. The critics denounce the Little Voices as being extremists, alarmists, anti-American and deconstructionists.

But the Little Voices have yet to be wrong.

Danae has worked with several world relief organizations, and was a Navy Ombudsman for over 15 years. She enjoys debate and conversation, and currently writes for the Erinistas Weekly.

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Every individual is treated and respected equally. All Americans have washboard abs. Magical leprechauns roam the earth. Four-legged animals known as pigs can now fly. HA! While it would be nice if all of these things were true (except maybe for that part about the pig), all of the above statements are false. And after years of social progress in this country, we still love to discriminate against and hate other people.

Now, while I'm only 15 and probably don't know enough about adult life to make a fair argument, I can write about my experiences as a teenager. And so I will. High School-- everyone's favorite place to be. Unless of course you happen to be one of the precious few who don't wear Abercrombie clothes or listen to rap music or have priorities higher than being a skirt chaser. Which brings us to me-- a teenager who is by no means "strange," but who doesn't walk in lock step with the rest of teenage society. I don't dress like a gangster. I don't pump iron for 10 hours every day. I don't crank up my radio so loud that the car pulsates with every note. And I suppose those are the things that make me different from most other teenagers. But no one really notices. And that's good-- because being noticed generally is not a good thing.

Fag. Dyke. Homo. These are all common words in schools today. You might call it the "insult of choice." The average teen probably says a gay-bashing word at least 5 times a day. Which bring me back to my original point-- Americans, and teenagers in particular, love to hate. For the life of me, I cannot understand why sexual orientation is such a big deal in this country. Its a part of who you are. Scientists and studies have shown this. Just like some people are left handed, some people are gay. Why is that so hard to comprehend? Does being gay make you an inferior person? Its not a choice or an option-- its something that you are born with. Would you hate someone just because they're left handed? No. Then why would you hate someone just because they're gay?

Now, the common reader right now is thinking-- "You must be gay!" But guess what? I'm not. But would it matter if I was? The traditional argument is "Well you have to be one in order to defend one!" Remember the Underground Railroad? The group that helped African-Americans during the Civil War era. White people defended black people. In a more modern sense, straight people can defend gay people. Its not because I have a better understanding of being gay than you do. Because I don't. I have no idea what it feels like to be discriminated against. And I hope I never do. But I can accept other people.

When I look at someone who's gay, I see a person. Apparently those of you who would discriminate against homosexuals do not. You see a monster. Because only a monster is deserving of that kind of hate. Gays are no less human than you or I. Being gay does not impair you from doing anything just as well as a hetrosexual. I do not see what orientation has to do with anything. Why are you so concerned about who someone has sex with? Do you want to watch?

You see folks, its just pointless to discriminate-- based on sexual preference or any other trait. Its stupid, its idiotic and its wrong. A wise man once said "Do to others only what you would want others to do to you." I've always tried to live by those words. And I hope one day you will too. People are different. That's what makes us human. If every person was the same, there would be no excitement or entertainment in life. We should embrace our differences, not use them as ammunition. If you believe everyone should be like you, then you're a fool. We are who we are. And being different is what makes this country, this society, and this world... work.

Brian owns and operates ErinHartShow.com. He considers himself a young Democrat with an attitude. Brian is a fierce debater who doesn't think age is relevant in political discussion. He believes the root of the world's problems can somehow be traced back to AOL.

Q-13's Shane headed to MSNBC
It was confirmed last week that Q-13 veteran anchor Sam Shane has signed with MSNBC. Shane, who left Seattle's KCPQ-TV early this month, was unable to find a permanent timeslot after Tony Ventrella joined the team last summer. Unlike other Seattle stations, Q-13 produces only two local news programs-- weekday mornings and the beloved 10 pm broadcast. Quirky male anchor Peter Alexander booted Shane from his long-time post on "Q-13 Morning News," forcing him into the vacated 10 o'clock slot. When former KIRO sportscaster Tony Ventrella was hired to spice up the morning news, Alexander was moved to "Q-13 News @ 10" leaving Sam Shane out in the cold.

During his final memorial broadcast with KCPQ, Shane announced his move to MSNBC. The third-ranked cable news channel has been desperate for new faces and a new identity, as ratings have sunk when compared to rivals CNN and Fox News Channel. MSNBC President Erik Sorenson has been scrambling to reorganize, reportedly stemming from pressure by parent company NBC. Sources say NBC and General Electric execs have demanded improvements, or they may pull the plug on the NBC-Microsoft venture. Shane is just one of many changes set to be underway at MSNBC in 2003.