George,

Wanted to congratulate you on being part of a historic convention.

I believe the tone that was set in the convention was both inspirational and exceptional strategy. I have long thought that the only valid weapon in the world is compassionate understanding, that if we directed all of our energies toward truly understanding what drove others to violence like 9/11, we would be more likely to discover the root cause and create more balanced living systems for all.

And so the less confrontational rhetoric of the convention was a step in a strong direction. If maintained with fervent conviction it will lead to a great result. It gives the other layers none of their ususal moves. They sound so hollow in comparison.

Wanted to highly recommend to you and anyone who frequents your site a movie called, "The Corporation" . The filmmakers wisely assess the growth of the role of the Corporation in society. They affectively look at the role it has taken as the dominant force in the world, comparable to Churches in the past. They effectively note that a corporation, which has all the rights of a person, has none of the moral difficulties and is therefore able to operate in what would clinically be deemed as a "psychopathic" manner - taking all it wants for itself with no regard for others.

The movie is both chilling and hopeful. It features interviews with individuals from across the spectrum of belief and experience. It only stops short of the logical conclusion and observation. In order to understand the present administration's position on war, world trade, jobs abroad, etc. you need only understand that to the average Republican, America is a corporation. Mr. Bush and his administration have one primary responsibility, to protect the assests of the corporation's board of directors. The corporation models itself off of the military system in our country: Employees do not have to take moral responsibility for the action of their employer - that is the employer's responsibility just as soldiers do not have to take moral responsibility for their in actions in war - their only responsibility is to their commanding officer.

This is compellingly demonstrated in one interview with a high level research market analyst who has researched the frequency of children nagging their parents in order for makers of children's products to promote their merchandise more successfully to children. When asked if there were any moral issues involved in deliberately cuing defenseless children to desire more of a product, the woman easily responds, "That's not my job to consider moral implications. My job is to position product in the marketplace so it will sell more. Bottom line."

The movie even details how corporations are carefully buying rights to certain gene pools so that in the future, all human life will be theoretically owned.

The corporate system is simply a lens for the wealthy to protect their wealth. It has developed over time in America, even as America has become over the last century a world power by being a magnet for industry.

Leaving this film I was more sure than ever that I was not a part of a country, but that by my American citizenship, I was a high-mid-level employee of World, Inc. It was clear that the philosophy that business can be trusted was vital to the Republican message and it was also clear that is their Achilles heal.

Business cannot be trusted because it owes only responsibility to the stock holders it creates revenue for, not the community in which its goods or services are marketed. In a system of checks and balances the business community has clearly demonstrated that there is no such thing as personal responsibility of a corporation, and by the testimony of its own members, most of such posturing is just that, done to gain economic advantage.

In other word, go see the movie if you can.

Peace in our time,

Joe Clancy (electronic mail, August 4, 2004)