http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/sep2004/lett-s28.shtml

Dear Michael Moore,

This week you have begun a tour of states across the country with the aim of encouraging students and young people to vote for John Kerry in the November elections. You write in a letter to supporters that your “Slacker Uprising Tour” will “try to convince the fed-up, the burned-out, and the Nader-impaired to leave the house for just a half-hour on November 2nd and mark an “X” in a box...so that America and the world can be saved.” Later you make clear that that the “X” should be marked for Kerry.

I must say, Mr. Moore, your open campaigning for John Kerry comes as a disappointment to many of us who greeted with appreciation the production of Fahrenheit 9/11. Your film has justifiably won the admiration of millions of people across the United States and internationally who find in it an expression of their own opposition to the war in Iraq and the brutal policies of the American government.

However, the best aspects of Fahrenheit 9/11 stand in sharp contradiction to the attitude you are taking to the presidential elections.

Some of the most moving parts of your documentary explore the social divisions in this country, as they are expressed in your hometown of Flint, Michigan. You demonstrate that the war is being waged in the interests of corporations and the ruling elite. You demonstrate that the devastating consequences of the war are borne not only by the Iraqi people, who continue to face daily bombings, horrible living conditions and the brutality of a foreign occupation, but also by ordinary working class Americans, who are forced to kill and be killed in the name of an unjust and illegal act of aggression.

You end the film with a quote from George Orwell that amounts to an indictment of social inequality and the capitalist system: “The hierarchy of society is only possible on the basis of poverty and ignorance...The war is waged by a ruling group against its own subjects, and its object is not victory...but to keep the very structure of society intact.”

To recognize that the underlying cause of the war in Iraq lies in the acute social antagonisms within the United States must bring with it certain political conclusions—in particular, the recognition that a viable and effective opposition to the war requires the building a movement opposed to “the structure of society,” that is, the structure of the capitalist system which is responsible for war. The conclusion flows logically from the premise. How, then, does this resolve itself into calling for a vote for John Kerry?

As I am sure you are well aware, John Kerry and the Democratic Party represent no challenge to the structure of American society. Yes, there are differences between the Democrats and the Republicans, but these differences are not of a fundamental character.

The Democratic Party, no less than the Republican Party, is a party of big business and a defender of social inequality. It does not speak for ordinary working people and youth. It is by no means an anti-war party, as the record of the Clinton administration and Kerry’s own positions make clear.

On the latter point, you praised Kerry in the first speech of your tour for finally raising serious criticisms of the Bush administration’s handling of the war in Iraq. “In the last couple of weeks,” you said, “Kerry has stopped listening to the wrong people and he’s listening to himself and he’s being himself.” In relation to Kerry’s vote for the resolution authorizing war with Iraq, you counsel the American people to “give Kerry a break” and accept that he has changed.

However, from Kerry’s own statements, it is clear that he, no less than Bush and the Republican Party, supports the occupation of Iraq. The growing opposition in Iraq to the American military and its stooge regime is cause for concern within the ruling elite, a concern that is reflected in the Kerry campaign. But there is no talk of an end to the occupation.

Kerry, like Bush, refers to the legitimate resistance of the Iraqi people to US military occupation as “the enemy” and labels the insurgents as “terrorists.”

To the extent that Kerry has suggested he might withdraw some American troops within four years time, he has made such suggestions conditional on securing an adequate number of forces from other countries to take the place of Americans in repressing the Iraqi population.

Kerry has said nothing about the ongoing brutal bombardment of Iraqi cities and has not come out in opposition to the preparations under way for a massive campaign to retake cities such as Falluja. He has said nothing because he is not opposed to this policy, and has continually emphasized that his administration will seek to build “stability” in Iraq. This can only mean the mass slaughter of thousands of Iraqis in order to secure American domination of the country.

As you are well aware, the Democratic Party and the Kerry campaign are involved in a systematic, nationwide effort to prevent third-party and independent candidates who oppose the war in Iraq from getting on the ballot. The targets of this attack include the Socialist Equality Party and Ralph Nader, among others.

This effort is no less anti-democratic than the efforts of the Republicans to suppress the votes of minority and working class voters in various parts of the country. Thousands of working people, poor people and youth who signed petitions to place SEP candidates on the ballot because they wanted an alternative to the two major parties have been disenfranchised by election authorities, who discarded their signatures in order to keep a socialist anti-war candidate off the ballot.

By giving your support to John Kerry and the Democratic Party, you are compromising both your principles and your own conscience.

It is not true that the greatest danger facing the American people is four more years of the Bush Administration. No, the greatest danger facing the American people is the failure to build a real opposition to the present social system, of which the Bush administration is merely one of the most malignant expressions.

