Park the Ride

From: Rick Lewis
To: contributions@michaelmoore.com
Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 10:45 AM
Subject: Park The Ride

Hello Mike,

My name is Rick and I am a high school teacher in Michigan. This summer, like many of your supporters, I was fed up with what is going on in our country. With the War, Hurricane, and just W in general, I felt like doing something to show my displeasure.

Following the Hurricane, and the price gouging that went on with gasoline, I started my own personal protest called, "Park the Ride". I decided to stop driving to and from school. Since August 7th, the first day of football practice (I coach), I have walked to and from school everyday. It is only a 3 mile roundtrip walk, but its the point that I was fed up with how we are held hostage to the Bushes and their oil tycoons.

I'm honored to be called a "Michael Moore Liberal" by my teaching friends. Keep up the good work.

Your Liberal Friend,
Rick Lewis
Teacher/Coach
Greenville High School
Greenville, Michigan

To End the Suffering

From: "Nurse for Peace"
To: contributions@michaelmoore.com
Subject: wounded soldiers
Date: 12/2/2005

Dear Michael,

I am a nurse in the military and I recently went on an Aerovac from Germany to the states that had 60-plus wounded soldiers on it -- many of them critically injured.

I used to be a frequent contributor to my home paper, which happens to be the Vacaville Reporter, where Cindy Sheehan is from. I wrote a letter about the soldiers and ended it with how the wounded are putting a human face to the war and this is the reason that people are protesting: to end the suffering, not because they hate America or are unpatriotic. The editor from the paper knows me and put my rank and military affiliation on the letter. I was immediately called in to see the Commander. They sent my letter to numerous lawyers to see if they could punish me, but in the end I did nothing wrong. I just did not say what the military wants us to say. WE are not at liberty to speak out against the war -- we can be punished severely. We took an oath to support the orders of the Commander in Chief and we have to do our duty.

I do not regret my letter or what I said. Those in the military can not speak for themselves, we depend on the American people and the government to do the right thing. I respect those that are brave enough to stand up for what they believe and are willing to sit in front of a ranch in Texas or stand in front of Congress and question what is going on. There is no Democracy without dissent. I thank Congressman Murtha and Senator Kennedy and Senator Boxer for fighting for the military and trying to save lives. I am also grateful to Senator Kerry.

Please do not print my name.

I don't want to die in a fight that I don't believe in.

From: David Moronez
To: contributions@michaelmoore.com
Subject: Standing up
Date: 12/2/2005

Dear Michael,

I am going to make this brief because I simply do not have enough time right now.

I am in the Marine Corps, and we had a formation in the morning. It was a formation just to make sure that everyone was accounted for. Well they also let you know what is going on for the day, who has to do what, etc. They then asked who wanted to volunteer to go to Iraq. Now there were about 30 of us in this formation. The platoon sergeant went down the list asking people if the answer was yes or no. Nearly everyone said yes...

I was towards the end of the list. When the platoon sergeant called off my name, I said, sternly, "No." It was as if my answer echoed off of all of the hills around us. Everyone turned and looked at me like I was crazy.

Later people said that I was scared to go, and half jokingly made fun of me for saying no. I simply told them that I wasn't afraid to die for my country, because I really do love this country. I just didn't want to die for oil. My blood in weight isn't worth as much as the oil over there, apparently. I don't want to die in a fight that I don't believe in.

Afterwards some people came up to me and told me that even though they said yes, they really didn't want to go. We are all asked in front of each other to pressure us into saying yes, but I defiantly said no.

Thanks for listening.

Lance Corporal, David Moronez

-- "When I was a kid, we were so poor that if I wasn't born a boy I would have had nothing to play with."
~ Rodney Dangerfield
May he rest in peace, and forever be remembered.