Normally I am a pretty mild tempered guy.  I go about my business and try to look at issues from different perspectives in order to arrive at my own opinion of things. There have been 2 emails that have come across my desk in recent weeks that have gotten me worked up to the point that I have had to speak out.

On September 18th, I received an e-mail from investigative journalist Greg Palast.  I like his style because he, too, looks at all sides of a story and doesn't take sides based on partisan politics.  He does his best to get to the bottom of those storys that appear to smell like dead fish.  In this e-mail, he sent a link to a youtube video about John Kerry at the University of Florida, the one that shows the young journalism student being dragged from the hall and tasered at the back of the room for daring to ask the same question that has been on the mind of thinking Americans ever since the election of 2004 - the query being, (sic) with there still being questions about the integrity of some of the vote, why did Kerry roll over the night of the election and concede the election without so much as a whimper?  Edwards was prepared to fight the fight but Kerry just gave up.  This was a legitimate question asked in a respectful way by a thoughtful student of journalism and, by default, the American Free Press.  In case you somehow missed this video, you can view it here: http://mailings.gregpalast.com//lt/t_go.php?i=46&e=NTM0NjU=&l=-http--www.youtube.com/watch--Q-v--E-CheY0jYXJjY 

I've got to tell you.  When I watched that video I was incensed beyond belief.  Embarassingly, I had worked on the campaign to elect John Kerry, giving up a lot of my valuable time and even donated green.  And then, to watch him just stand there as this young man was dragged away for having the audacity to ask him a question in a public forum was unbelievable to me.  Just about as unbelievable to me as when I received an e-mail from the Free Press Action Network telling me that John Kerry has anything worthwhile to offer any of us.  John Kerry made his very public statement that day in Florida about where he stands on Free Speech.  Instead of supporting him in yet another public forum, we should all be standing up and calling on him to take responsibility for his reprehensible actions in Florida.  I, for one, sent him an e-mail to let him know how disgusting I thiink his lack of action is only to be informed by his website that his constituents are who he listens to (paraphrased).

I have travelled in the developing world, most recently Pakistan, and have been mightily impressed by the access to the internet and wireless technology that is available in these countries.  I too support the basic tenets of the Free Press Action Network.  We need to be careful about our choice of bedfellows and who we think is on our side.  Kerry has proven to me that he is just another politician, providing lip service to issues that he thinks will score him points.