{"id":37036,"date":"2024-10-15T22:33:41","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T05:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=37036"},"modified":"2024-10-16T11:32:28","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T18:32:28","slug":"michael-moores-open-letter-to-joe-biden-joe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2024\/10\/15\/michael-moores-open-letter-to-joe-biden-joe\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Moore&#8217;s Open Letter to Joe Biden"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">President Biden Has 100 Days Left in Office. He Has Newly-Granted Supreme Powers WITH Immunity and No Political Consequences. What If He Were to Use Them?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_80,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcece9829-8f87-4f35-a7c3-bef1ebb88f36_525x561.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/profile\/24119024-michael-moore\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/@michaelmoore\">MICHAEL MOORE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>OCT 12, 2024 (micahelmoore.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef6831a3-fe60-4f90-9584-7155e5a707ba_900x989.jpeg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef6831a3-fe60-4f90-9584-7155e5a707ba_900x989.jpeg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Dear President Biden:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have found myself thinking of you often over these past few days. About how we will remember your time in the White House, about what your legacy will be. Certainly, you will be remembered for your brave and selfless act of stepping aside, of elevating the person who could be and, if I have any say in this,&nbsp;<em>will be<\/em>&nbsp;our first woman President in this country\u2019s nearly 250-year history.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond that, what will the history books say about your time \u2014 about your journey from Scranton to the Senate, your tireless defense of the working class, your eight years as Vice President to our nation\u2019s first Black president, the personal tragedies that you have selflessly channeled into compassion for others, or your record as the most progressive president we have had since FDR?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some people are now calling you a \u201clame duck\u201d president \u2014 but then it occurred to me today:&nbsp;<strong>You\u2019re not done.<\/strong>&nbsp;You\u2019ve still got 100 days left in office! And the Supreme Court has just granted you super powers \u2014 AND immunity! You don\u2019t answer to anyone. For the first time in over 50 years, you don\u2019t have to campaign for anything. You are the&nbsp;<em>opposite<\/em>&nbsp;of lame, Joe. And you are not a duck. You, sir, are the&nbsp;<strong>President of the United States of America<\/strong>, and for the next 100 days, you have tremendous power. The only people you have to answer to is&nbsp;<strong>us<\/strong>. The people who put you there. You have an extraordinary opportunity to make a whole bunch of things happen. Great things. Important things. With a simple stroke or two of your presidential pen, you can make life better for millions of people in ways you never would\u2019ve dreamed possible. You will leave the White House a hero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I\u2019ve put together a list \u2014 a Bucket List for Scranton Joe \u2014 of executive actions that you can legally take today or any day until January 20, 2025.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is still so much left for you to do, so much left that you&nbsp;<em>can<\/em>&nbsp;do, and so much left that I know, deep down in your heart,&nbsp;<em>you<\/em>&nbsp;know that you&nbsp;<em>must<\/em>&nbsp;do, no matter how difficult it may be.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the best part is, the items on this list already have the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michaelmoore.com\/p\/this-is-america-printable-flyer-with\">support of the majority<\/a>&nbsp;of the American people. You\u2019ll be doing the things they elected you to do. And what better note to leave on than that?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You want to help people, Joe. That\u2019s your legacy. That\u2019s the&nbsp;<em>real<\/em>&nbsp;Joe Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And, did I mention&nbsp;<strong>\u2014<\/strong><em><strong>&nbsp;You have full immunity!<\/strong><\/em>&nbsp;No kidding! No joke! That\u2019s not hyperbole! You can get away with&nbsp;<em>anything!&nbsp;<\/em>And what if&nbsp;<em>anything<\/em>&nbsp;means&nbsp;<strong>everything<\/strong>&nbsp;to the people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe, this is it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>President Biden\u2019s Bucket List for The Final 100 Days<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. Officially Declare the Equal Rights Amendment for Women (E.R.A.) as the 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>On January 27, 2020, the state of Virginia became the 38th state (of the required 38 states needed) to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. Two hundred and forty four years after the Declaration of Independence declared that all men were created equal (but only if they were, in fact,&nbsp;<em>men<\/em>&nbsp;who were&nbsp;<em>white<\/em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>owned land<\/em>),&nbsp;<strong>women\u2019s<\/strong>&nbsp;Constitutional equality was finally recognized!