9/15/2000: Into the Belly of the Beast
Sent FIRST to the more then 1,900 recipients of
CUADPUpdate,
then to other abolitionist lists....
Into The Belly Of The Beast
Greetings All!
As many of you will recall, one year ago CUADP worked with Texas
activists to ensure that special attention was drawn to the occasion
of George W. Bush's 100th execution as Governor of Texas. You
can see the press release we issued by visiting <http://www.cuadp.org/pressrel6.html>.
At that time, we also launched a fairly comprehensive web site on
the Texas death penalty record - not all of which can be blamed on
Bush, but we point out that he's done nothing to make any
corrections. If you have visited <http://www.cuadp.org>
in the past year, then you have seen the prominent box on the main
page which reads:
"George W. Bush would like to be President of the United
States, and claims to be the "Compassionate Conservative."
Click here to learn more about this blatant contradiction.
If you "click here," you get a concise, yet fairly
comprehensive essay on Bush and the Texas death penalty record. The
essay includes links to reports by Amnesty International and a
brilliant article by Stephen B. Bright, Director of the Southern
Center for Human Rights.
I am proud to say that this information stands true today, and more
then a year later the essay has not needed to be updated at all.
HOWEVER, the bottom line of the essay was, and remains: "George
W. Bush's record on all of the above issues must be made a major
campaign issue. Click Here for more details." Who among
us could have predicted all that would happen in the ensuing year.
We barely had time to catch our breath from one landmark event when
another one would happen! But it seems the media has grown
tired of the issue. Was Shaka Sankofa/Gary Graham the final
flash in the pan? Will the scheduled killing of Ricky McGinn
next week be George W. Bush's salvation from the death penalty as an
issue in this campaign? With only two other prisoner-killings
set for between now and the election, will attention continue to
wane?
I sure hope not! The Campaign to End the Death Penalty has
done an admirable job at protesting at some Bush events, and they
have a great web site too: http://www.nodeathpenalty.org/bushWatch1.html
CUADP urges EVERYONE to get out there and take action, and to help
make that happen, we have created the "Bush Head" kit.
You can see photos of the "Bush Head" in action at the
following two web sites:
http://www.cuadp.org/build.html
http://www.cuadp.org/action.html
(Yes, that's Lois Robison!)
I personally wore the Bush Head this summer at the National
Governor's Association meetings, the Republican National Convention,
and last Monday, when Bush arrived at Palm Beach International
Airport. You can bet the Secret Service has updated their
records on me! And, I will admit, wading into a crowd of
Republicans in this outfit is not for the faint of heart! But
the TV cameras covered it, and the newspapers (Philadelphia
Enquirer, Harrisburg, PA Patriot-News and others) have focused on it
too.
SO, when is the Bush Campaign coming to your town? (Don't forget Al
Gore - he should know better!)
Will you and your friends be ready?
If you want the simple instructions for making your own "Bush
Head," or would like to order a complete kit by mail, send an
e-mail to <abe@abolition.org>,
or call 800-973-6548.
There are many other ways we can keep the momentum up. The important
thing is that we all do something, be it getting out on the front
lines of the campaigns, or supporting the work of others financially
(http://www.cuadp.org/support.html).
Just do something. Please.
paz!
--abe
"Talk is cheap. It's the way we organize and use our
lives every day that tells what we believe in."
-- Cesar E. Chavez
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