***back on and commented on as a turning point in history when human beings had a choice and got it so very very wrong.*** Choice is what we get at Baskin Robbins, 52 flavors to chose from. Choice is what we get At Wal Mart , so many things to choose from. But if you want a political party it's a choice of 2 Between dumb and dumber.. I really hate BUSH, but I was shocked to hear a anti war protester Kerry say we would Hunt down and kill the terrorist. Remember Clinton bombing Yugoslavia, yep send those nationalist bastards to the stone ages.(95% of businesses in Yugoslavia were publicly Run) Not anymore. Yugoslavia is such a wonderful democracy now. Yea of coarse vote for dumb not dumber and hope to moderate the agenda somewhat. But never think this is a choice, most Governors and people running for the senate are elites who can afford to run, hence Mr Coors running for a senate seat in Colorado. This is pure theatre , I think we support it because we Are lazy and hope a hero emerges to save us all. The politicians are front runners or bag men for the big corporations that run America, the solution is to stop dreaming and change your local political scene, talk to neighbors, find a way to get active. Our local community affects us the most. Why not run for council or have members of the community work together to change the way Business is done. Your not alone, many others in your area think like you, stop sitting around And have fun getting to know people and what they believe , stop being self arrogant and telling Others how wrong they are. Social revolutions start in your local community and make the power change direction ,they come from the ground and move upwards. Cut your bloody cable TV and refuse to participate in blind consumption and get active.

My take on the whole "big, bad, Kerry the killer" as a selling point (and a bad one) that the democrat campaign people were using to appeal to those "swing votes". Terrorism has become a buzz word that the Bush bandits had drilled into the propoganda hungry folks of American who actually believe they are hated around the world because they are just so damn well-off - the world is jealous ("don't hate me because I'm beautiful" delusion of grandeur). Heck, the same Kerry who had been tarnished by Vietnam and had vehemently opposed such military actions prior to the elections and before national security became a key issue in the campaigns - was later seen campaigning in army camouflage with a hunting gun in hand (can you say neanderthal?). However, all the cross-dressing by the democrats was lost on the lost empire. Unfortunately, the world cannot afford another 4 years of environmental disaster from one of the most prolific countries when it comes to waste production per capita and neglecting to sign the Kyoto protocol. We might enjoy watching the Bush regime struggle with the mess they have made of their oil spill in the middle east - but we are playing with the lives of all those people caught in the nightmare there and festering contempt and violence from the abused souls whose largest crime was being born in the cursed lands marked as the axis of evil from the devil himself. Furthermore, we now have an imbicilic administration in the white house bent on making Canada sign a hoax of a ballistic missile defense strategy where we will be paying to serve as a human shield for any attacks made by N. Korea on our most worthy of neighbours whose sustenance is obviously so much more valuable than our own. I can understand how, out of our inherent self-protective mechanism of denial, you may have convinced yourself that we are definitely the winners with a loser like bush in power of the most powerful nation (for the short present term) - but I still live in the grim reality and am still devastated at the world's loss.

That's the problem with leftists like Adbusters and their editor Deborah Campbell. They would rather have a villian like Bush to create chaos in the world and make themselves look like heroic adversaries; instead of trying to solve one crisis at a time with a level-headed John Kerry. Mr. Kerry was a centerist, with a commitment to human rights, the environment, and internationalism. No, he wasn't Carole James. But he was committed to changing America's approach to the rest of the world. Frankly, he may be one of the best candidates (certainly the best in my 3-decades-plus lifetime) to lose a presidential election. Bob Dole, Mondale, Dukakis, even Gore... Kerry stands out as that combination of strong character, a legitimate military history, a stronger devotion to education and health care. But hey, at last the folks at Adbusters are happy!

Wow, defeatist attitude if I ever heard one.

"But what is the rest of the world doing to combat militarism and environmental devastation, to stop poverty, disease, famine..."? Well Deb, I'm assuming by the rest of the world you don't mean the people who are actually poor, diseased and caught in the cross-fire because they are just trying to stay alive. The other countries/govt's- well, some are looking at Kyoto, living a bit less less extravagantly than the average North American and doing the best they can with the limited POWER at their disposal. We'll never know how Kerry would have done, will we?

