December 13, 2000: A date that will also live in infamy

Hard to watch without crying.

"I heard you, and I will not forget."

I will not forget either, how you stood up for this world when we needed your voice the most. Author, teacher, Nobel laureate, statesman, media entrepreneur. Proof that no man (or woman) is defined by a title and that no matter how much the naysayers try to knock you down, the truth will always hold you up.



On December 13, 2000 the chosen president Al Gore made his withdrawal speech to the country. After more than a month of trying to count all of the votes in Florida but running into nothing but corruption and foul play from Katherine Harris and her goons and also voting committees of both parties, intimidation tactics, brownshirt tactics, corrupted voting lists, media brainwashing and the brother of Bush who had covered for him, Al Gore withdrew (I will not say concede because he had gone as far as he could) after the USSC unconstitutionally appointed George W. Bush in a judicial coup (that unsurprisingly was to not set a precedent) that has now led this country to where we are now.

I remember watching the USSC decision. I was sitting in front of my tv with my then nine yr old son in my lap. After it was read I just held my son very close and tight and cried. I knew then that what the USSC had done which was outside their jurisidiction had sealed the fate of this country as far as democracy and representation by the people and that went beyond party.

Since then we have seen our country plummet. Fate has not been kind to us because I believe we missed our chance to truly stand up when it mattered the most. Subsequently the NORC count did show that Al Gore received thousands more votes than what had been allowed to be counted and by law then deserved the electoral votes of the state of Florida. George W. Bush was never a legitimate president and I never uttered the words president and Bush in the same sentence for eight years. For those years Al Gore was my president.

After that catastrophe of democracy I knew something should be done. I decided to start a PAC and called it Patriots for Al Gore. There weren't a lot of members but we raised money, did radio ads and tried a campaign to have Al Gore as a write in candidate in the 2004 primary elections. We did OK in New Hampshire and New Mexico with a few thousand even writing him in for Vice President. And believe me that was grassroots. I then decided that we needed more so I constructed an amendment to the constitution whereby if fraud could be proven beyond a doubt which kept a duly elected president from serving their term that they could be "restored" to the term they were denied. We even had buttons saying, "Restore Gore." I sent out letters to Congress but of course nothing came of that. My PAC then focused on environmental issues, voting issues, prison issues, social justice issues and advocating for paper ballots and a rein on the unconstitutional abuses of Bush.

Eventually due to lack of participation and deridement from other Gore supporters of other sites who supported Kerry then and thought I was overstepping for standing up for my convictions and wanting the Congressional Black Caucus to at least give their superdelegate votes to Al Gore in a show of support at the 2004 convention after our PAC endorsed him for President over John Kerry, I disbanded the PAC. But I never gave up on the man who was destined to be president then who was treated so badly even by his own party and I think we can see clearly now why that was the right thing to do. I do not regret any of it, but can say that experience shook my faith in government, politics and yes in people.

So today and tomorrow we remember just what can happen to our government when we are detached from it and not taking part in working to make it just and better and also in not sticking to our convictions regarding what is right instead of what is popular or status quo. As I watch this speech I watch my President.

"Some have asked whether I have any regrets and I do have one regret: that I didn't get the chance to stay and fight for the American people over the next four years, especially for those who need burdens lifted and barriers removed, especially for those who feel their voices have not been heard. I heard you, and I will not forget."

President Al Gore in his withdrawal speech of December 13, 2000.


Thank you Mr. Gore for your grace through all of that. I just wish we'd had the strength of character as a people collectively to look beyond our partisanship and see this for what it was and demand accountability and justice. I wish we could have experienced a Gore Presidency... but then, the work you have done out here for our planet since then has been more than presidential and will benefit so many people for so many years to come.

Reference previous post:

Thank You for this decade