Ed Gillespie and Rock the Vote exhange words - Dallas Dance Music - Dallas nightlife, music, tickets, and more

question · 10-25-04, 01:29 PM

October 13, 2004

Ms. Jehmu Greene, President
Rock the Vote
1313 L Street, NW
First Floor
Washington, DC 20005

Dear President Greene:

It has been brought to the attention of the Republican National Committee- and was confirmed in the Los Angeles Times yesterday- that your organization is sponsoring and promoting a false and misleading Internet campaign designed to scare America's youth into believing that they may be drafted to serve in the military.

In the Times article your Political Director said, "I don't see why candidates get to talk about war all day long and we can't talk about the draft." Yet, as you must be aware this urban myth regarding a draft has been thoroughly debunked by no less then the President of the United States, who explicitly stated, "We don't need the draft. Look, the all-volunteer Army is working...," 1 as well as the Vice President, who explained, "And the notion that somebody's peddling out there that there is a secret plan to reinstate the draft, hogwash, not true." 2 Additionally, the Secretary of Defense, "heatedly denied yesterday that the military plans to bring back the draft and boost reserves and National Guard callups after the November election. 'That is absolute nonsense,' [Donald] Rumsfeld told the Senate Armed Services Committee. 'It's absolutely false that anyone in this administration is considering reinstating the draft.'" 3

In light of the above statements, the only conclusion to be drawn is that your Rock the Vote "Draft your Friends" campaign is being conducting with malicious intent and reckless disregard for the truth. As a "non-partisan" organization that enjoys the benefits of being formed under 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, you have an obligation to immediately cease and desist from promoting or conduction your "Draft" campaign.

The Republican National Committee shares the goal of your organization to encourage voter registration and "empower young people to change their world." In fact, our aggressive outreach efforts have produced more then 65,600 student Team Leaders and more then 26,000 young professional Team Leaders engaging their peers at the grassroots level to register voters and spread the party message. We've visited college campuses, NASCAR races, World Wrestling Entertainment matches and scores of other events that are packed with younger voters- including appearing on MTV's Total Request Live.

We've found that younger voters care about the same issues that older Americans care about; winning the War on Terror, creating jobs, improving our public schools, making health care more affordable, etc.

It is unfortunate that you feel the need to engage in a misinformed campaign regarding an alleged draft to energize young voters. This is the sort of malicious political deception that is likely to increase voter cynicism and in fact decrease the youth vote, as well as raising serious legal issues regarding the political motivations of your efforts.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Ed Gillespie
Chairman
cc:

Randel A. Falco, President, NBC Universal Television Networks Group
Vincent K. McMahon, Chairman, World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
Judy McGrath, Chairman and CEO, MTV Networks
Jonathan F. Miller, Chairman and CEO, AOL
Richard D. Parsons, Chairman and CEO, Time Warner Inc.

question · 10-25-04, 01:29 PM

October 14, 2004

Mr. Ed Gillespie, Chairman
Republican National Committee
310 First Street, SE Washington, DC 20003

VIA FASCIMILE: (202) 863-8774

Dear Chairman Gillespie,

The letter I received from you yesterday was quite a surprise. It struck us as just the sort of “malicious political deception” that is likely to increase voter cynicism and decrease theyouth vote. In fact, it is a textbook case of attempted censorship, very much in line with thosethat triggered our organization’s founding some fifteen years ago. I am stunned that you would say that the issue of the military draft is an “urban myth”that has been “thoroughly debunked by no less than the President of the United States.”

I have some news for you. Just because President Bush, Vice President Cheney, andSecretary Rumsfeld, and for that matter Senator Kerry, say that there is not going to be a draftdoes not make it so. Just because Congress holds a transparently phony vote against the draft does not mean there isn’t going to be one. Anyone who thinks that the youth of America aregoing to take a politician’s word on this topic is living on another planet.

By your logic, there should be no debate about anything that you disagree with. There’sa place for that kind of sentiment (and your threats), but its not here in our country.

There are questions that the politicians are running away from. How long can we keep138,000 U.S. troops or more on the ground in Iraq? What if full-scale civil war erupts there, asthe CIA has warned is a realistic possibility? Would the next President be faced with a choice of pulling out of Iraq rather than institute a draft? Would women be drafted? What exactly wouldthe draft-age be?

According to the Pentagon’s own internal assessment, there are “inadequate totalnumbers” of troops to meet U.S. security interests. The current issue of Time magazine reportsthat, “General John Keane, who retired last year as the Army's No. 2 officer, says the continued success of the all-volunteer military is not guaranteed... Keane has told Congress that addingmore than 50,000 troops to the Army would require thinking about a return to the draft.”

But you want young people to believe that the draft is just an “urban myth.” I wasexpecting that you were going to present some facts to back up your assertion. But, instead,you have demanded that we stop talking about it.

Although the draft may not be a discussion topic for someone of your age, we have found that young people - Republicans, Democrats and Independents - are very interested in thisissue. We believe in the capacity of young Americans to make their own judgments when fairlypresented with the facts. That is why we are actively promoting an informed, educated dialogue. I urge you to review the “Debunking the Myths” section on our website where weaddress misperceptions about the draft.

Mr. Gillespie, this is a generational issue. Nothing cuts closer to the core of the veryreason Rock the Vote exists. We think young people deserve to know where the politiciansstand on this issue—and that a generation that could be called to service deserves more than the phony debate they are getting. We believe that it is only by asking questions—not bycensoring debate—that our democracy can remain strong and vital.

Issues such as jobs, health care, Iraq, taxes, and education have energized theelectorate, and the draft issue deserves the same serious treatment and candor. Blanketdenials do not square with the facts and do not level with the electorate.

As far as the possibility that Rock the Vote’s efforts might “decrease the youth vote,” weare feeling very confident at this point that the opposite is true. More than 1.1 million peoplehave used our website to fill out voter registration forms this election cycle. Our street teams and ground partners have registered hundreds of thousands more. Young voters are going tosurge at the polls on Election Day and make the difference for whichever candidate does thebest job reaching out to them.

Despite the strong and often strident tone of your letter, I would hope that we couldboth agree that honest and open debate is the surest guarantor of our democracy and liberty.

Sincerely,

Jehmu S. Greene
President

CC:

Jon Stewart, The Daily Show
David Letterman, The Late Show
Conan O’Brien, Late Night
Jay Leno, The Tonight Show

question · 10-25-04, 01:30 PM

Taken from: Rock the Vote

10-25-04, 01:38 PM

point on censorship....

the cease and desist letter was not an attempt to silence RtV - it was merely pointing out that a tax exempt voice owes a duty of neutrality and asserting that duty had been breached. Whether RtV was behaving in a partisan way is subject to debate. Secondly, the RNC has no authority to silence anyone - its a private organization - as such it cannot violate the first amendment.

MysteryMeat · 10-25-04, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by question

We've visited college campuses, NASCAR races, World Wrestling Entertainment matches

...at least they know their voter base.

PS: more guns and less French in '05!

Satchel · 10-25-04, 04:59 PM

They probably should have just skipped the campuses and went straight for the rasslin' crowd.

10-25-04, 01:29 PM	#1 (permalink)
question Foolish Bastard Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Downtown Posts: 5,321	Ed Gillespie and Rock the Vote exhange words October 13, 2004 Ms. Jehmu Greene, President Rock the Vote 1313 L Street, NW First Floor Washington, DC 20005 Dear President Greene: It has been brought to the attention of the Republican National Committee- and was confirmed in the Los Angeles Times yesterday- that your organization is sponsoring and promoting a false and misleading Internet campaign designed to scare America's youth into believing that they may be drafted to serve in the military. In the Times article your Political Director said, "I don't see why candidates get to talk about war all day long and we can't talk about the draft." Yet, as you must be aware this urban myth regarding a draft has been thoroughly debunked by no less then the President of the United States, who explicitly stated, "We don't need the draft. Look, the all-volunteer Army is working...," 1 as well as the Vice President, who explained, "And the notion that somebody's peddling out there that there is a secret plan to reinstate the draft, hogwash, not true." 2 Additionally, the Secretary of Defense, "heatedly denied yesterday that the military plans to bring back the draft and boost reserves and National Guard callups after the November election. 'That is absolute nonsense,' [Donald] Rumsfeld told the Senate Armed Services Committee. 'It's absolutely false that anyone in this administration is considering reinstating the draft.'" 3 In light of the above statements, the only conclusion to be drawn is that your Rock the Vote "Draft your Friends" campaign is being conducting with malicious intent and reckless disregard for the truth. As a "non-partisan" organization that enjoys the benefits of being formed under 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, you have an obligation to immediately cease and desist from promoting or conduction your "Draft" campaign. The Republican National Committee shares the goal of your organization to encourage voter registration and "empower young people to change their world." In fact, our aggressive outreach efforts have produced more then 65,600 student Team Leaders and more then 26,000 young professional Team Leaders engaging their peers at the grassroots level to register voters and spread the party message. We've visited college campuses, NASCAR races, World Wrestling Entertainment matches and scores of other events that are packed with younger voters- including appearing on MTV's Total Request Live. We've found that younger voters care about the same issues that older Americans care about; winning the War on Terror, creating jobs, improving our public schools, making health care more affordable, etc. It is unfortunate that you feel the need to engage in a misinformed campaign regarding an alleged draft to energize young voters. This is the sort of malicious political deception that is likely to increase voter cynicism and in fact decrease the youth vote, as well as raising serious legal issues regarding the political motivations of your efforts. Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter. Sincerely, Ed Gillespie Chairman cc: Randel A. Falco, President, NBC Universal Television Networks Group Vincent K. McMahon, Chairman, World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. Judy McGrath, Chairman and CEO, MTV Networks Jonathan F. Miller, Chairman and CEO, AOL Richard D. Parsons, Chairman and CEO, Time Warner Inc. __________________ True, without falsehood, certain and most true, that which is above is the same as that which is below, and that which is below is the same as that which is above, for the performance of miracles of the One Thing. And as all things are from the One, by the meditation of One, so all things have their birth from this One Thing by adaptation.

