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Music legend slams Bush campaign over song theft

George Bush may be getting the same kind of legal and musical advice as he gets from his military and environmental strategists.

Amidst a torrent of bad news, yet another Bush fiasco has erupted with his attempt to use the rock standard "Still the One" as his theme song without bothering to ask its author for permission.

Rock and roll legend John Hall has issued a cease and desist order. Hall says he doesn't want his song "used to promote the candidacy of someone who has been a disaster for the environment." After widely announcing "Still the One" and blaring it at public rallies, Bush now says he won't use it.

Hall says he was "unwinding" after a long work day when he heard Lou Dobbs on CNN announce that the Bush campaign had adopted his song. The news report then featured it being played at a Bush rally in Ohio. "Our jaws dropped as 'Still The One"came pouring out of the speakers," says Hall.  "Johanna's words, Larry's voice, our harmonies and instrumental work and the emotion that went into it..."

10/27 Column

Bob/Harvey,  

Please have more journalistic integrity than to say that you have found a dozen ways that Bush is personally stealing the election in Ohio. The complaints you have listed concern local election processes. I wouldn't be so unsettled if you had at least cited the Ohio GOP, but this is simply another dishonest attempt to stab Bush personally.

Respectfully,
Sam Crepeau  (Upper Arlington)

My money down: Kerry over Bush

AUSTIN, Texas -- I finally put my money down on Tuesday, a whole week out. Kerry over Bush by two to three points in every state that matters except Florida. For those who find this an appalling, Bill Bennett-like display of disrespect for both good money and Our Nation's Future, I say, hey, no guts, no glory. Besides, Ladbrokes, the English betting firm, is offering 6 to 5 on Kerry.

            These things usually start locking down a week out at the latest, so by the last two to three days, nothing much can change it unless we get hit with a political meteorite. Bush is still putting much more money than Kerry into television ads, but the ad-blat factor has set in. Ad-blat is a combination of ad-fatigue, particularly afflicting the heroic citizens of our swing states, and the ubiquitous campaign ads of everyone from Joe Don Billups for county commission, precinct 2, to Mary Hannah Gonzalez-Chiu for state agriculture director. We live in a great nation.

Want to be REALLY scared this Halloween?

On Sunday, October 31, the Free Press brings two spine-tingling films to the Drexel East Theatre.
"Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election" - Re-live the horrors of the coup!
"Unconstitutional" - The evil John Ashcroft taking away your civil rights!

Each film is one-hour long, followed by an hour discussion by co-director Joan Sekler and local election activists.
Double feature starts at 1:30pm and again at 7:30pm. One of these must fit into your schedule.
$8 admission, $6 students and seniors, $10 with the new book by Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman: "Imprison Bush: WHy the President must be tried as a war criminal."
Drexel East Theatre, Main Street, Bexley.
Sponsored by Citizens Alliance for Secure Elections, the Election Protection Coalition, WVKO, Columbus Alive, League of Pissed Off Voters and the Free Press. 253-2571, truth@freeepress.org.

Bush's Cheap Mercenaries

President Bush's unilateral, preemptive war against Iraq is the worst foreign policy decision in the history of our country.  Even GW Bush's father said in his book "A World Transformed" the following: "I firmly believed that we should not march into Baghdad. ...  To occupy Iraq would instantly shatter our coalition, turning the whole Arab world against us."  It is too bad that GHW Bush's son has put our military in the position as very low paid mercenaries, who are only in Iraq to protect the interests of dozens of republican-friendly corporations, like Halliburton, all companies who have contributed to the republican party. 

White House neocons will resort to terrorism for Bush win

Once we understand that The White House neo-conservatives will do anything to win the re-election, we can see that they will borrow activities from agitation/propaganda history.  These are very competitive people who value winning above all morality. The neo-conservatives can easily create “situations.”  The polls are too close for them to leave the election up to chance.  They know that in uncertain times, people want to escape to safety and seek a father figure, who acts with conviction.  George W. Bush does have conviction.  He practically claims a link to God.