I'm not sure what point the author is making about the UN, but here's the historical record: The UN Security Council sanctioned the Korean War after the Soviet representative walked out. Canada participated in the 1991 Gulf War, also sanctioned by the UN. We participated in the Kosovo War, without UN sanction. We participated in the Afghanistan war, under Article 151, but without a specific UN resolution.

Oops, that should be Article 51.

*******That's the problem with leftists like Adbusters and their editor Deborah Campbell*** And coming to our rescue is a left wing labor hero, Yes Tony Blair the new left wing Centralist labor government after years of privatization and brutal right wing policy We now have a new fresh labor government for the people . OH, I guess he doesn't mind supporting BUSH . I guess He's better than the right. Oh folks , we all hate BUSH, he's a moron , his Policy is crude and brutal, but STOP WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO SAVE YOU.... Politics is pure Theatre, Tell me would( multi millionaire Kerry) rush to the public to urge them to curb their Blind consumption, did he ever advocate this in all his years in office. Did he ever stand up And vote against brutal US interventions . By standing up , I mean publicly protesting a US intervention and resigning his post because of it. Did everyone's hero Clinton mind bombing The Balkans and killing countless people, did the conditions in the US ghettos get much better under Clinton, did The environment get better, did we get more alternative energy under Clinton. The only reason We hate Bush is because he does not hide his self interest very well like Clinton did. The World can see clearly that the UN is a manly a protest body and does not work, why the Charade, Might is right and the world hates it... We are living next to ROME and we don't Mind chewing the fat . Every time you buy a bottle of COKE you support DUMONT, owner of numerous US arms dealers, every time you buy a product form general electric you support the US military industrial complex. The 1% of America and similar # of elites in Canada love you dreamers Hoping and praying for a hero, if only Kerry could change the world. Why pontificate about How wrong BUSH is and try to understand why this happened. Everyone loves a horse race, but Its not you or me who cashes in at the finish line. Its huge US corporations that play the odds the best, we're just the drooling dreamers hoping one day things will change. Positive change Has never come for the top, it only comes threw popular uprisings, labor laws protecting workers Did not come as a act of goodwill. These millionaire politians pimping threw the ghettos and churches is more than I can stomach. BUSH and KERRY and CLINTON and all pimps for the big corporations they serve, CLINTON is referred to as the great communicator he should be referred to as the great manipulator. In short I think Adbusters wrote this article to piss of all you So called liberals into getting active in your own communities and stop betting on a horse race every 4 years. Start local groups and shape your communities if you want change. Support the Ralf Naders of this world, Stop watching survivor politics and take back the power that belongs to us. *****Quote from 1984*** "It was curious to think that the sky was the same for everybody, in Eurasia or Eastasia as well as here. And the people under the sky were also very much the same—everywhere, all over the world, hundreds or thousands of millions of people just like this, people ignorant of one another's existence, held apart by walls of hatred and lies, and yet almost exactly the same—people who had never learned to think but were storing up in their hearts and bellies and muscles the power that would one day overturn the world."

I think we should go a little easy on the average American Bush-voter. Oddly enough, the areas that voted Bush were once, say in 1920, among the most radical and socialist areas of the USA. But the US ruling class is far more ruthless and totalitarian than the Canadian or British versions. The method has always been to absolutely crush dissent and to do so by any means fair or foul. Couple this with a media that acts as a shill for the state and an education system that promotes conformity, hatred of culture and works to kill all curiosity and critical thinking . Couple this with the promotion of hateful, crackpot religious cults that seemingly explain everything. Add it all up and you get the typical ignorant, uncultured, hateful, fearful, dog-like obedient zombie slave of a Bush supporter. I suspect that were we subjected to 100 years of state-sponsored violence and brainwashing we would be no different. While there is certainly a lot wrong with Canada, at least we have more real liberty than the poor souls south of us. (Although for how much longer if Cambullshit, Pinocharest and Steven “Fifth Column” Harper have their way.)

