Freedom of Speech.

Gotta love it.

Best thing since that little fat bitch Maines ran her mouth.



Updated: 05:50 PM EDT
Backlash Against Tiny Crawford Paper
Businesses Pull Ads After Paper Endorses John Kerry
By BOBBY ROSS JR., AP

CRAWFORD, Texas (Oct. 12) - Signs at the bank, the cafe and the Bottlinger
Grain bins all declare Crawford - the proud home of President George W. Bush's
ranch - as "Bush Country."

So when the Lone Star Iconoclast, a tiny weekly that bills itself as Bush's
hometown paper, endorsed Democrat John Kerry, there was hell to pay.

Local businesses pulled their ads and banned the paper from their stores.

"We felt a little betrayed," said Larry Nelson, manager of the Crawford Country
Style, a downtown shop that sells "Luvya Dubya" trinkets and other Bush
memorabilia.

Most folks in Crawford (population 705) wholeheartedly support the re-election
of the man whose "Western White House" made their speck on the map famous.
Eighty-two percent voted for Bush in 2000.

The paper's publisher, W. Leon Smith, said he never expected such a hostile
response. He knew "a person or two might pull an ad, that we might lose a
subscriber or two."

"But this has turned a little more vicious," said Smith, 51, wearing a
decade-old knit tie and ink pens in his white shirt pocket.

More than a dozen area businesses banded together to take out a two-page ad in
a competing newspaper to endorse Bush, and all the stores in Crawford that sold
The Iconoclast stopped.

Rita Kirk, a Southern Methodist University public affairs professor, said Smith
should have expected a backlash from merchants who feel their lifeblood would
be threatened in a town that has been bolstered by tourism since Bush's
election.

"In this particular case, he made a judgment that he knew was not a prevailing
popular sentiment among his readers," Kirk said. "An independent press is
supposed to be just that. Of course, we all know free speech is never free."

Folks in Crawford are quick to point out that Smith does not even live here. He
lives in Clifton, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) to the north, where he owns
the Clifton Record and a movie theater next door and serves as mayor.

Smith started The Iconoclast after Bush bought his ranch in Crawford. He began
publishing the paper in late 2000, offering school news and plenty of pictures
of Crawford Pirate sporting events. As the 2000 election's outcome was battled
out in the courts, the new paper endorsed Bush.

But in the recent editorial, The Iconoclast said it supports Kerry and accused
the president of having a "smoke-screened agenda" and leading the United States
into a "quagmire" in Iraq on flimsy pretenses.

Smith, who co-wrote the editorial, said it gave a voice to a minority of
Crawford residents who do not feel they can speak their minds without being
"pounced upon."

"People are telling us that they read the editorial and that it reflects the
way they feel," Smith said. "They felt like we had stepped out and done that in
a very bold way right in the heart of where the problem is."

To many in Crawford, though, the editorial was a slap in the face on the same
week as the town's biggest event of the year - the annual Tonkawa Traditions
Festival, which features a parade, a street dance and lawnmower races.

"If it wasn't the week of the Tonkawa Traditions, it would have still been
upsetting," said Nick Spanos, owner of the Coffee Station, a convenience store
and cafe where Bush sometimes dines when he is in town. "But that on top of it
just made it a little bit worse."

"The rest of the nation looked at that and saw it as Crawford - the president's
adopted hometown - didn't even support him. That's as far from the truth as you
can possibly get," said Mike Westerfield, 49, a lifelong Crawford resident who
praises Bush as a "down-home, God-fearing, family loving Texan."

Smith said he hopes tempers cool and his relations with Crawford merchants
improve after the election.

Asked about that possibility, Spanos replied, "With him? Hell, no."



Popeye
Man is certainly stark mad. He cannot even make a worm,
and yet he will be making gods by the dozens.

"Popeye NCAT3" <buzcutt454@aol.comByteMe> wrote in message
news:20041012205651.12548.00001588@mb-m21.aol.com...

> "In this particular case, he made a judgment that he knew was not a
> prevailing
> popular sentiment among his readers," Kirk said. "An independent press is
> supposed to be just that. Of course, we all know free speech is never
> free."

> Gotta love it.

Yep, we're definitely in the throws of dictatorship. What happens next, all
the Texas bars stop serving booze in honor of Bush's sobriety? Thank God
I'm a Californian.

