Democracy for New Mexico

Debate Night: Operation Truth Needs Your Help, Kerry Needs Your Rapid Response

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The veteran's organization, Operation Truth, is raising money to fund a new tv ad that communicates the tragedy of this misbegotten war, as told by someone who has fought it. This devastating and effective ad is a must see IMO, and I can think of no better response to the shameless lying by Bush in tonight's third and final debate than to make a donation to help run this ad.

According to their website:

Operation Truth is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that seeks to educate the American public about the truth of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from the perspective of the troops who have experienced them first-hand.

The website is chock-full of first person accounts of troop experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, legislative news, video footage from the war zones and much more.

I hope you'll contribute a few bucks for the ad and then head over to a debate response page to take action tonight to counteract the always horrendous Republican spin machine. Here's one provided by Buzzflash, courtesy of the DNC. I'm sure the official Kerry site, Daily Kos and others will have similar tools for voting in online polls and writing letters to the editor.

Michael Moore's Election Eve Surprise

From TV Guide: MUST-SEE TV?: Michael Moore is this close to inking a deal with pay-per-view giant In Demand to bring Fahrenheit 9/11 to television on Nov. 1 -- one night before the big election. According to Variety, The Michael Moore Pre-Election Special will consist of a screening of Fahrenheit 9/11 bookended by interviews with "politically committed" celebrities who'll discuss the charges leveled in the movie and the importance of voting. The three-hour anti-Dubya extravaganza will cost $9.95 and every purchase comes with a package of Ramen noodles, a pair of slightly used boxer briefs and a Clorox Bleach Pen.

Soros Ad & Other News

I loved opening up today's Albuquerque Journal and seeing a huge, two-page ad by George Soros explaining "Why We Must Not Re-Elect President Bush." The ad goes into great detail outlining reasons why a vote for Bush is a vote for unending war and chaos. I hope moderate Republicans and those infamous swing voters will take the time to read it. Very persuasive! Imagine how different this election season would be without the generous support of Soros.

If you can't get today's Journal, you can see the ad in pdf format as it orginally appeared in the Wall Street Journal here. You can visit the Soros website that explains the negatives of another Bush term right here. The distinguished Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change support George Soros in his efforts to speak out. See a list of their members and other information here.

For all you Bush fans (or protestors) out there, the prez will be campaigning in Hobbs, NM on Monday. Click on the link in the right-hand sidebar under "Coming Events" for all the details.

Unfortunately, you may have already missed Jenna Bush's visit to Bush HQ in Albuquerque today. As usual with Bush events, this one is by invitation only, so fat chance that any dissenters, or even undecideds, would be admitted!

More to our liking, Kerry will be staying up in Santa Fe on Monday and Tuesday to prep for the third presidential debate that will take place next Wednesday in Tempe AZ. Three of CNN's major shows, "Inside Politics," "360" and "American Morning," will join him in Santa Fe. The pundits will be talking to voters, checking out polls and meeting with local reporters. The shows will no doubt include interviews with high-ranking state Democrats and Republicans. "Inside Politics" with Judy Woodruff will broadcast live from Santa Fe starting 1 PM Monday and Anderson Cooper's "360" will follow at 5 PM. Tuesday's "American Morning" with Bill Hemmer will broadcast at 5 AM. More details will be released later today.

A What?

I had never heard of a footnoted, online, political comic book until I read about this one in Altercation, Eric Alterman's blog. Even if you don't feel like reading, the artwork in What Are You Voting For? is worth the price of admission (which is free). Every time you hear someone say they aren't voting because "it's all rigged anyway" or "everything has gotten so partisan I'm sick of it" or "there's no difference between the candidates" or "I don't know enough about the issues to choose," point them to this page. When you click on a page, the next page comes up. I think this might just be the most effective argument for voting this time that I've seen. Pundits be damned, bring on the comic book writers!

Air America Radio Comes to Albuquerque

Air America Radio Network starts today in Albuquerque on KABQ-AM (1350). The format will include Al Franken from 10 AM to 1 PM, directly opposite Limbaugh on KKOB-AM (770).

The lineup will include:

- 6-9 AM - Morning Sedition, Mark Maron and Mark Riley
- 9-10 AM - Unfiltered, Lizz Winstead and Chuck D
- 10 AM-1 PM - Al Franken
- 1-4 PM - Ed Schultz
- 4-8 PM - Randi Rhodes
- 8-11 PM - The Lionel Show
- 11 PM-2 AM - Majority Report with Janeane Garofalo
- 2-5 AM - Mike Malloy

Air America is being broadcast temporarily as an experiment to see if it can get enough listeners here in Albuquerque, so tune in and encourage your friends to do the same. You can also contact the radio station to let them know you're supporting their trial run and encourage them to give Air America a permanent home:

Address: 5411 Jefferson St NE, Ste 100
Albuquerque, NM 87109
Phone: (505) 830-6400
Fax: (505) 830-6543

The Albuquerque Tribune has a good story on this development. Thanks to Andrea and Mindy for the heads up!

You can go to the Air America website for more information on who'll be appearing on each day's shows, plus lots more.