I'm not so sure that Bush won this election fair and square either, as more and more reports are coming about irregularities at the polls. I'm also not sure about the idea that the worse things get the better they WILL get. Eventually. That smacks of Marxist fatalism to me. A second term of Bush means a supreme court aligned further to the right for up to another twenty years, no matter who anyone votes for next time. A second Bush term means social security will be going private, and once it's left the public realm it may never come back. Bush will also allow further concentration in the media to the benefit of noone but Clear Channel. Will that help anyone on the left? The chance for reforming their archaic if not downright backwards electoral syastem are practically nill. Any reason to think that next election will be any cleaner in any way? Will the majority living in the so called "red" states suddenly realize where the source of their problems are? Onething the left-of-liberal left better start doing smarter themselves, is please stop insulting their intended audience with gross stereotypes everytime their guy doesn't win. Even if NBC and FOX are biased against them anyway these insults just give them more material to feed the image that leftists are elitist snobs. If the left wants someone more more progressive than Kerry to run and WIN then I think it's time to start finding ways to educate more people on what's really going, challenging the simple ideology the Republicans uses so well, maybe even listening to THEm for a change so Democrats can at least speak to them in terms they understand. Can't entirely blame others for that.

I'm not so sure that Bush won this election fair and square either, as more and more reports are coming about irregularities at the polls. I'm also not sure about the idea that the worse things get the better they WILL get. Eventually. That smacks of Marxist fatalism to me. A second term of Bush means a supreme court aligned further to the right for up to another twenty years, no matter who anyone votes for next time. A second Bush term means social security will be going private, and once it's left the public realm it may never come back. Bush will also allow further concentration in the media to the benefit of noone but Clear Channel. Will that help anyone on the left? The chance for reforming their archaic if not downright backwards electoral syastem are practically nill. Any reason to think that next election will be any cleaner in any way? Will the majority living in the so called "red" states suddenly realize where the source of their problems are? Onething the left-of-liberal left better start doing smarter themselves, is please stop insulting their intended audience with gross stereotypes everytime their guy doesn't win. Even if NBC and FOX are biased against them anyway these insults just give them more material to feed the image that leftists are elitist snobs. If the left wants someone more more progressive than Kerry to run and WIN then I think it's time to start finding ways to educate more people on what's really going, challenging the simple ideology the Republicans uses so well, maybe even listening to THEm for a change so Democrats can at least speak to them in terms they understand. Can't entirely blame others for that.

“At least, with Bush, the world knows what it's up against.”

?!…

This is exactly the sort of self-absorbed, ideologically-paralyzed nonsense we’ve come to expect from the people at Adbusters.

You don’t get it, Ms. Campbell: Because of Bush, innocent people are being stripped of their rights, tortured and killed today. Things would have been much different if Al Gore had won the 2000 election. (Not, perfect, of course, but not nearly as bad either).

The damage the Bush administration will wreak over the next four years will be devastating for gays, women, the poor, minorities and many, many others. To suggest that a Kerry administration would have been “just as bad” is utterly preposterous.

Ideals should guide us, not blind us. You have made the perfect the enemy of the better, a fatal error.

****You don’t get it, Ms. Campbell: Because of Bush, innocent people are being stripped of their rights, tortured and killed today. Things would have been much different if Al Gore had won the 2000 election. (Not, perfect, of course, but not nearly as bad either).***** Yea is only wonderful AL Gore would have won, He seemed like such a nice guy, he had nice Suits and appeared genuine when he read the teleprompters at the debates. He had great speech Writers and his English was very good. What a statesman, he appeared non threatening and had A great smile.(he had a excellent public relations crew) Yes I'm pissed that BUSH won but its almost laughable and very sad that people like yourself Christine and Rude-n are willing and hoping to accept the lesser of 2 evils with such grace. Yea BUSH is a bad man but to say Gore is not as bad as an alternative is a very sad comment on the state of politics in America and Canada for that fact. Yea folks BUSH is killing people for the corporations and forcing his agenda on The world, he is feeding his rich corporate friends and eating the poor and shitting on the environment but hey Gore and Kerry would also do this but on a smaller scale I hope. We all love To point out the short comings of BUSH, but if your going to give us a history lesson tell us When things have been different in America, tell us about a time when the US did not use force to Install dictators, destroy countries with force or economically(sanctions etc) . We have Kerry telling us that he would kill the terrorist himself and bragging about Vietnam a war that killed 2 million in SE Asia. What a hero, in short things are never going to change with folks betting On a horse race every 4 years, which elite will better serve me this time. GIVE ME A BREAK FOLKS , these ruling elites serve one master, $$$$$. They rule to serve the 1% of America that supports them and makes one of every 2 dollars earned, and the media gladly walk hand in hand. Go and vote democrat if you wand , either way your Supporting the same unsustainable system. Many voted for BUSH because they seen no real difference in the current policies etc, many prefer bold open greed and naked imperialism. Bush exists because you hope for a hero, maybe GORE should have worn A cape, positive change (the end of the Vietnam war, worker rights, social welfare, women's rights, gay rights etc) came from public resistance and took time and sacrifice something rare In current society. Its funny the biggest question asked is how can I make a difference, what should I do. The most privileged society wondering what to do, we only want to do something if it involves a quick fix. No one asked what to do in Central and south America , they just do It with less resources and less protections. Change comes from the bottom up, unless you wait for Social justice from the top down. Good luck , have fun voting for the the lesser of 2 evils. A little evil is acceptable. ORGANIZE, GET ACTIVE , BE CREATIVE , MAKE COALITIONS AND CHANGE YOUR COMMUNITIES AND FIGHT BACK OR SHUT UP (Adbusters is saying that with Bush we at least have a Tangible enemy and we don't have to put up with a Clinton or Kerry who pretend to do good While supporting the same ends.) Bush is a good weapon for the left.