Every election one hears the same refrain: it is necessary to support the Democratic Party in order to defeat the Republicans. And every time the task of building an independent party of the working class is put off. The consequence is entirely predictable: we are left with no alternative to the domination of the political system by the ruling elite.

There are no easy solutions, Mr. Moore. Easy solutions arise from easy problems, and, as you are well aware, the problems we face are exceedingly difficult. Through your serious work, you have justifiably earned a mass audience that looks to you for political guidance. This places on you a great responsibility to raise the level of political debate. You have the responsibility to seriously think through the tasks that confront us today and speak the whole truth to the American people.

I ask you to consider these issues very carefully. The most important step you could take now is to lend your voice to the efforts, such as those in which I and the Socialist Equality Party are presently engaged, to build a socialist alternative to the capitalist two-party system. Such a step—and only such a step—would be a serious advance in the struggle against war, injustice and inequality.

Sincerely,

Jerome White, Socialist Equality Party candidate for the 15th Congressional District, Michigan

September 28, 2004

My own believe is that socialism would emphasize state control of things (state in the sense of the government, not state versus national) and that is something I personally am deadset against.

The government that governs best, governs least.

Some of us older folks remember a country ruled by the National Socialist Party, and a funny look guy from Austria that ran it.

Socialism is not my idea of good government, respectfully.

belief, not believe, it's early, forgive my typo.

funny looking, not "funny look"...geez...gotta get more coffee.

I'm not onboard with the socialist agenda either. But at least Mr. White has vlaid points about the lack of difference between the two parties. You'll never hear/read that within the mainstream American media.

we have to look at our government very carefully Code, becuase throughout the US history, our government has implemented social programs to help our society. I do feel that even though we are a capitalist nation, we do retain some socialist systems in place. We need to have that balance actually. Looking at Bush and Kerry I'm actually one of those very undecided voters. I haven;t voted since Clinton took office becuase I felt that nothing changes only gets worse. I'm opposed to Bush becuase he wants to essentially get rid of Social Security and give employers an upper-hand on overtime. 36 million Americans are now living in poverty and this is the 2nd time in six months I've had to look for work again becuase of lay-offs and I blame Bush for it. He's made the world more unsafe for us by ousting Saddamn Hussien, the division between the working class poor and the top 1% of rich has gotten wider with the rich getting richer.
Bush's military record is questionable to me. Why are there discrepancies? Why is avoiding talking about it? I have friends of mine who are Vietnam vets and they fully support Kerry and they've told me that they were betrayed by the US governemt after the Vietnam war. So why is Bush being supported by these guys? I see him a deserter and a coward. I was in NYC when the RNC was held and I gotta tell you, the tension is NYC was VERY HIGH. Many NYkers did not want Bush there. The 911 Families were angry that he was holding the convention there. Why not hold it in Texas?
Kerry on the other hand his messages are very conflicting. What I like about him is the fact that he served in the military and spoke out agaisnt Vietnam. I admire that. I think Kerry will be tough becuase he saw watch the butchery of war is. Setting up a Democracy in IRAQ is vital to stabilize the middle east. I don't think it's gonna happen anytime soon is becuase the muslim arabs do not think like us. If any of you have ever read the Quran, unlike Christianity in which Christ spoke of preach the word of God. ISLAM says to CONQUER the world for the good of Allah (God). That rigfht there is an incentive for violence. The Muslims also do not beleive in in sacrifice. Bush nor Kerry do not understand that Muslims do not think like us. And they never will. Another 2 American hostages were executed and I wished that was broadcast so that every American can see the savagery of Islamic terrorists.
The American media does not tell us the whole truth. I think we're being lied to AGAIN, I think Bush is gonna use Florida to botch the election like he did in 2000 to have another 4 years in office to undermine democracy. I think that what's happening in the middle east only a matter of time before muslim fundamentalists come over here and start blowing themselves up. Unfortunately, WE NEEDED TO WAKE UP AND SEE.

I know I was all over the place Code, sorry..kinda tired and stressed at the same time. Going thru a lotta shit here.

"Kerry has said nothing about the ongoing brutal bombardment of Iraqi cities and has not come out in opposition to the preparations under way for a massive campaign to retake cities such as Falluja. He has said nothing because he is not opposed to this policy, and has continually emphasized that his administration will seek to build “stability” in Iraq. "

Why should he? Isn't this where the cowards that call themselves terrorists are beheading Americans on film and are organizing and plotting their own take-over of Irag? Are these the kind of people that should be in power in Iraq? Kerry doesn't oppose crushing terrorists. Nor should he.

Other than that above, Jerome White makes a good argument. Unfortunately, what makes him so sure that his affiliation with the Socialist Equality Party wouldn't end up being another cog in "the structure of the capitalist system", as he phrased it?