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Except it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Trump administration\u2019s Department of Justice refused to publish the fully ratified 28th Amendment to the Constitution, saying it \u201ctook too long\u201d and now a few red states wanted to \u201cde-ratify\u201d it. But the Constitution grants no power to rescind a ratification (that\u2019s why there\u2019s a 21st Amendment [\u201cDrink Up \u2014 It\u2019s On The House!\u201d] that repealed the 18th Amendment [\u201cAlcohol is the Devil\u2019s Demon Seed!\u201d]). And the Constitution grants no power to set time limits on how long it takes to ratify an Amendment. It took 202 years to ratify the 27th Amendment. President Biden, for almost four years, you have had the power to order the United States Archivist to publish the now-ratified Equal Rights Amendment as the law of the land. Will women-haters try to sue to stop it? Well, of course they will! So what! Let \u2018em. When does our side stop being so chicken-shit? 93% of the country believes women should have the same rights as men. You have the legal and Constitutional authority to permanently enshrine this Amendment where the American people overwhelmingly want it: IN OUR UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>DO IT TODAY! It will take less than two minutes! About the same time it took Lincoln to give the Gettysburg Address.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Be the hero to all women you say you are. I think even Anita Hill will light a candle in your honor. In fact, call her now and invite her over to the posting ceremony this afternoon.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Cancel All Student Debt Now.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>You ran on the promise to cancel all student loan debts. Now is the time to do it! Break the law if you have to (remember<em>&nbsp;\u2014 you have immunity!<\/em>). You have made admirable efforts so far, but the Republican Supreme Court of Right Wing Catholics, along with the Republican Congress of Election Denying&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michaelmoore.com\/p\/democracys-day-of-decision\">Traitors<\/a>, keep trying to stop you. Now\u2019s the time to go whole hog and just wipe away ALL student debt. And while you\u2019re at it, take the advice of the American Federation of Teachers and fire MOHELA, the company currently under contract with the Department of Education that is one of the largest holders of student debt in the country. Better yet, don\u2019t fire them, nationalize \u2018em, and cancel all the debt they hold.&nbsp;<em>You have immunity!<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Everyone under the age of 40 who is saddled with this insane debt \u2014 debt that is unheard of and even outlawed in most other Democracies \u2014 these younger Americans will not only be sure to set new record numbers for Harris at the polls, they will fire up millions of bongs in your honor.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Cancel Medical Debt, too!<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>While you are at it, cancel medical debt, too! Americans owe $220 BILLION in medical debt to our corrupt, bloated, broken and exploitative health care system. Like student loan debt, these undue burdens that&nbsp;<em>no other civilized country suffers from&nbsp;<\/em>cripple our households and keep people living paycheck to paycheck, unable to afford rent, car payments and even groceries. You have some of the smartest minds in the legal world at your fingertips. What\u2019s the wildest, most aggressive plan they\u2019ve presented to you to cancel medical debt? Now\u2019s your chance. Shortly before you ended your campaign, you pledged that ending medical debt would be a primary goal for your second term. Well, you have three months to go. Treat this time as your second term. You\u2019ve got nothing to lose. And everything to gain from a grateful nation that will finally be able to realize that part of the American Dream called \u201cthe pursuit of happiness\u201d because they will finally be out from under this crushing debt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. Close Guantanamo Bay.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Close the United States Military\u2019s Guantanamo Bay Torture Base&nbsp;<em>now<\/em>. It represents a dark stain on America\u2019s standing in the world. It is long, long past time for GITMO to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shut it down.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5. Free Cuba, Free Our Souls.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Last November, an overwhelming 187 countries in the UN General Assembly came together \u2014&nbsp;<em>for the 31st time!