Dude, Where's My Country_ - Michael Moore [109]
While the Census Bureau estimates that there are 146 million women in this country, not all of them are eligible to run for president. To be the president of the United States, you must be born an American citizen, and you must be 35 or older. Again using estimates from the Census Bureau, there are 66,190,000 women eligible to be our next president.
Oprah’s statement that she would “never” run for president was reported by, among others, Peggy Andersen, “Oprah for President? ‘Never!’” Associated Press, May 31, 2003.
To find out more about Gen. Wesley K. Clark, and to see what he’s up to, check out www.leadershipforamerica.org, the organization he set up to “foster a national dialogue about America’s future.” His statements about being pro-choice and for gun control were made on CNN’s Crossfire, June 25, 2003. He spoke about Bush’s tax cut, the Patriot Act, and affirmative action on NBC’s Meet the Press, June 15, 2003. His comments on attacking Iran were made on FOX News’ Big Story, June 23, 2003, while his ideas on working with our allies were made on NBC’s Meet the Press, February 16, 2003. Finally, Clark’s thoughts on the environment were delivered in a speech before the Council on Foreign Relations, February 20, 2003.
If you are interested in running for precinct delegate, or any other office, or if you’d just like to get busy taking back the Democratic Party, visit www.dnc.org, where the party has a handy map that can guide you to contact information for your state’s party. Your state party will be able to provide you with all the details you will need to get the ball rolling. Just don’t tell them what you’re up to.
Whether you’re running for office or you are looking for more information, or you just want to find out more about the candidates and what they stand for, a good place to begin is Project Vote Smart (www.vote-smart.org). Through their Web site you can find your elected officials, links to candidates’ Web sites, as well as a wealth of other voting information and links.
If you need to register to vote, or if you need to register the friends you are planning to drag with you to the voting booth on election day, visit www.rockthevote.com. You can register online through the site, and you can make your friends do it, too.
Most important, stay informed. Listen to National Public Radio, Pacifica Radio, read the newspaper, or try to regularly check out these Web sites: www.buzzflash.com, www.commondreams.org, or www.cursor.org for good daily updates on news stories you might be missing.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my wife, Kathleen, who, when I didn’t feel like writing, would turn up the radio and start dancing. Suddenly I would find the inspiration to keep writing and keep living.
I’d also like to thank my daughter, Natalie. She graduated from college this year, something neither my wife nor I had done. We are so proud of her.
I’d like to thank my sister Anne. She has contributed so much to my work in the last two years, she has forgotten that she is still a lawyer. When the last publisher wouldn’t organize a book tour, she did—and drove us in the minivan from city to city. When my film debuted in Cannes, she became my de facto manager. When I needed to nail certain parts of this book, she and her wonderful husband, John Hardesty, were there till the bitter end. All this, and she’s the middle child!
I’d like to thank the guy who invented the dill pickle. It is my last remaining vice.
I’d like to thank my long-time buddy, Jeff Gibbs, who has bailed me out on more than one occasion in recent years. He sat with me looking up fact after fact while I wrote. He pushed