It's not hard to interpret this note as just another 3rd party crying over spilled milk because the system won't let them in.

Even so, his argument has merit. It's obvious that the two party system no longer works in America. Not when both parties are "a party of big business and a defender of social inequality. " I believe the fact that laws are being considered in Congress like the INDUCE ACT is a clear representation of "a party of big business and a defender of social inequality. "

JLBRMECHANIC: No need to apologize for your post. My brother had to find a new job after 20+ years. We're all going through a lot of s***.

It's obvious that the two party system no longer works in America.

absolutly right. although the two party system was never intended to develop by our forefathers. it's not in the constitution and President Washington even warned against it.

Kerry would lose automatically if he came out and just said the Iraq war is a lost cause and we should leave. No candidate can say that and win. Our collective guilt will not let us come to that conclusion until after the election. We are all responsible for the needless deaths of thousands of people. We are not strong enough to admit that yet.

As far as socialism goes, socialism and the welfare state , evolved and were created respectively, to promote capitalism and resist communism. No modern democratic, capitalist society has ever existed, or will ever exist, without one or both. Get used to it.

There willl always be large numbers of poor people. If they don't have basic shelter and food they will come to your house in the middle of the night, kill you, kill your children and take whatever they need.

As far a government control is cocerned it will increase as resources dwindle and population increases. There is no way to stop this other than to restrict population growth, period.

Whats good for business is whats good for America. To remain competative American business needs to outsource jobs. Buy, use, throw out, buy use throw out...The root word of Conservative is conserve. When did this turn into Consume? Perhaps we should define so called Conservatives as Consumatives.

(Sigh) What WAR? No one has had the stones to go before congress and ask for a declaration of war since FDR. It is NOT just a matter of semantics. When we declare war, the leash is off of the military, the draft is imposed and God help whomever we are going after because we don't stop until the job is done. Instead, we have this continual, half-assed use of our military with no clear objectives or plans for an end. We need leadership but all we have is 'greedership'; both parties only interested in the personal wealth of their guys in office. EOR

"If any of you have ever read the Quran, unlike Christianity in which Christ spoke of preach the word of God. ISLAM says to CONQUER the world for the good of Allah (God)."

I disagree... our Christian ancestors brutally conquered everywhere they went. It was the Christians who went thousands of miles during the Crusades, not the Muslims; it was Christians who came to the "New World" and conquered, not Muslims. There is as much brutality in our Christian heritage as in Islam's: Salem Witch trials, the Spanish Inquisition, Nazi Germany, treatment of Mexican Natives, treatment of Native Americans, etc. Basically, if you weren't a white Christian, you were dead.
You obviously haven't trully read our scriptures, either... selling children into slavery, killing someone because of something they planted, killing someone for working on the sabbath... this and other attrocities are considered God's law in our Christian bibles.
And what of our so-called Christian leaders today? Fallwell, Graham, Roberts and that other baby raping bastard, not to mention the likes of the KKK or White Supremist groups.... all good-ol-boy white Christians. Have you listened to their words of hatred? For years they have preached hatred towards anyone who is not a white Christian, they even believe Catholics are not Christians, and should be condemned to hell. They are no different than the likes of Bin Laden; brainwashing naive, desperate individuals into believing what THEY want them to believe. Hitler used the same technique to begin his conquering of the German people.

While I'll vote for CodeWarrior or Shmoo before Bush or Kerry, does anyone know of a web site that has the facts of where each canidate stands (or waffles) on a wide variety of issues, including p2p? I'm looking for cut'n'dry info that I can hand out to folks who have become lost in the media's slant. As for Moore's pro-Kerry tour, it reminds me a lot of Slick-Willy campaigning on MTV. More people may vote, but what are they voting for?

JLBRMECHANIC
- Just got home from work and saw your note. Ever need to talk, email me~

God bless my friend!
~Code

hey Skippy, I agree. Every religion has verses and words of brutality in it. What I am saying is that the Quran plainly says it. There's only one Quran, and MANY different interpretations of the old Bible/testament. This is one reason why I have faith, beleive in God, Jesus and the desciples. What I despise is organised religion and people like Pat Robertson (of the 700 Club)Rev. Jerry Falwell who use this to recruit and brainwash people to perpetuate hatred, bigotry and ignorance.

sure thing Code. thank you.

CodeWarrior:

'Socialism' is NOT the same thing as 'National Socialism.'

National Socialism is a euphemism for the unholy alliance of capitalism and government aka Nazism, a brand of Fascism. Socialism, OTOH, is a catch-all term for a host of ideologies, most of which imply some watered-down version of communism.

Check out: http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Socialism

IMO, the present state of the United States is a hell of a lot closer to Fascism than anything the American Socialists would propose.

In response to Jerome White, I agree with most of his points. I wish we'd never gone into Iraq, I wish the US would work with the UN instead of playing cowboy, I wish we could devise some kind of graceful exit that doesn't leave Iraq in danger of complete social disarray. I also believe the Democratic party has drifted so far to the center (some say to the right) that the differences between them and the Republican party are slim.

I would argue, however, that the greatest danger to the United States at this time *is* four more years of Mr. Bush's administration. Let's be realistic and pragmatic about who's likely to win the next election: it's between GWB and JK. That's it. I think that it's great that we have these other parties, and I hope their constituencies continue to increase in number and challenge the Dems and the Republicans to show some integrity. But right now, in September 2004, we're faced with a significant crossroads, and the stakes are extremely high.

I simply believe we'll get a hell of a lot more good out of a Kerry administration than out of another Bush administration. Yes, let's keep pressuring our leadership to do the right thing. But a 180 degree change in foreign policy in Iraq is just not going to happen. The consciousness of the US population just isn't prepared for that, and to base a platform on that idea would be political suicide.

"IMO, the present state of the United States is a hell of a lot closer to Fascism than anything the American Socialists would propose."

I actually agree 100 percent!

"There is as much brutality in our Christian heritage as in Islam's: Salem Witch trials, the Spanish Inquisition, Nazi Germany, treatment of Mexican Natives, treatment of Native Americans, etc. Basically, if you weren't a white Christian, you were dead."

Skippy...you are soooo right my friend.
Part of my heritage is Native American, and one of the first things the "conquering armies" did was to try to FORCE Native Americans to adopt the religion they were pushing and to make them stop speaking their native language.

To me, there are various forms of genocide...there is literally genocide where you try to physically kill all members of a race or group of people, and cultural genocide where you try to wipe out their culture and assmilate them into yours.

Many tribes in North and South America, were subjected to attempts at cultural genocide.

But I also agree with JLBRMECHANIC...both have excellent points.

Hey, if there's going to be a third party the Libertarian party is an interesting little one most of you will probably find some common ground with. Worth a looksy. We also have to remember, our founding fathers were horribly terrified that the masses would take down this country from the inside. Ignorance, voting because some famous guy tells them what to do. Hence the property requirements to vote early on. It's an interesting little mess we've got on our hands here...

Libertarian? As in Jim Hightower? Or who?

Do away with any and all political parties.
Vote for the issue or the candidate.

I'm just surprized that words like "proletariate" and "comrades" wasn't used in that neo-Marxist/Leninist diatribe.

"This is one reason why I have faith, beleive in God, Jesus and the desciples."
I am Catholic, and although, for obvious reasons, I no longer have faith in my Church, I have faith in my religion. One of the reasons why my faith in God is so strong, is that I believe that in many cases where justice is not or cannot be served in this world, there will be justice in the next.


"What I despise is organised religion and people like Pat Robertson (of the 700 Club)Rev. Jerry Falwell who use this to recruit and brainwash people to perpetuate hatred, bigotry and ignorance. "
These are the very people whose justice will not be seen in this world, but it is waiting for them in the next.
I do not understand why laws can't get them. Why should they be able to hide behind religion when all they preach is racism and hatred? I believe that if they had shut their mouths after 9/11 not near as many innocent Sihks, etc. would have been brutally beaten or killed by freaks who were just looking for a reason to do what they did and Fallwell, Graham and the others gave it to them.


"Part of my heritage is Native American, and one of the first things the "conquering armies" did was to try to FORCE Native Americans to adopt the religion they were pushing and to make them stop speaking their native language."
Unfortunately this didn't stop in the 19th century. It continued right into the mid 20th century. Even after WWII Native American children were literally kidnapped and put into government schools. If they tried to speak their native language, etc. they were punished harshly... beaten.
It didn't matter if you became a Christian, if you weren't a white Christian, you were treated less than a dung beatle.


"Do away with any and all political parties.
Vote for the issue or the candidate."
How I've felt for ages. How can we eliminate racism and bigotry in our country when it is the backbone of our government.
A Demo politician won't vote for a law, even if they believe in it, if it was written by a Repub. And a Repub won't vote for a law, even if they believe in it, if it was written by a Demo.

I have no trust in ANY politician. Look at what that bloated tard Arnold just did. He pushed during his campaign that he will do everything he can to stop all the companies leaving California and leaving the US and putting people out of work. Well, the flip-flopping bastard just vetoed a bill that would try to stop this. The bill may or may not have worked, but how do we know untill it's put in play?
Who slipped some denero into his pockets?