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Generic Other Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 10:08 AM
Original message
Michael Moore: A Liberal's Pledge to Disheartened Conservatives
A Liberal's Pledge to Disheartened Conservatives

November 14th, 2006

To My Conservative Brothers and Sisters,

I know you are dismayed and disheartened at the results of last week's election. You're worried that the country is heading toward a very bad place you don't want it to go. Your 12-year Republican Revolution has ended with so much yet to do, so many promises left unfulfilled. You are in a funk, and I understand.

Well, cheer up, my friends! Do not despair. I have good news for you. I, and the millions of others who are now in charge with our Democratic Congress, have a pledge we would like to make to you, a list of promises that we offer you because we value you as our fellow Americans. You deserve to know what we plan to do with our newfound power -- and, to be specific, what we will do to you and for you.

Thus, here is our Liberal's Pledge to Disheartened Conservatives:

Dear Conservatives and Republicans,

I, and my fellow signatories, hereby make these promises to you:

1. We will always respect you for your conservative beliefs. We will never, ever, call you "unpatriotic" simply because you disagree with us. In fact, we encourage you to dissent and disagree with us.

2. We will let you marry whomever you want, even when some of us consider your behavior to be "different" or "immoral." Who you marry is none of our business. Love and be in love -- it's a wonderful gift.

3. We will not spend your grandchildren's money on our personal whims or to enrich our friends. It's your checkbook, too, and we will balance it for you.

4. When we soon bring our sons and daughters home from Iraq, we will bring your sons and daughters home, too. They deserve to live. We promise never to send your kids off to war based on either a mistake or a lie.

5. When we make America the last Western democracy to have universal health coverage, and all Americans are able to get help when they fall ill, we promise that you, too, will be able to see a doctor, regardless of your ability to pay. And when stem cell research delivers treatments and cures for diseases that affect you and your loved ones, we'll make sure those advances are available to you and your family, too.

6. Even though you have opposed environmental regulation, when we clean up our air and water, we, the Democratic majority, will let you, too, breathe the cleaner air and drink the purer water.

7. Should a mass murderer ever kill 3,000 people on our soil, we will devote every single resource to tracking him down and bringing him to justice. Immediately. We will protect you.

8. We will never stick our nose in your bedroom or your womb. What you do there as consenting adults is your business. We will continue to count your age from the moment you were born, not the moment you were conceived.

9. We will not take away your hunting guns. If you need an automatic weapon or a handgun to kill a bird or a deer, then you really aren't much of a hunter and you should, perhaps, pick up another sport. We will make our streets and schools as free as we can from these weapons and we will protect your children just as we would protect ours.

10. When we raise the minimum wage, we will pay you -- and your employees -- that new wage, too. When women are finally paid what men make, we will pay conservative women that wage, too.

11. We will respect your religious beliefs, even when you don't put those beliefs into practice. In fact, we will actively seek to promote your most radical religious beliefs ("Blessed are the poor," "Blessed are the peacemakers," "Love your enemies," "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God," and "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."). We will let people in other countries know that God doesn't just bless America, he blesses everyone. We will discourage religious intolerance and fanaticism -- starting with the fanaticism here at home, thus setting a good example for the rest of the world.

12. We will not tolerate politicians who are corrupt and who are bought and paid for by the rich. We will go after any elected leader who puts him or herself ahead of the people. And we promise you we will go after the corrupt politicians on our side FIRST. If we fail to do this, we need you to call us on it. Simply because we are in power does not give us the right to turn our heads the other way when our party goes astray. Please perform this important duty as the loyal opposition.

I promise all of the above to you because this is your country, too. You are every bit as American as we are. We are all in this together. We sink or swim as one. Thank you for your years of service to this country and for giving us the opportunity to see if we can make things a bit better for our 300 million fellow Americans -- and for the rest of the world.

Signed,

Michael Moore
mmflint@aol.com
(Click here to sign the pledge)
www.michaelmoore.com

P.S. Please feel free to pass this on.
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RethugAssKicker Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 10:14 AM
Response to Original message
1. Excellent.............. But I don't think they deserve it !!..
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Generic Other Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 10:16 AM
Response to Reply #1
2. If they got what they deserved
we'd have to build a whole lot of new prisons!
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Apollo11 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 10:22 AM
Response to Original message
3. This is great!
Just a shame there aren't any conservatives on MM mailing list ...

If you know any ... pass this on to them! B-)
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porphyrian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 10:24 AM
Response to Original message
4. I love how Michael sticks it in and breaks it off. - n/t
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fasttense Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 10:37 AM
Response to Original message
5. Damn, that's good. It's exactly what I was thinking.
Though repukes don't deserve our help, we will help them because that is what it means to be a believer of American Democracy (and Jesus too). You help your fellow man even if you despise their disastrous political stand.
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HeeBGBz Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 10:39 AM
Response to Original message
6. I thought a DU'er wrote this from a few days back?
Damn, now I'll have to go in search of the thread.
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dweller Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 11:19 AM
Response to Reply #6
7. any luck?
i read the same thread, it made the greatest page.

dp
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Sugar Smack Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 11:30 AM
Response to Reply #6
8. ANOTHER DUer DID write this!!!!!
I'm going to go find the thread!!!
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Sugar Smack Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 11:34 AM
Response to Reply #8
11. Here it is!
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LilyLibber Donating Member (332 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 11:42 AM
Response to Reply #11
13. Another DUer posted it...
Edited on Tue Nov-14-06 11:44 AM by LilyLibber
but it's attributed to Michael Moore at the bottom of that post, too. At least, it is on the link you provided - but there may be another thread I'm not aware of proving this text originated with a DUer. :shrug:

Anyway, this is great - k & r!
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msmcghee Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 11:42 AM
Response to Reply #11
14. The link you provided has the same . . .
. . . letter - signed by Michael Moore at the botttom.
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InternalDialogue Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 11:42 AM
Response to Reply #11
15. No, that's just a dupe post of Michael Moore's post.
I'm looking for the original, too.
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independentpiney Donating Member (966 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 11:33 AM
Response to Reply #6
10. I remember the DU thread and a follow-up
about it being posted at freak repub. If michael didn't give proper attribution, some lucky DU'er could be due a few $$.
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Bluebear Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-16-06 05:16 PM
Response to Reply #10
48. In reading it...
I wonder, did MM profit from it? I wonder what settlement would be due if a plagiarizer on either side did not make money off of it?
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texpatriot2004 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 11:31 AM
Response to Original message
9. K & R nm
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Marr Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 11:42 AM
Response to Original message
12. And our media lumps him into the same category as Coulter.
What a joke.

Great letter.
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InternalDialogue Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 11:45 AM
Response to Original message
16. Here's the original DU post from The Witch, Nov. 8:
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dweller Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 11:46 AM
Response to Reply #16
17. that's it!
good job

:thumbsup:


dp
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independentpiney Donating Member (966 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 11:53 AM
Response to Reply #17
18. Am I the only one troubled by this?
Either 'the witch' is Michael Moore or this is plagiarism. There's no credit to anyone else on MM's site.
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kiahzero Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 11:59 AM
Response to Reply #18
20. Alternatively, it could be an instance of people coming to the same conclusion
That is known to happen.
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independentpiney Donating Member (966 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 12:08 PM
Response to Reply #20
24. May well be, i jump the shark occasionally
But my first reaction to reading the Moore letter today was that i had read this the day after the election on DU. It seems like he just changed dismayed to disheartened and elaborated a bit more.
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berni_mccoy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 12:52 PM
Response to Reply #20
26. Not that precisely. This would qualify as Plagerism unless
Michael Moore is actually the DUer "The Witch" or the DUer "The Witch" granted Moore rights.
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The Witch Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 01:30 PM
Response to Reply #26
36. I am not Michael Moore!
I am younger, blonder, smaller, and poorer than he is! But if he'd like to switch... ^_^

(I wonder how my fiance would feel about that...)
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wicket Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 02:32 PM
Response to Reply #36
39. You're killing me here!
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
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Generic Other Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 03:55 PM
Response to Reply #26
40. No it doesn't.
Plagiarism of what? Exact words and phrases? Line by line similarities? Borrowed ideas?

I could not bring plagiarism charges against a student based on similarities between these two pieces of writing.

Both are great pieces in their own right.
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Bjorn Against Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 06:58 PM
Response to Reply #26
47. No this is not plagiarism
Watch the documentary "This Divided State" and you will see Michael Moore made many of the same promises as to how liberals would treat conservatives if Kerry had won, that was filmed over two years ago.
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Red Right and BLUE Donating Member (774 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 12:08 PM
Response to Reply #18
22. No...
seems strange to me, too. A little TOO similar.
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Rosemary2205 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 12:08 PM
Response to Reply #18
23. Smells fishy to me too.
Hopefully it's just a coincidence.
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Bjorn Against Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 06:56 PM
Response to Reply #23
46. It is a coincidence
Watch the documentary "This Divided State" and you will see Michael Moore giving a speech towards the end of the film when he says many things which are very similar to what he wrote in this letter. That was filmed over two years ago, and he is basically just repeating in this letter many of the promises he made back then.
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Bjorn Against Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 06:54 PM
Response to Reply #18
45. Michael Moore said very similar things before the 2004 election
If you watch his speech in the documentary "This Divided State" he made several very similar promises to conservatives two years ago. I really do not think this is a case of plagiarism on anyones part, just two people who think alike.
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LilyLibber Donating Member (332 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 11:57 AM
Response to Reply #16
19. Good find!
Wow. Let's figure this out.
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Beam Me Up Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 01:05 PM
Response to Reply #16
30. Yeah, I remember seeing that too and giving it an R -- hmmmm n/t
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texpatriot2004 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 12:04 PM
Response to Original message
21. Damn good list, I can get behind that nm
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The Witch Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 12:45 PM
Response to Original message
25. FWIW, I'm incredibly thrilled and touched if he DID read my post.
I wrote him to say "I'm so happy to inspire someone who has so inspired me."

(It also means that my ideas are "good enough," so to speak. And that's a nice thing to know when you're constantly feeling that you'll always be supporting more creative people...

but that is neither here nor there ;-D)
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berni_mccoy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 12:55 PM
Response to Reply #25
27. If I were you, I'd be a little upset that he didn't credit me
He makes it appear as though he created the work, which he did not. Unless you gave him permission to do so, I believe it is a copyright violation.
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The Witch Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 12:58 PM
Response to Reply #27
29. Hmm...
Wonder if I should sue him.... ^_^

Nah. I'm a better person than that...
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independentpiney Donating Member (966 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 01:08 PM
Response to Reply #29
32. You could send the settlement to me
I'm broke :shrug:
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The Witch Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 01:25 PM
Response to Reply #32
34. you kidding? I'd use it to pay for my honeymoon. :D
:evilgrin:
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Beam Me Up Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 01:08 PM
Response to Reply #29
33. I'm sure you are a GREAT person.
:hi:

I just think if MM did read your original idea he ought to give credit where credit is due. We all need to do that to stay honest with ourselves and one another.
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The Witch Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 01:26 PM
Response to Reply #33
35. Yeah. Hopefully he will.
More importantly, can I get famous off this? lmao
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Greyhound Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 01:37 PM
Response to Reply #35
37. Get the money, forget the fame, it is way more trouble than it is worth. n/t
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The Witch Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 01:44 PM
Response to Reply #37
38. Haha, now I'm wondering which celebrity YOU are.
;-D
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Hell Hath No Fury Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 04:28 PM
Response to Reply #29
42. I had the chance and (stupidly) didn't take it.
Edited on Tue Nov-14-06 04:28 PM by Hell Hath No Fury
Read my post down thread -- when I found out about the plagerism I chose not to do anything about it initially -- I was a huge fan of Michael's work and didn't want to be litigious.

When I finally decided that I deserved credit/remuneration for my work, it was too late for me to sue.

He, at the VERY least, needs to give you FULL credit for the work you did.
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Hell Hath No Fury Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 04:22 PM
Response to Reply #25
41. Kitchen Witch --- you need to call him on this!
Edited on Tue Nov-14-06 04:40 PM by Hell Hath No Fury
I can't believe he is doing this again! He has a VERY bad habit of plagerising others work. I was one he stole from in the past -- four whole pages of "Stupid White Men" came word for word from work produced by me. I called him on it in a Spinsanity/Salon article and he was forced to give me credit when the paperback edition came out.

I am so sorry I didn't sue the SOB when I had the chance -- I waited too long after finding out about the plagerism. He has GOT to stop this shit! It damages his reputation and puts all his work under a suspicious cloud.

I would tell him he needs to credit you properly --

Hell


A San Francisco activist claims she's the originator of Michael Moore's unsourced list of dubious Bush achievements in his bestselling "Stupid White Men"
By Ben Fritz



A list of 48 dubious achievements of President Bush appears in Michael Moore's bestselling "Stupid White Men," without footnotes or citations of any kind. A reader might assume that they are accumulated nuggets from Moore's own research.

But a San Francisco activist says she came up with the list, and she's not too happy about the way Moore is using it.

Kirsten Selberg contacted Spinsanity following a piece detailing the numerous errors and factual distortions in "Stupid White Men" to say she compiled that list for a wall that was displayed at the "Voters March West" that took place nearly a year ago in San Francisco, on May 19.

Still posted on the Voters March Web site, Selberg's list contains 47 of the 48 facts about Bush mentioned in Moore's book -- in the exactly the same order and with very similar wording. The only difference is that, unlike Moore, Selberg provides sources for almost all of her facts.

Representatives for Moore did not respond to requests for comment.


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The Witch Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 05:32 PM
Response to Reply #41
43. HOLY SHIT
Thank you for this...
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Hell Hath No Fury Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 05:44 PM
Response to Reply #43
44. You're welcome....
Mike does a lot of great things but he shouldn't get a free pass when he committs journalistic improprieties just because he's Mike. The thing that burned me the most (at the time) about his use of my work was that he left himself open to being discredited for being a plagerist -- that was fucking STUPID on his part.

The MichaelMoore.com person I dealt to get my proper credit is Dave Schankula -- I think he is the site editor.
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Cha Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 12:58 PM
Response to Original message
28. Fucking Priceless!
Edited on Tue Nov-14-06 12:58 PM by zidzi
Dead On Michael Moore! Ya Big Patriot, you! :patriot: :loveya: :patriot:
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texpatriot2004 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-14-06 01:06 PM
Response to Reply #28
31. Agreed! nt
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