<\/em>&nbsp;\u2014 to demand the United States end our six decade-long trade embargo against Cuba. The only country that voted with us was\u2026&nbsp;<em>wait for it\u2026&nbsp;<\/em>Israel! Oh, and one nation abstained \u2014 Ukraine. No decent person can look at this and truly believe America is on the right side of this issue. It is time to normalize all relations with Cuba, end all sanctions against Cuba, end the embargo and fully recognize the Cuban people\u2019s right to self-determination. And while you\u2019re in Havana at the signing ceremony, announce that you\u2019re also giving Guantanamo Bay back to the Cuban people since we don\u2019t need it anymore (see above) because it\u2019s quite obviously&nbsp;<em>their<\/em>&nbsp;land. The devout Catholic in you knows that what we\u2019re doing to Cuba is wrong. Joe, free our souls of this sinful burden, do what is right.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>6. Be Israel\u2019s Best Friend, Stop the Slaughter.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>How many violations of red lines will it take until you\u2019ve had enough? How many times can Netanyahu flaunt your rules, ignore your advice, and spit in your face? He came to Our House, the People\u2019s House, and spewed hate and violence from the spot where&nbsp;<em>you<\/em>&nbsp;normally stand. Mass carnage, mass murder, mass destruction all being committed in America\u2019s name \u2014 with America\u2019s bombs and America\u2019s weapons and America\u2019s money \u2014 all of which&nbsp;<strong>you<\/strong>&nbsp;sent him. Stop the slaughter now. Halt all weapons shipments. Halt all military aid. Demand the ceasefire. Put Bibi in the corner or in the timeout room and tell Israel to get its shit together, get to the negotiating table, and make a deal to end this madness, free the hostages in Gaza, free the political prisoners in Israel and stop this slaughter.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In May, your own State Department issued a report admitting that it was \u201creasonable to assess\u201d that Israel has violated international humanitarian law \u2014 by using American weapons! In 1997, Senator Patrick Leahy conceived and introduced a law \u2014 now known as \u201cthe Leahy Law\u201d \u2014 which prohibits the United States from funding and arming foreign military forces if the Secretary of State has \u201ccredible information\u201d that this military unit is violating human rights. By continuing to arm the Israeli military after that report, the U.S. government is in violation of the Leahy Law. And do you know who is saying that we\u2019re in violation of the Leahy Law? The guy who wrote the law! This past May, Patrick Leahy explained how our arming of Israel violates the very law he authored. We are funding a genocide, we are funding human rights abuses and war crimes, we are funding the breaking of international laws. And in the process, we are breaking<em>&nbsp;our own laws!<\/em>&nbsp;It is time for this to stop, and&nbsp;<strong>you<\/strong>&nbsp;have the power to&nbsp;<strong>stop it.<\/strong>&nbsp;It\u2019s not anti-semitic. It\u2019s not anti-Israel. It\u2019s the opposite! It\u2019s doing what any true best friend does: Tell you when you are effing up! And set you straight!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oh \u2014&nbsp;<em>and it\u2019s the law!<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>7. Back in the U.S.S.R., Keep Your Comrades Warm.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Similarly, the senseless destruction in Ukraine must end. Putin does not want to be Trump\u2019s friend. In fact, Putin threw Trump under the bus yesterday by admitting that he did, in fact, secretly receive free COVID tests from Trump when they were most needed by the American people. Putin wants to be&nbsp;<em>your<\/em>&nbsp;friend, Joe. Cause who better to pull him out of this mess that he started with his illegal invasion of Ukraine than another president who finds himself in a mess involving the illegal bombing of a civilian population that the entire world is against?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>President Biden, you pride yourself on your foreign policy knowledge and prowess.&nbsp;<em>Use it.&nbsp;<\/em>Get Putin to the negotiating table. You cannot end your presidency with America still funding these two bloody wars, one against the people of Gaza, the other with Ukraine trying to defend itself from Russian aggression. What greater way to close out your administration than to bring an end to these two wars! You\u2019re the expert here, so do whatever it is you have to do because back here at home we have an education system we need to fund, teachers we need to pay, students who need a warm meal, a health care system that needs to be made universal \u2014&nbsp;you get the idea. For my money, I think enough people have died. Let\u2019s cut our losses and invest in the future. Russia, go home. Ukraine, you lost Crimea a decade ago. Mexico lost Texas in 1848. I wish they hadn\u2019t. We\u2019ve been stuck with it now, like, forever. They\u2019re not getting it back. Shit happens. Let\u2019s pick up the pieces and move on. No more killing. Thanks to you, Joe, Putin has lost many lives and much prestige. He won\u2019t try this again anytime soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>8. Empty Federal Death Row.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>As a candidate, Mr. President, you campaigned on the promise to \u201cpass legislation to eliminate the death penalty at the federal level, and incentivize states to follow the federal government\u2019s example.\u201d You said that even the worst criminals on Death Row \u201cshould instead serve life sentences without probation or parole.