Rally Against the First Presidential Debate and Alternative Debate 2000! (Distribute Widely)

[kelley]

The October 3rd Task Force to Expand the Debate is organizing a rally and
demonstration outside of the University of Massachusetts-Boston to protest
against the first Presidential Debate. In addition to this expression of
dissent and dissatisfaction with the two-party monopoly of the debates and
the electoral system, we are organizing Alternative Debate 2000, to be
held at UMass Boston on October 2, the day before the "official" debate.
The alternative debate committee has invited the presidential candidates
from the top eleven national campaigns in order to give voice to those
candidates and issues which will be otherwise excluded, both from the
debates and mainstream media coverage.

If your organization wants to endorse the legal Rally or the Alternative
debate, go to:

http://www.expandthedebate.org/endorse.html

... and fill out the endorsement form there.

We need your support!

For more information, go to: www.expandthedebate.org

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    Boston's October 3rd Task Force is a coalition of organizations

    opposed to the stranglehold of the Democratic and Republican parties,

    in partnership with major corporations, on political discourse in this

    country.

    Masquerading as neutral forums for the presentation of the full

    spectrum of popular political ideas, the presidential debates

    scheduled for this fall conspicuously derive their sponsorship and

    direction from a handful of politically interested corporations, as

    well as representatives of both the Republican and Democratic parties.

    We ask how these events, so clearly devoid of any popular involvement,

    can be considered by any as indicative of a real democratic process.

    The members of the October 3rd Task Force find strength in the many

    viewpoints we bring to the table, and unity in our mission: we are

    calling for an open and real debate - a debate open to a diversity of

    issues, candidates, and ideas, and to the scrutiny and participation

    of all Americans. We stand firm in our resolve to bring this message

    to the forefront of public discourse, and committed in our goal to

    educate and organize around this message people of all political,

    racial, sexual orientation, gender identifcation and economic

    backgrounds.

    Real democracy cannot exist in the presence of corporate control. Real

    democracy cannot exist without real debate.