10-25-04, 01:29 PM	#2 (permalink)
question Foolish Bastard Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Downtown Posts: 5,321	October 14, 2004 Mr. Ed Gillespie, Chairman Republican National Committee 310 First Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 VIA FASCIMILE: (202) 863-8774 Dear Chairman Gillespie, The letter I received from you yesterday was quite a surprise. It struck us as just the sort of “malicious political deception” that is likely to increase voter cynicism and decrease theyouth vote. In fact, it is a textbook case of attempted censorship, very much in line with thosethat triggered our organization’s founding some fifteen years ago. I am stunned that you would say that the issue of the military draft is an “urban myth”that has been “thoroughly debunked by no less than the President of the United States.” I have some news for you. Just because President Bush, Vice President Cheney, andSecretary Rumsfeld, and for that matter Senator Kerry, say that there is not going to be a draftdoes not make it so. Just because Congress holds a transparently phony vote against the draft does not mean there isn’t going to be one. Anyone who thinks that the youth of America aregoing to take a politician’s word on this topic is living on another planet. By your logic, there should be no debate about anything that you disagree with. There’sa place for that kind of sentiment (and your threats), but its not here in our country. There are questions that the politicians are running away from. How long can we keep138,000 U.S. troops or more on the ground in Iraq? What if full-scale civil war erupts there, asthe CIA has warned is a realistic possibility? Would the next President be faced with a choice of pulling out of Iraq rather than institute a draft? Would women be drafted? What exactly wouldthe draft-age be? According to the Pentagon’s own internal assessment, there are “inadequate totalnumbers” of troops to meet U.S. security interests. The current issue of Time magazine reportsthat, “General John Keane, who retired last year as the Army's No. 2 officer, says the continued success of the all-volunteer military is not guaranteed... Keane has told Congress that addingmore than 50,000 troops to the Army would require thinking about a return to the draft.” But you want young people to believe that the draft is just an “urban myth.” I wasexpecting that you were going to present some facts to back up your assertion. But, instead,you have demanded that we stop talking about it. Although the draft may not be a discussion topic for someone of your age, we have found that young people - Republicans, Democrats and Independents - are very interested in thisissue. We believe in the capacity of young Americans to make their own judgments when fairlypresented with the facts. That is why we are actively promoting an informed, educated dialogue. I urge you to review the “Debunking the Myths” section on our website where weaddress misperceptions about the draft. Mr. Gillespie, this is a generational issue. Nothing cuts closer to the core of the veryreason Rock the Vote exists. We think young people deserve to know where the politiciansstand on this issue—and that a generation that could be called to service deserves more than the phony debate they are getting. We believe that it is only by asking questions—not bycensoring debate—that our democracy can remain strong and vital. Issues such as jobs, health care, Iraq, taxes, and education have energized theelectorate, and the draft issue deserves the same serious treatment and candor. Blanketdenials do not square with the facts and do not level with the electorate. As far as the possibility that Rock the Vote’s efforts might “decrease the youth vote,” weare feeling very confident at this point that the opposite is true. More than 1.1 million peoplehave used our website to fill out voter registration forms this election cycle. Our street teams and ground partners have registered hundreds of thousands more. Young voters are going tosurge at the polls on Election Day and make the difference for whichever candidate does thebest job reaching out to them. Despite the strong and often strident tone of your letter, I would hope that we couldboth agree that honest and open debate is the surest guarantor of our democracy and liberty. Sincerely, Jehmu S. Greene President CC: Jon Stewart, The Daily Show David Letterman, The Late Show Conan O’Brien, Late Night Jay Leno, The Tonight Show __________________ True, without falsehood, certain and most true, that which is above is the same as that which is below, and that which is below is the same as that which is above, for the performance of miracles of the One Thing. And as all things are from the One, by the meditation of One, so all things have their birth from this One Thing by adaptation.

10-25-04, 01:30 PM	#3 (permalink)
question Foolish Bastard Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Downtown Posts: 5,321	Taken from: Rock the Vote __________________ True, without falsehood, certain and most true, that which is above is the same as that which is below, and that which is below is the same as that which is above, for the performance of miracles of the One Thing. And as all things are from the One, by the meditation of One, so all things have their birth from this One Thing by adaptation.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

night-lifestyle sites clubplanet wantickets newyears nochelatina cooljunkie

10-25-04, 01:38 PM	#4 (permalink)
xiannaix Guest Posts: n/a	point on censorship.... the cease and desist letter was not an attempt to silence RtV - it was merely pointing out that a tax exempt voice owes a duty of neutrality and asserting that duty had been breached. Whether RtV was behaving in a partisan way is subject to debate. Secondly, the RNC has no authority to silence anyone - its a private organization - as such it cannot violate the first amendment.

10-25-04, 04:59 PM	#6 (permalink)
Satchel Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Plaino Posts: 2,973	They probably should have just skipped the campuses and went straight for the rasslin' crowd.