L

"Bush is a good weapon for left"

Unfortunately, Stuart, he's a much better weapon for the right.

"ORGANIZE, GET ACTIVE , BE CREATIVE , MAKE COALITIONS AND CHANGE YOUR COMMUNITIES AND FIGHT BACK OR SHUT UP."

Couldn't agree more. One question: How, in your world, does a backhanded endorsement of a monster like Bush constitute "fighting back"? How does a refusal to compromise constitute "making coalitions"?

"Fighting" means doing whatever you can to gain ground, consitently, pragmaticaly, inch by bloody inch. Cheering for your opponents because you don't like some of the players on your team is not "fighting," it's a cop-out.

"Have fun voting for the lesser of two evils."

And the alternative is... what?

Have fun voting for the greater of two evils.

christine: "It's useless against the wind which cannot read." I wish you much needed luck in your quest for literacy. Some cases are harder than others - Bush, for example has a hard time holding the book upright (http://nowscape.com/Bush_dummies.htm)

Shirin: I’m sorry, but I can’t quite see where you’re coming from. Do you mean to suggest that I’m illiterate? Please clarify (without alluding to ancient Japanese fables, if at all possible). I’m curious to know what I’ve done to make you feel so clever.

Also: The photo of Bush with the book upside down was a Photoshop fake. Check Snopes.

Oh Christine, the US elections are mainly pure theatre. The public relations Advertising, spin doctors, speech writers all play along . Yes Bush is a monster , yes I wish He had not won . But if we as a society hope for positive change by voting for an Oligarch in hopes that he will deliver us from evil we are dreaming. I agree with you That BUSH is a monster and don’t mean to minimize the harmful consequences that The world will experience as a result of his victory. But if we look at history over the last 3 to 4 decades we see a pattern of US leaders either right or left killing for corporate profit in the name of democracy and the neo conservative agenda. Bush is moron and cannot hide his agenda like a Bill Clinton or JFK , hence the world wide outrage over Iraq BUSH is the poster boy for global change, a warning sign for the world. A motivator to get active and change the way we work our economies and threat out brothers and environment. Hitler could not have killed one man without the support of his masses, we are the alternative, we have the power , BUSH and his cronies are the minority that needs to be stomped out. We our told that this horse race every 4 years is democracy, every day Is democracy. If we all do our part we can make a BUSH or Kerry agenda impossible,

Stuart: I agree with you on every point: the quality of democracy in the United States is miserable… Democratic processes are a sham… All political parties are beholden to corporate interests… Fundamental change is desperately overdue… We must become more thoroughly involved in the political process in order to affect change… Mere voting is not enough… We must become active…

Still, I find Deborah’s argument (Bush is a net positive because he’ll be a rallying point for fundamental change) preposterous. It’s like saying, “Well, I’m glad I got my head blown off because I had a really bad toothache.”

I’m not a John Kerry fan. I think the best we could have expected from him is a return to business-as-usual under the Clinton administration. That leaves a lot to be desired. But it’s still way, way better than what we get with Bush.

I’m well aware of Al Gore’s shortcomings. However, the fact remains: If Gore had been in power, we wouldn’t have seen the Patriot Act, the War in Iraq, Constitutional changes to discriminate against gays and end abortion, Abu Gharib, Erosion of civil rights, Guantanamo Bay (I could go on and on).

