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[Robert Huddleston]

believer at telepath.com)
Subject: ip: Know your enemy By Linda A. Prussen-Razzano

http://www.enterstageright.com/1200freepers.htm
Enter Stage Right

Know your enemy
By Linda A. Prussen-Razzano

Senator Joseph Lieberman, Vice President Al Gore's running mate, publicly
issued allegations that the Republican Party was bussing paid operatives to
Florida for the expressed purpose of intimidating local election officials
into stopping the manual recount. Other Democrat spinmeisters are now
running amok on the airwaves decrying any public displays of Republican
outrage as "dangerous." In effect, this is the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
revisited, where anyone uncomfortable with Democrat shenanigans is a
vicious partisan; therefore, their indignation is evil in its intent.

Not only is this approach pitiful, it reveals just how little they know
about their "opposition."

The rallies and protests I've seen on the television have all the hallmarks
of a "FReep." FReep is a term coined several years ago by the registered
users at FreeRepublic.com, a political action web-site for conservatives.
The "Sore Loserman 2000" signs now peppering mainstream news casts were not
compiled by the Republican Party. This ingenious phrase was coined by three
registered users, "CPL Baum," "Registered," and "Mass Exodus." [Click here
for the story or here to buy t-shirts]

The now famous "Cops Cheer," heard in the background of Washington
reporter's newscasts, originated in the weekly Washington, D.C. protests
by, yet again, FreeRepublic. On their own time and their own dime, this
loosely knit group of motivated citizens has been holding peaceful protests
across the country for at least two years. If the Republican Party was
actually paying protestors, as Senator Lieberman would have us believe,
then "Angelwood" and several other "Freepers" have considerable back pay
coming to them.

Obviously, it's easier for Senator Lieberman to believe the Republican
Party is bussing people in and paying them to protest; the alternative
means that a genuine ground swell of disgust is now leaving the privacy of
living rooms and spilling into the streets. Senator Lieberman would like to
believe these protestors are simply cheap political hacks, ready to mouth
any slogan for the almighty dollar; the alternative means that average men
and women are using their holiday time to make their voice heard at such a
critical juncture in our nation's history. After taking such a disastrous
hit with their notorious 5-page military memorandum, they can't afford any
more losses in the public relations war and must immediately attempt to
discredit any voice of dissent.

Their response backfired. The buzz is that several otherwise complacent
groups are now active and outraged. Instead of sitting back, watching as
"dimples" are divined while bona fide military ballots are discarded, they
plan to also take to the streets in peaceful, but vocal protest. How many
protestors will it take, Senator Lieberman, before you realize the
Republican Party can't possibly be "paying" them all?

The pinnacle of this debacle was Senator Lieberman's assertion that these
protests were meant to intimidate election board officials. This, from the
campaign that threatened and effected legal action against election board
officials because they weren't following orders? This, from the campaign
that excoriated Secretary of State Harris and maligned Republicans? This,
from the campaign that is actively attempting to influence representatives
to the Electoral College? If the allegation weren't so pathetic, it would
be funny.

Finally, these protestors are not "thugs." They are citizens of the United
States. You presumably want to be our Vice President; that makes you our
servant, not our master. When they, and others like them, peacefully
protest, they are exercising their Constitutionally guaranteed First
Amendment rights; only a fascist would consider this "dangerous."
=========
web posted November 27, 2000

Linda Prussen-Razzano is an advisory board member and frequent contributor
to Rightgrrl and a columnist for the American Partisan.

--- end forwarded text


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