Hi. TomP here with EENR No. 201. I only have two stories tonight. First, the St. Anselm address by John Edwards, a major speech. Second, Edwards on "mercenaries" in Iraq.
"This corruption did not begin yesterday, and it did not even begin with George Bush," Edwards said in speech excerpts provided by his campaign. "It has been building for decades, until it now threatens literally the life of our democracy."
''Let us blaze a new path together,'' said Edwards.
The Advocate
First, John Edwards made a major speech today that sets the direction for the rest of the campaign, of his life.
MANCHESTER, N.H. - John Edwards on Monday cast Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton and her ties to lobbyists as part of a corrupt Washington system that voters should reject in the presidential election.
snip
He cast the 2008 election as the culmination of an epic struggle between Washington greed and the power of the people. "This is the moral test of our generation," Edwards said.
"Down one path, we trade corporate Republicans for corporate Democrats; our cronies for their cronies; one political dynasty for another dynasty, and all we are left with is a Democratic version of the Republican corruption machine," he said.
San Francisco Examiner
It’s time to tell the truth. And the truth is the system in Washington is corrupt. It is rigged by the powerful special interests to benefit they very few at the expense of the many. And as a result, the American people have lost faith in our broken system in Washington, and believe it no longer works for ordinary Americans. They’re right.
snip
Let us blaze a new path together, grounded in the values from which America was forged, still reaching toward the greatness of our ideals. We can do it. We can cast aside the bankrupt ways of Washington and replace them with the timeless values of the American people. We can liberate our government from the shackles of corporate money that bind it to corporate will, and restore the voices of our people to its halls.
This is the cause of my life. This is the cause of our time. Join me. Together, we cannot fail.
Please read the entire speech here in Tracy Joan's diary. It articulates what I most believed in.
John Edwards: The Moral Test of our Generation (major speech, full text)
Second, John Edwards is not afraid to tell the truth about the mercenaries, the Hessians, America employs in Iraq.
Later, at a town-hall meeting in Exeter, N.H., Edwards blamed the Washington system for allowing the government to hire private security guards like those who work for Blackwater USA. Blackwater guards were involved in the killings of 17 Iraqi civilians in September in Baghdad.
"Right now, we've got men and women serving in uniform in Iraq while we've got a bunch of paid mercenaries roaming around the country lawless, the best I can tell, working for Blackwater and people like that," Edwards said.
The U.S. government has rejected the use of the term "mercenaries" in a United Nations report to describe Blackwater guards, saying it is demeaning to those who risk their lives defending U.S. interests. Edwards told reporters after his appearance that he didn't know the government objected to the term.
"And I don't care," he said, adding that he "absolutely" believes it is a fair term.
San Francisco Examiner
John Edwards has the courage to tell the truth to power. Will YOU tell truth to power? Will you fight for change? Will you stand up with him? Will you stand up? Will you?
Tell your friends. Spread the word about real change.
Give $$$ to his campaign. Anything. $10 will be matched and become $20.
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Join up and travel to the early states to canvass and help out!
Sign up to travel on behalf of the campaign today
Or Donate to Friends of the Earth Action:
Friends of the Earth Action (FoE Action), one of the longest-standing, national environmental organizations in the country, today launched a new radio ad in New Hampshire called, "Humanity," featuring John Edwards describing his plan to fight global warming. The ad, which is part of an independent, grassroots campaign on Edwards' behalf in the Granite State, comes on the heels of the group's endorsement of him for president on October 14th.
"This ad is the first part of our campaign to mobilize our members and supporters, like-minded environmentalists and voters in New Hampshire for the election of John Edwards as President," said Brent Blackwelder, president of FoE Action. "As our ad states, 'John Edwards has the courage to lead on global warming.' That is why we enthusiastically endorsed him and now plan to spend the next three months helping him win the Democratic nomination for president."
FoE Action
It will not be easy -- sacrifice will be required of us -- but it was never easy for our ancestors, and their sacrifices were far greater than any that will fall on our shoulders.
Yet, the responsibility is ours.
We, you and I, are the guardians of what America is and what it will be.
The choice is ours.
John Edwards: The Moral Test of our Generation (major speech, full text)
Will YOU stand up and fight for real change?