[Mb-civic] Guardian Unlimited: Letters to Clark County

[harperalexander at mail.com]

Alexander Harper spotted this on the Guardian Unlimited site and thought you should see it.

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Note from Alexander Harper:

A chance for non-US voters to have their say in this election. Write to a Clark County, Ohio  voter. Do it.
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To see this story with its related links on the Guardian Unlimited site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk

Letters to Clark County
Samia Rahman
Friday October 15 2004
The Guardian


In a bid to give the rest of the world a say in the US election, the Guardian is urging non-Americans to write to voters in Clark County, Ohio, one of the most marginal areas in a key swing state. To receive the name and address of a Clark County voter, visit www.guardian.co.uk/clarkcounty. By last night, more than 7,000 people had requested the name of a voter. 

·  You may wonder why on earth your friends in Britain are telling you how to vote. I can understand how perplexed you must feel. Once again faced with the hyperbole of a US election, the rest of the world seems to be resounding to the chorus of "Your vote counts!", and I can appreciate you may be feeling a touch cynical. After all, I suspect you never voted for Bush in the first place, or maybe you did but are now feeling a little misled. I would, too.  

I, like you, would feel disappointed to learn that since the Republicans came to power in 2000, unemployment has soared by a third, the number of people living in poverty has increased by nearly three million and the erosion of standards in education has become a startling reality. I would also be alarmed by your president's breathtaking disregard for the environment, demonstrated by his pulling out of the Kyoto agreement to stem global warming, a phenomenon that may well be the cause of the freak hurricanes that lashed Florida in recent weeks.  

I can see that you must be furious at the way the current administration has not only catapulted the US into a state of social decline, but has plunged your great nation into a state of perpetual insecurity. I know that you will not stand by and observe your country being hijacked by a select group of neo-conservative extremists who spread fear and loathing. I don't expect you to stand for the haughty suppression of your civil liberties threatened by the proposed Domestic Security Enhancement Act, which will enable the government to detain in secrecy anyone who supports a "terrorist" group and strip them of their citizenship.  

I know that you, as Americans, understand the issues and will not allow your sincere and industrious population to be misrepresented, exploited and cowed any longer in the name of a so-called democracy that dishonours your founding fathers. I implore you to vote on November 2. The greatest weapon in the war against terror is you.      

· Samia Rahman is deputy editor of the Muslim lifestyle magazine emel. She is writing in a personal capacity.

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