The often bloody battles to include a greater number of American people into the vision of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution included the fight against slavery, against the robber barons, against Jim Crow and the Black Codes, against concentration camps and wanton repatriations, against the taking of lands and the destruction of cultures, against police abuse and "judges with grudges," and against corporate greed and global power.

Today we have to continue these fights. The so-called U.S. Patriot Act, of which some provisions have already been found unconstitutional, continues to whittle away at our hard-fought civil liberties. The current "war against terror" has not only made us more unsafe and vulnerable to terror, but has destroyed the economic and political infrastructures of two countries, killed tens of thousands of innocents and combatants, while the body bag business explodes with the remains of our own sons and daughters. We have a choice now to remedy some of the terrible wrongs of the past four years under the Bush Administration. We have a chance to push forward our freedoms while also setting the basis for real economic security, political inclusiveness, and a world free of terror.

Whatever you do, this November 2 vote against Bush.

Here's an irony: America is a very spiritual country. While having some of the most diverse spiritual beliefs in the world, it is also the home base of most of the world's most powerful Christian churches. Yet, per polls and surveys, most Christians and a good number of voters are behind Bush - despite him being a liar, a thief, a killer (all documented), violating three of the Ten Commandments. And how about the fact he uses God's name in vain (his use of God to justify some horrendous acts is exactly what the Bible had in mind with this commandment). He is the most un-Christian-like person in the public arena, yet he is revered by most conservative, right wing Christians.

Bush says he's for small government, but his administration has created the greatest deficit - $400 billion - in U.S. history. His policies have led to greater unemployment, more uninsured people, more educational gaps. He's supposed to be the "small government president," "the jobs president," "the education president," "the peace president," yet everything he' s done has resulted in the opposite.

This hypocrisy is destroying the credibility of the churches and institutions that support him and of the cruel, mean-spirited neoconservatives and power-hungry Empirists running this country. Will Kerry be any different? Not in a qualitative sense. The U.S. political system is not about real choice - only rich, powerful, White men can run for and win the presidency (most of this government still maintains this basis, despite the vast changes in the Constitution to remove this from the rest of society). When Kerry fails in carrying out our true interests, we should put him up against the wall, too. That's a given. But, whatever you do, this November 2 vote against Bush.