Principals don't have dollar signs

I own and operate a small business.
I send out weekly emails to those on my email list informing them of past and upcoming events here at my business.
As a general rule I believe that it is not a good idea to mix business and politics.
However, when the very root of our freedoms is in jepordy I think it is necessary to step outside the general rules and stand up for our ideals. I ocassionally will remind my patrons to vote and encourage them to vote Democrat "for a change."

The following italicized text is an annonymous email that I received recently. My reply follows.

Please keep "YOUR" political views separate from your business e-mails.Political views in a business e-mails our at the best unprofessional. Thank you.

Dear (name withheld for client's protection),

I can do better than that.
Since it is way too costly for any regular citizen these days to become a politician with the opportunity to protect the basic principals that our forefathers intended such as The Bill of Rights, the Constitution and the pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness it is not too costly for me to do so at the risk of losing, let's say, the $370 that you and yours spent here this past year. I do not consider it a loss at all. The monies that my business will never accept from the two of you again is far less important to me than are my beliefs that all children, women and men in America have the Rights afforded us in the Bill of Rights and our Constitution. I will gladly refuse your business forevermore in the future to know that I will not give up my right to hold our political leaders, regardless of party affiliation, accountable for destroying the values, ideals and hopes of all American citizens even you!

Take your business elsewhere you are not welcome here.

In closing, like you, I used to be a republican. I was a republican when being a republican was about fiscal responsibility instead of accumulating the largest debt in our nation's history, smaller not larger government by adding additional layers of government such as the department of homeland insecurity and faith based initiatives and getting involved in family matters such as the Terri Schiavo family matter. I was a republican when they stood for real family values not hate and bigotry and suppressing middle class wages to benefit corporate America. I was a republican when they stood for separation of Church and State instead of increasing the size of government by adding the office of faith based initiatives. I was a republican when they believed in a strong foreign policy and strong defense department instead of illegally invading of a foreign nation that never harmed us, didn't have wmd, did not harbor terrorists etc. but instead by our illegal actions according to the recent NIE report has actually created more terrorists than we could ever kill, not to mention has disallowed us to deal with real threats like North Korea who actually has nuclear weapons and Iran, so the friends of the republican party could "war profiteer." And by practically leaving Afghanistan (the justified war) gave up on hunting and holding the man responsible for killing almost 3,000 innocent Americans. The republican party that I used to belong to would have never stopped until we got and killed Osama bin Laden.
My ideals of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, The Bill of Rights and our Constitution for all American citizens even you, are far more important to me than the monies of uninformed, party done left them behind and they don't even know it, right wing pacifists.
May God (he belongs to all of us) Bless You and Yours!

My signature.

Democrats Plan

Nancy Pelosi who will hopefully soon become the first female speaker of the house laid recently laid out the Democrats plan for the first 100 hours in control of the newly elected congress.

Her plan is as follows: On the first day: Put new rules in place to "break the link between lobbyists and legislation."
On the second day: Enact all the recommendations made by the commission that investigated the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
And in the remaining time of the 100 hours: She said the Democrats will raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour. The minimum wage has not been raised in 9 years. She proposes to cut the interest rate on student loans in half. Pelosi said the new Democratic controlled congress will allow the government to negotiate directly with the pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices for Medicare recipients.
Pelosi indicated that the Democrats will broaden the types of stem cell research allowed with federal funds _ "I hope with a veto-proof majority," she added in an Associated Press interview Thursday.

And in the time following the first 100 hours of control by the Democrats Pelosi plans to "Pay as you go," means not increasing the federal deficit and that includes even if this concerns middle class tax relief, health care or any other need.

Pelosi and the Democratic controlled congress plans to do all of this by rolling back the Bush-era tax cuts that basically only benefit the richest Americans. She mentioned annual incomes of $250,000 or $300,000 a year and higher, and said tax rates for those individuals might revert to those of the Clinton era. The final details will need to be worked out.

"We believe in the marketplace," Pelosi said of Democrats, and then she iterated contrast to Republicans. "They have only rewarded wealth, not work."
"We must share the benefits of our wealth" beyond the privileged few, she added.

So when someone tries to tell you that the Democrats don't have a plan refer them to the information in this piece most of which I got directly from www.britbart.com October 6, 2006 1:58 pm, by David Espo, AP Special Correspondent.

Furthermore, many of the Democrats align themselves with Congressman John Murtha's Plan for Iraq which is to immediately begin a phased re deployment of our troops to near by countries like Kuwait and Afghanistan where they could be brought back at a moments notice if needed. It is interesting the some republicans like Chuck Hagel and even hinted by John Warner now seem to be coming to the same opinion or plan proposed by Democrat John Murtha.

republicans Continue To Try Fear For Your Vote

Yesterday I saw what I would describe as a very distasteful television ad paid for by the republican national campaign committee. It was an ad showing Osama bin Laden and the continued threat he poses to America and her citizens. The ad was inferring that Osama was going to get us if we vote for Democrats in the November 7, 2006 mid term elections.

Bush said about 4 months after 9-11 about Osama bin Laden "I really don't spend that much time on him."

It has been over 5 years since 9-11 and our Osama bin Laden is still free. And according to recent CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC news stories our government (led by Bush and the republican controlled congress) are not really even looking for him.

Recent polls show that the majority of Americans now believe that the Democrats are stronger on national security. I agree.

Hey you fear mongering hate filled neo con Hitler fascist republicans stop with the rhetoric of fear, fear and more fear! Let's find Osama bin Laden and make him pay for what he did to America on 9-11.

Feeling Somewhat Like An Iraqis

It is only 15 more days until election day November 7th, 2006.

Today it is about 38 degrees outside. The wind chill makes it feel like 32 degrees. My fingers are freezing. I just spent about an hour and a half with shoe polish dobbers both in black and white writing messages on my truck. My fingers are stained with black and with white shoe polish.

On the tail gate of my truck, using stencils, I wrote "HAD ENOUGH" "VOTE DEMOCRAT".
I wrote "VOTE DEMOCRAT" on the windshield and also on the driver's side door.
This felt empowering.

I felt somewhat like an Iraqis must have felt like with purple stained fingers.