"Greg Mossman" <mossman@qnet.com> wrote in message
news:416c8a8c$0$105$6c56adcd@news.qnet.com...

> Yep, we're definitely in the throws of dictatorship.

No, actually, We are trying to keep you numbnuts from imposing one, complete
with evangelists like Edwards:

Edwards Stem Cell Vision: "We will stop juvenile diabetes, Parkinson's,
Alzheimer's and other debilitating diseases... When John Kerry is president,
people like Christopher Reeve are going get up out of that wheelchair and
walk again.' Edwards made the unprecedented campaign promises during
30-minute speech at Newton High School gym in Newton, Iowa." Guess he was
too busy lying to know that Reeve was dead.

And of course the attempts to silence Sinclair Networks, all that freedom of
speech shit that you, Moore and the like use are not for everyone,
especially not those opposing the "party of tolerance".

> What happens next, all the Texas bars stop serving booze in honor of
Bush's sobriety? Thank God
> I'm a Californian.

With a Republican Governor, after your precious lefty screwed his office
into the ground.

Even Californians are growing sick of you drooling liberal socialists.

>>Yep, we're definitely in the throws of dictatorship.

that's "throes" y'know

-- and if ya don't like this dictatorship, there are plenty of others to
choose from around the world!

There's nothin' really sayin' ya gotta stay here.

So sez

MC

"Scott" <pugetsounddiver@geemail.com> wrote in message
news:10mp4tak3021hbd@corp.supernews.com...

> Edwards Stem Cell Vision: "We will stop juvenile diabetes, Parkinson's,
> Alzheimer's and other debilitating diseases... When John Kerry is
> president,
> people like Christopher Reeve are going get up out of that wheelchair and
> walk again.' Edwards made the unprecedented campaign promises during
> 30-minute speech at Newton High School gym in Newton, Iowa." Guess he was
> too busy lying to know that Reeve was dead.

So what do you personally have against stem-cell research? Is it a biblical
thing with you too?

> And of course the attempts to silence Sinclair Networks, all that freedom
> of
> speech shit that you, Moore and the like use are not for everyone,
> especially not those opposing the "party of tolerance".

Once again, no broadcast network has yet threatened to air Fahrenheit 9/11
on public TV. It's the same damn thing.

> With a Republican Governor, after your precious lefty screwed his office
> into the ground.

Arnie's as liberal a Republican as they can get and he still won't get
anything done before he's dis-elected.

> Even Californians are growing sick of you drooling liberal socialists.

Now you've definitely lost touch with reality.

>From: "Greg Mossman" mossman@qnet.com
>Date: 10/13/2004 12:57 AM Eastern Daylight Time
>Message-id: <416cb655$0$106$6c56adcd@news.qnet.com>
>
>"Scott" <pugetsounddiver@geemail.com> wrote in message
>news:10mp4tak3021hbd@corp.supernews.com...
>
>> Edwards Stem Cell Vision: "We will stop juvenile diabetes, Parkinson's,
>> Alzheimer's and other debilitating diseases... When John Kerry is
>> president,
>> people like Christopher Reeve are going get up out of that wheelchair and
>> walk again.' Edwards made the unprecedented campaign promises during
>> 30-minute speech at Newton High School gym in Newton, Iowa." Guess he was
>> too busy lying to know that Reeve was dead.
>
>So what do you personally have against stem-cell research? Is it a biblical
>thing with you too?

Nothing, I think it's a great idea.

I just don't think it will help Christopher Reeve.


Popeye
Man is certainly stark mad. He cannot even make a worm,
and yet he will be making gods by the dozens.

"Greg Mossman" <mossman@qnet.com> wrote in message
news:416cb655$0$106$6c56adcd@news.qnet.com...
> "Scott" <pugetsounddiver@geemail.com> wrote in message
> news:10mp4tak3021hbd@corp.supernews.com...
>
> > Edwards Stem Cell Vision: "We will stop juvenile diabetes, Parkinson's,
> > Alzheimer's and other debilitating diseases... When John Kerry is
> > president,
> > people like Christopher Reeve are going get up out of that wheelchair
and
> > walk again.' Edwards made the unprecedented campaign promises during
> > 30-minute speech at Newton High School gym in Newton, Iowa." Guess he
was
> > too busy lying to know that Reeve was dead.
>
> So what do you personally have against stem-cell research? Is it a
biblical
> thing with you too?