At nearly the last minute the White House could create and manipulate voter pre-polling fear that will turn voters to vote for Bush.  For example, CIA-hired spooks could bomb polling locations and/or major metropolitan areas a day or so preceding the election, October 31, or November 1.  Also, they will enhance the security/Bush propaganda by placing Bush closer to God by placing him on Air Force One (near heaven) for several hours on November 1.  Once you understand that for the neo-conservatives winning is everything, this is not so far-fetched.

Endorsing Mark Brown???  Please check him out!!!

Have you read this guy's manifesto?  It was online at one point, but is no longer -- he's virulently anti-choice, a little TOO supportive of the Second Amendment, if you get my meaning, and thinks that Separation of Church and State is BS.   If you want a copy of the .pdf file, entitiled "A Vision For America - Renaissance and Manifest Destiny" I can send it to you, but this guy is no Democrat -- your endorsement could result in a November Surprise if the anti-choice crowd (whom I imagine is responsible for getting this guy on the ballot -- he's not backed by the Dems) all vote for him, coupled with the 'throw the bums out' crowd.  Deb Pryce has disappointed me in many ways, but she's a moderate bipartisan (and powerful), that we can't afford to trade in for a DINO. 

PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT AND GET THE WORD OUT ON THIS GUY!

Brenda Keltner
St. Marys, Ohio
(columbusite for many years)

No idea how much fun and slime you are missing

ST. LOUIS -- Oh, you sweet, innocent, carefree citizens in non-swing states. You have no idea how much fun and slime you are missing.

In the swingers, wolves stalk us mercilessly (as the pro-wolf lobby points out indignantly, no one has ever been killed by wolves on U.S. soil, but try arguing that in the face of the relentless new TV ad campaign). Breaking news everywhere -- 380 tons of high explosives in Iraq left unattended, stock market down to year's low, leading economic indicators down, more tragedy in Iraq, the Swift Boat Liars are back, more Halliburton scandal, George Tenet says the war in Iraq is "wrong" -- it feels like you're dodging meteorites here in the Final Days.

Actually, the best evidence suggests we need to slow way down and go way back, because far from being able to take in anything new, it turns out many of our fellow citizens, especially Bush supporters, are stuck like bugs in amber in some early misperceptions that have never been cleared up.

From Detroit to Baghdad: Intimations of Ed Seitz

When Ed Seitz was killed in the shower by a bomb lobbed into Camp Victory, near Baghdad airport last weekend, I thought the name was familiar. Seitz, described in news stories as a 41-year-old State Department special agent in the Diplomatic Security Service, had been in Iraq for less than three months. He was billed as the first U.S. diplomat to have been killed in Iraq. The story I remembered put him in Detroit back in late February 2002, which is when John Clarke, an organizer with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) sent to the counterpunch.org Website I coedit with Jeffrey St. Clair a vivid account of an encounter with Seitz in the early afternoon of Feb. 19, 2002.

            Clarke had crossed the international bridge between Sarnia, Ontario, and Port Huron, Mich., on his way to a speaking engagement that had been set up by students at Michigan State University. He never made the gig. Instead, after border agents had checked him out on the computer, and searched him and his car, he was held in "a controlled reception area."

American Assassination: The Strange Death of Senator Paul Wellstone

Remarks on the new book, American Assassination: The Strange Death of Senator Paul Wellstone On the second anniversary of his death.

Four Arrows

 Presented at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C.,

On October 25, 2004

Mitakuye pi, my chante ata wo wogala ke, na nape chiuso pelo. My relatives, I offer each of you a warm handshake. I speak from my heart today and want to begin by commending you who have come sincerely to learn what we have to say about our book, for in this city there are pressures to stay within acceptable boundaries of critical commentary that make your presence here, unfortunately, an act of some courage. In fact, the strong-arm strategies of our national leaders that frighten journalists into compliance are becoming legendary. Film documentaries and books like “Unprecedented” or “The Hammer” continue to reveal the unscrupulous tyranny of Karl Rove, Tom Delay, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and other top officials who believe emphatically that the “the end justifies the means” and that the end is all about American power and dominance.

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