\u201d This was your stance. Now\u2026 it is your time. That law never passed, but you still have the power to do something else. There are currently 40 people on the Federal Death Row. They have committed heinous awful crimes. But still, Joe\u2026&nbsp;<em>who are we?<\/em>&nbsp;The only other countries on Earth that routinely execute their own citizens are China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, and North Korea. Is that who we are? Really? Since the federal death penalty was reinstated in 1988, just 16 men have been executed. Three of them in George W. Bush\u2019s first term and 13 of them during the Trump administration, all of them in the final 7 months of his disgraceful presidency. It was your campaign promise to end this barbarism. Commute their sentences to life without parole and let them live with what they\u2019ve done. (Note: May I remind you that four out of the last five Popes opposed the death penalty. The second to last one called for its abolition, and the current one called it a Mortal Sin. That\u2019s not a venial sin, Joe, it\u2019s a MORTAL one. That\u2019s bad!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>9. Free Leonard Peltier.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Mr. President, Leonard Peltier is two years younger than you. Mr. Peltier has now been in prison for over 46 years. To put that another way, three years after you entered the United States Senate, Mr. Peltier was locked up. I don\u2019t think I need to tell you that this is a very long time. Think of all you have experienced in these past 46 years, Joe. What if instead of all that, you had just sat in prison the entire time? May I please refresh your memory on the facts of Mr. Peltier\u2019s case?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Leonard Peltier, a Native American civil rights activist was pursued and surveilled by the FBI because of his political engagement. The evidence at his trial included conveniently altered details and a key witness who was coerced into testifying. Now, one of the lead prosecutors in Mr. Peltier\u2019s case, United States Attorney James Reynolds, has written to you, asking for Mr. Peltier\u2019s release. \u201cWith time, and the benefit of hindsight,\u201d Mr. Reynolds wrote in 2021, \u201cI have realized that the prosecution of and continued incarceration of Mr. Peltier was and is unjust.\u201d Among those who have called for Mr. Peltier\u2019s clemency include: Jesse Jackson, Bernie Sanders, Robert Redford, Elizabeth Warren, Tom Morello and Rage Against the Machine, the Dali Lama, the late Kris Kristofferson and Harry Belafonte. And Nelson Mandela. Joe, c\u2019mon man \u2014 even Mother Teresa wanted him freed! President Biden, you know what you have to do. Now\u2026 you just have to do it. It will take less than a minute.&nbsp;Pick up the phone and buzz your indigenous cabinet member, Secretary of the Interior, Rep. Deb Haaland \u2014 who urged Biden to release Peltier in a tweet writing, \u201cAt 75 with chronic health issues, it is urgent that we #FreeLeonardPeltier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>10. Pardon Edward Snowden.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Hey, Joe, do you remember back in the spring of 2014, you were Vice President and President of the Senate, and the late Dianne Feinstein, who had spent the previous nine months defending the NSA\u2019s mass surveillance of American citizens, went public with claims that the CIA was spying on her committee, the Senate Intelligence Committee, and that it violated her 4th Amendment right to privacy? What did you think of that? Did you think that U.S. Senators should get different rights than the rest of the American public? That&nbsp;<em>they<\/em>&nbsp;should be safe from the government\u2019s prying eyes \u2014 but that&nbsp;<em>we<\/em>, the people, should have no such rights?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Edward Snowden, as you very well know, exposed a&nbsp;<em>massive<\/em>&nbsp;scandal involving the highest levels of the United States government and its intelligence community. Hired as a contractor for the NSA, he saw what the vast majority of Americans never see \u2014 and when he learned that the government was spying on its own people, he did exactly the right thing. He told us. After Snowden\u2019s whistleblowing, the NSA\u2019s mass surveillance program was found to be ILLEGAL in court. Edward Snowden did this country a service. And for that \u2014 for embarrassing the United States Government, for exposing the illegal actions of the intelligence community \u2014 he\u2019s a criminal? Let\u2019s be real, Joe. Edward Snowden deserves a pardon. Like Chelsea Manning (whose sentence was commuted), Eugene Debs (whose sentence was commuted) and Daniel Ellsberg (whose case was dismissed), Edward Snowden made this country a safer, smarter and stronger place. He exposed corruption. He defended American freedom.&nbsp;<em>That\u2019s<\/em>&nbsp;what America is all about. What would you have done, in his shoes? What would Beau have done? Just let the government keep on spying on Americans? No! Joe, you would\u2019ve done the same thing because you love America. He doesn\u2019t deserve prison, he deserves a medal. And you know it. Pardon Edward Snowden.&nbsp;Give him the medal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>11. