TO THE EDITOR
FEELING BURNED
In regard to Kate Storm’s article on
Burning Man (5/27), I am sorry you had such
a rough time out there and could not find the
resources to tough it out until the burn. I
would have to agree about some of the bad
burners in recent years (you didn’t mention
which year you attended), but to generalize
your own brief, but valid, experience as the
norm did not sit well with me.
I am not sure
where you found that
quote about “no
rules,” but it is way
off. The oldest rule at
B.M. is to not inter-
fere with anyone
else’s immediate ex-
perience. Apparently,
the golden rule was
broken around you
more than once, but I
feel it is up to individ-
uals to decide if they
take an agenda out
there or if they choose
to play the role of pas-
sive victim. Individuals have the opportunity
to speak up for themselves out there (even if
their voice quivers) and have the support of
their community, which I have witnessed.
That is part of the experiment in society.
The “Americans” thing was weird, too. I
have met folks out there from Japan,
England, Italy, Germany, Australia, and New
Zealand. You also failed to mention that the
B.M. ice and water sales support local
Nevada school activities. It is sad when indi-
viduals miss out on all the creative people,
amazing art and good vibes that are plentiful
on the playa. That is what happens when un-
informed people attend.
Who are you really mad at? Maybe you
should direct all your issues at society, not an
art festival. Are you aware that the picture
used in your slam is a personal one of mine
with me in it? So, who is being exploited
now?
Saddest of all, I do not understand why
such a negative piece would even appear in
the “fun” under the sun. Your rant will only
scare off the cool folks and invite the jerks,
leaving a fragile balance even more fragile.
Michael Byrd
Eugene
VERY SCARY
During the course of the
Iraqi invasion, U.S. troops have
performed numerous atrocities,
some of which barely received
mention in the U.S. news. Last
week, U.S. forces massacred an
entire village of mostly women
and children during a wedding
ceremony when they mistook
celebratory gunfire for enemy
threat. They have abused Iraqi
prisoners, some to the point of
death, and posed for pictures
with them. Yet last week, President Bush
completely ignored these horrors and chose
to publicly denounce the Iraqis for the death
of Nicholas Berg, which, while truly brutal
and barbaric, is, as both sides have clearly
demonstrated, the cost of war.
It is deeply disconcerting that Americans,
upon hearing Bush’s speech, will receive
such a skewed view of the situation. This is
definitely not what the rest of the world is
seeing. It is terribly disturbing that the Bush
administration has the level of unmitigated
authority to make subjectively moral deci-
sions and judgments, act on them at will, then
actively misrepresent them to the American
people on national television. This, in my
view, is becoming a very scary version of
democracy and one I hope not to pass along
to my children.
Elizabeth Borelli
San Jose, CA
President Bush has the guts to do what’s right
and fire his Secretary of Defense as soon as
possible.
Brian Schick
Ashland
BUSH HAVE GUTS?
FAKE ALERTS
The torture of Iraqi prisoners is so unbe-
lievably reprehensible that it requires the im-
mediate firing of Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld. The torturing of prisoners
under U.S. watch is not the type of military
mishap that will be made OK by the court
martial of a few underlings. The buck stops at
the top of the Defense Department. I hope
I was listening to Tom Ridge, the head of
Homeland Security, on “Jim Lehrer News
Hour” this evening. Apparently there are
vague, unspecific warnings of possible Al
Quaeda attacks being planned this summer
on the U.S. at the key political conventions
and summits. I found myself in a conun-
drum. At first, the threat of impending Al
BY DAN CAROL
Vote Swap ’04
Let the games begin.
T
his column is all about love and voting. The stars of this roman-
tic entanglement, however, are not Hugh Grant, Pierce Brosnan or
Emma Thompson. No sirree, it’s you, Ralph Nader, and some myste-
rious stranger you haven’t even met. Disgusted? Confused? Turned on a little?
Let me explain.
Perhaps you remember late in 2000, when an enterprising group of left-wing techies
launched The Nader Trader site — allowing voters a chance to strategically “swap” Nader
and Gore votes in states where the electoral outcome was obvious.
The theory was (and still is) pretty smart: Green voters want to show Democrats their
true numbers, to get a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Vote swapping allows this to happen, without
turning Green voters into spoilers. Everybody wins, except for George Bush.
Vote swapping doesn’t involve arguing, yelling, or shaming Nader voters into holding
their nose when they vote. What it does require are thoughtful peer-to-peer conversa-
tions, trust, and maybe just a little love between distant strangers who are basically kin-
folk in the same tribe.
Sound good so far? You bet it does. Of course, the $64,000 question still looms
large: just how do you find a vote-swapping partner? And will doing that be as painful as
your first dance in junior high?
Never fear.
A
s Oregon voters in a key swing state, I gotta tell you that we are pretty hot
property on the vote swapping scene. The fact is Desperate Democrats in Dixie
states will do just about anything to swap with a Duck who is ready to Ralph.
Making multiple connections won’t be hard either — websites will soon be popping up all
over the place so you’ll have your pick of partners (and most experts believe that legal
roadblocks thrown up by some states in 2000 will be easily surmounted this year).
4 JUNE 3, 2004
But why wait for Internet dates — you’re creative and good-looking
right? For example, why not find your special voting friend using the per-
sonal ads? Let me show you how. Here’s a draft of my ad (now awaiting
spousal sign-off):
LWM, 46, IS SEEKING OUT (ISO) GREEN VOTER FOR ONE-TIME SWAP,
NO PERMANENT COMMITMENT NECESSARY. Me: Into a smarter war on
terrorism, living wage, The Apollo Alliance, a global commitment to girls’ ed-
ucation and winning elections. Will consider three-way swaps under special cir-
cumstances. You: Live in a “red state” that the Democrats will never win, like
Alabama or Kentucky. You can like Nader or Kerry, but mainly I need you to dislike
Bush. I’ll trust you to vote Nader. Trust me, I’m voting for John Kerry. No photo neces-
sary — I’m happily married.
Looking for a vote-swapping relationship with more long-term potential than I am?
No worries. How about posting something a bit more mysterious like this:
BROADWAY BLUES. I saw you at the corner of Willamette and Broadway. You were
wearing a “Ralph Rules” hat. I was driving a Honda with a Kerry bumper sticker. Our
eyes met for an instant — then you looked away. Can’t we try again?
Still feeling too shy to try? Remember it’s also your job to encourage others to vote
swap — no reason to keep a good thing secret.
Here’s an ad I’m encouraging a friend of mine from Texas to post, to hook up with a
hard-core Nader supporter in Oregon:
YDD (Yellow Dog Democrat) STUCK IN CRAWFORD ISO OREGON ANARCHIST FOR A
VOTE SWAP QUICKIE. You: are into breakfast at Keystone and vegan muffins but re-
spect my love of grits and grazing animals. Together we’re 53 million votes to Bush’s
50 million. Whaddaya say?
All kidding aside, vote swapping is an interesting mechanism worth considering in
some cases (and some places) to ensure that Democrats and Greens do vote, and vote
strategically. The idea won’t work for everyone, but that’s OK. We’ve got five months to
work out the kinks, make friends and vote-swap if it feels right. In the meantime, love the
one you’re with.
Dan Carol is a Democratic political strategist and a founding partner of CTSG (www.ctsg.com), a progressive
consulting firm based in Eugene and Washington, D.C.