Nothing at all against stem cell research, just a fucking lying montebank
like Edwards.

John Kerry isnt going to cure shit.

<chop the rest of the fantasy>

Greg Mossman wrote:
> "Scott" <pugetsounddiver@geemail.com> wrote in message
> news:10mp4tak3021hbd@corp.supernews.com...
>
>> Edwards Stem Cell Vision: "We will stop juvenile diabetes, Parkinson's,
>> Alzheimer's and other debilitating diseases... When John Kerry is
>> president,
>> people like Christopher Reeve are going get up out of that wheelchair and
>> walk again.' Edwards made the unprecedented campaign promises during
>> 30-minute speech at Newton High School gym in Newton, Iowa." Guess he was
>> too busy lying to know that Reeve was dead.
>
> So what do you personally have against stem-cell research? Is it a biblical
> thing with you too?

I don't usually jump into these non-diving threads, but as a diabetic
who has been promised by a malpractice lawyer that I will walk again if
we elect Kerry...

George Bush is the first president to provide federal funding for stem
cell research. The biblical opposition comes from that clause in the Old
Testament, "Thou shalt not lie."

Stem cells are the snake oil of the 21st century. In spite of Bush's
federal funding, in spite of the state supported stem cell research
going on all over the world, you ain't gonna see any cures. Maybe a
marginally effective treatment or two, but write this on yer bathroom
wall: there ain't gonna be no cures from stem cell research.

While malpractice lawyers foresee the day when a Democrat can place his
hands on you and bark, "Be healed!" and you will rise from yer
wheelchair, private enterprise - which has the opportunity to make
trillions from, say, a "cure" for diabetes - is not so anxious to invest
private funding in snake oil research.

So elect Kerry, piss away taxpayers' billions chasing pigs in a poke,
and create lots of jobs for the NIH and university grant leeches.

The charming thing about Democrats is that they will believe anything.

"mike gray" <scrubadub@att.net> wrote in message
news:uTbbd.694669$Gx4.335802@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...

> Stem cells are the snake oil of the 21st century. In spite of Bush's
> federal funding, in spite of the state supported stem cell research going
> on all over the world, you ain't gonna see any cures. Maybe a marginally
> effective treatment or two, but write this on yer bathroom wall: there
> ain't gonna be no cures from stem cell research.

"My position on these issues is shaped by deeply held beliefs. I'm a strong
supporter of science and technology, and believe [stem cells] have the
potential for incredible good -- to improve lives, to save life, to conquer
disease. Research offers hope that millions of our loved ones may be cured
of a disease and rid of their suffering. I have friends whose children
suffer from juvenile diabetes. Nancy Reagan has written me about President
Reagan's struggle with Alzheimer's. My own family has confronted the
tragedy of childhood leukemia. And, like all Americans, I have great hope
for cures."

-- The President's Address to the Nation, 8/9/01

> While malpractice lawyers foresee the day when a Democrat can place his
> hands on you and bark, "Be healed!" and you will rise from yer wheelchair,
> private enterprise - which has the opportunity to make trillions from,
> say, a "cure" for diabetes - is not so anxious to invest private funding
> in snake oil research.

Private enterprise isn't interested in finding a cure when it can make more
money selling treatment.

> The charming thing about Democrats is that they will believe anything.

Apparently so do Republicans [see above].

Greg Mossman wrote:

> "My position on these issues is shaped by deeply held beliefs. I'm a strong
> supporter of science and technology, and believe [stem cells] have the
> potential for incredible good -- to improve lives, to save life, to conquer
> disease. Research offers hope that millions of our loved ones may be cured
> of a disease and rid of their suffering. I have friends whose children
> suffer from juvenile diabetes. Nancy Reagan has written me about President
> Reagan's struggle with Alzheimer's. My own family has confronted the
> tragedy of childhood leukemia. And, like all Americans, I have great hope
> for cures."

Hope, hope, hope, the currency of politicians. Bush funded stem cell
research because the hopes of the desperate are easily converted to votes.

Tonight we will see two slimeballs out-hoping one another.

Stem cells offer great hope. But no cures.

>> The charming thing about Democrats is that they will believe anything.
>
> Apparently so do Republicans [see above].

Hell, nobody believed Bush.