I’ve got friends and family living in the United States right now, and they’re scared shitless. They don’t have the luxury to sit around and think up faux-contentious arguments (like the folks in the too-cool-for-school Adbusters set). They’re on the front lines, and they have every reason in the world to expect that their lives will suffer measurable damage over the next four years because George Bush has won the election.

Christine, sorry for the misunderstanding - I was alluding to your uphill battle in educating others when they appear rather resistant to your reasoning - which is very "readable" to me. So in short, it isn't you who I see as "illiterate" ;) - but those who would argue for argument's sake that Bush may benefit the world somehow. (I hope I didn't inadvertantly refer to any Japanese fables... this time around). PS - in regards to the photo of the upside down book - I knew it had to be a fake - I couldn't believe the man had ever held a book.

Good post Christine, your speaking my language. I think the folks at Adbusters also agree like I do with you. I believe the purpose of this article is to get a very negative aggressive response and get people's blood flowing like yours. Instead of getting depressed we should be getting angry and seeing the positives in a BUSH win . Adbusters in general is a very valuable weapon and is a breath of fresh air when we deal with so much information and fluff in our mainstream media. Bush is a monster , a monster that got elected to the dismay of the entire world and Half of America. Its easy to hate BUSH and the American Ideal of unlimited Consumption now more than ever before. We have never seen such a negative response to American foreign policy as we have under BUSH, over 50 million world wide protested the War in Iraq before it even started, this is unheard of and nothing has even taken place like this. Bush is so sloppy and ignorant that he is a rallying point for those of us wanting change, the facts are that he is a evil man but he is not the first one, either Nixon In SE Asia , Reagan in Central America and Libya or JFK in Cuba or Clinton in Yugoslavia, Bush Sr in Iraq. It goes on and on, the names change but the game goes on (except Jimmy Carter who I think was the best US president) History has Always been good to the US while nations have been destroyed by them militarily or by economic sanctions. Everyone will Remember Sep 11/01 but who will remember Sep11/1973( no monument will be built and no one will pay for these injustices, it never happened) In short Now more than ever before the worlds vast majorities are rejecting the Neo Conservative agenda, no longer can the corporations pull the wool over our eyes . The world sees it for what it is, US corporations opening up new markets at any cost. Many governments that have been seen to support the US have fallen, (Venezuela, Bolivia, Uruguay, Spain, Argentina. ) Social Revolutions have taken place all over South America and could not have happened without the support of George W. lets get busy and do our small part, if everyone did a little we would take complete control, most governments worst fear is have a population that is paying attention. Some basics... 1) Don't support unethical firms , don't participate In the market. Buy local From independent folks. 2) Don't be a hypocrite, don't live in a way that compromises your values. (don't behave like a hyper consumer and you will have plenty left for retirement) 3) Refuse to go into debt 4) Lobby your local council and get involved. 5) Redemocratize the media, create your own or lobby the CRTC etc. 6) Write your local MP's , with a minority gov we can get this changed. Already the Fed Libs have been forced to have a free vote of weapons in space. 7) Showcase your lifestyle to others, 160 countries voted against militarism. Including lap dogs Canada and Mexico. Brazil , Venezuela, Argentina and others are trying new systems and are resisting NAFTA. If they can we can, get creative .

Nice 7 points, Stuart, and I agree with you about Adbusters. It and GreenPeace are the best things Vancouver's given the world.

You're absolutely right, Deb. The oligarchy that controls the world must be destroyed before true progress is made. Better to have overt stupidity and wrongheadedness than covert manipulation of public resources. The people are more aware now than they have been in a long time, and the trend is growing.

My last comment on the U.S. election: In the country of the imbeciles, the moron is king.

Careful Tony in your sarcasm, here in Canada we elected 99 Conservative/Alliance/Reform MP's A party which resembles the US Republican party on every issue, In fact Steven Harper wrote a letter apologizing to the BUSH administration for our non participation in Iraq, Harper would love to crawl up on BUSH's lap and whisper dirty secrets in his ear, lets face it we have a large number of right wing nuts in our country who hold GUNS , GOD and GAYS as paramount issues, Just visit Alberta,(lots of GUN racks and pickups in every church parking lot. LOL