----- Original Message ----- From: Konstantin Kilibarda <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: STOP NATO! <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, April 28, 2000 5:49 AM Subject: [STOPNATO] FW: A Victory for the Holiday Inn Workers - A Message from Michael Moore (fwd) STOP NATO: NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.COM -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2000 9:18 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: san: A Victory for the Holiday Inn Workers - A Message from Michael Moore (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 12:50:09 EDT From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: Michael Moore's newsletter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: A Victory for the Holiday Inn Workers - A Message from Michael Moore A Victory for the Holiday Inn Workers, Thanks to You (Now Let's Run a Ficus for Congress!) April 26, 2000 Dear Friends, We won! Not only has Elian Gonzales been reunited with his father (my only criticism of the raid and that photo on Saturday is that the gun wasn't big enough), but our Mexican friends in Minneapolis who were being deported for starting a union have won their fight to stay in the United States! At the INS hearing yesterday, after being deluged with thousands of your letters, plus the hard work of a lot of good people in the Twin Cities, the immigration judge ruled in favor of the 8 Mexican housekeepers, declaring that they should be made "legal." You have no idea how stunning this decision is. Last week, after interviewing the people at the INS in Minneapolis, it was clear that these immigrants (who were being punished because they successfully formed a union at the Holiday Inn where they worked) were going to lose. That is why I wrote to ask you to flood the INS and the Justice Department with e-mail. But within 24 hours of my letter to you, those two federal agencies became quite busy with the nuttiness in Miami. I figured that our letters to them would get lost in all the distraction. But they didn't. By yesterday, the INS had received tens of thousands of e-mails, eloquent pleas from those of you who asked that these 8 Mexican workers be given the same chance most of our ancestors got when they came to America. Well, it worked. I can't thank you enough for taking a few minutes to lend a hand. I continue to be amazed at the power of the Internet. A few years ago, we never would have been able to respond so quickly to a problem, let alone even hear about it. We must try to keep the Internet in the hands of the people and free of government and corporate control. This is a powerful tool. The Mexicans have received what is called "deferred status," meaning they can stay and work legally until such time they can be upgraded to perhaps a green card or even citizenship. This is a huge victory. Thanks again to all of you plus the lawyers and church people in Minneapolis who gave their time. You can see the whole story -- plus how we punished Holiday Inn in our own "special way" -- on an upcoming episode of "The Awful Truth" (which premieres in three weeks on Wednesday, May 17, 10pm ET/PT on Bravo). And, speaking of "The Awful Truth," we are holding a press conference in an hour to formally announce a "candidate" we are running for Congress -- a Ficus plant. That's right. We are running a potted plant for the U.S. House of Representatives. Since word leaked out about us trying to get a Ficus on the ballot, over 20 other people around the country have also announced campaigns to get Ficuses elected in their districts. If you would like to get on board the potted plant bandwagon and run a write-in campaign in your district, please read the press release below. We are shooting all this for "The Awful Truth," and it is our hope to see Ficuses and other houseplants giving incumbent Congressmen who face little or no opposition a run for their money. 95% of all incumbents get re-elected and many of them run unopposed. We believe the country would be better off with a Ficus tree sitting in Congress than some of these clowns. So, check out our website (http://www.Ficus2000.com) and send us a photo or video of the houseplant you are running for Congress and we'll put it on our show. Thanks again for your help! Yours, Michael Moore http://www.michaelmoore.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 26, 2000 FICUS PLANT ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR CONGRESS NEW JERSEY'S 11TH DISTRICT IS TARGETED PUBLIC ENCOURAGED TO WRITE-IN "FICUS" ON BALLOTS OVER TWENTY CONGRESSIONAL SEATS IN U.S. CHALLENGED BY HOUSEPLANTS Claiming that the American people "deserve better," a potted plant, commonly known as "Ficus," formally announced its campaign this morning to seek the Congressional seat in New Jersey's 11th District as a write-in candidate on both the Democrat and Republican Party ballots in the June 6 primary. "The United States Congress is full of babbling idiots and bumbling morons," said Ficus campaign strategist and filmmaker Michael Moore. "Most run unopposed in their primaries and 95% are re-elected every time in the general election. What we get from these Congressmen-for-life is a lot of hot air, a bunch of promises that are never kept, problems like health care and education that are never addressed, more taxes for a bigger military when there are no wars, and a bigger paycheck for Congress when they don't deserve it." Moore, in presenting the Ficus at a press conference in the historic town square of Morristown, New Jersey (site of George Washington's military headquarters), also announced that Ficuses in more than twenty other Congressional districts around the country (see list), where the incumbent faces little or no opposition, are also entering the race. "Ficus Fever is sweeping the nation," said Moore. "In a country where the majority no longer vote, writing in Ficus will give the disenfranchised voter a chance to cast a vote for "None of the Above!" Ficus will run as both a Democrat and a Republican because, according to Moore, "There is little difference between the two so-called parties." "Both the Democrat and Republican nominees for President are for NAFTA, for the death penalty, for increased military spending, against immediate universal health care, against stringent gun control that would ban handguns, and both looked like pandering idiots regarding their exploitation of that six-year old Cuban boy." "But, more important, both parties are beholden to those who pay for their campaigns. Why should the wealthy have two parties doing their bidding, and the other 90% of Americans have no real representation?" The Ficus will accept no campaign contributions. All it needs is air, sunlight, and water. "And a little fertilizer," which Moore said the Ficus "should find plenty of in Washington." Moore said that "all Ficuses running for Congress across the country meet the Constitutional qualifications: each Ficus is at least twenty-five years old, each has been in the U.S. for at least seven years, and each is a resident of the district where it seeks election." A search of the official Ficus website - www.Ficus2000.com - confirms that at least twenty-one potted plants are running as write-in candidates in states such as California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Alabama. The Congressional seat in New Jersey's 11th District, which covers Morris County and part of Essex County - and is inhabited by the state's highest income earners - is currently held by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, a three-term Republican, and the thirteenth wealthiest member of Congress. Frelinghuysen's father once held the same seat and, since 1793, New Jersey has sent six Frelinghuysens to Congress -- four to the U.S. Senate and two to the House of Representatives. "We think it's time to point out to the Frelinghuysen Family that we live in a democracy, not a dynasty. If no credible human out of the district's 500,000 voters was willing to step forward and challenge Mr. Frelinghuysen, at least the voters now have a houseplant to give them a real choice on June 6." Moore said the Ficus will run under the slogans: "FICUS: Because We Deserve Better" and "Put a Houseplant in the House - Vote Ficus." Anyone around the country who would like to challenge their incumbent Congressman with a potted plant is encouraged to contact Moore on the www.Ficus2000.com web site. "The choice is simple - hot air or oxygen? I've seen a lot of politicians lie, cheat, steal, and use improper syntax. I have never met one who can perform photosynthesis." Ficus Congressional Districts Alabama 6th District 1st District 3rd District Arkansas 3rd District North Carolina 5th District 6th District South Carolina 4th District Virginia 7th District 5th District 6th District 10th District California 43rd District 14th District Illinois 13th District Pennsylvania 5th District 9th District Texas 6th District 8th District 19th District Ohio 16th District New Jersey 11th District ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb
