"Voting your conscience" once every four years is going to accomplish diddly-squat! Nader, at his best, isn't going to win a single electoral vote. The way to effect change is to get into action at the local (yes: at town, county, and state) levels and put together town committees, for instance, who look to the larger issues than who's gonna grab the next open spot on the town road crew. When Toby Moffett announced his candidacy, I was on the Democratic Town Committee here in Sharon. I took Toby to the next Town Committee meeting and introduced him to them all. We then worked in his campaign and sent him to the Congress. We were doing what those bumper-stickers advise - thinking globally, acting locally.

Campaign finance reform has a much better chance of passing with Gore in office, and that is a critical first step toward returning power to the people. Think of that when you help put George W., with all his huge corporate contributions, in office.

I haven't looked at that thread, Caleb, but whatever's in your guitar case, if it led to your current thinking, I hope you can spread it around.

Sandy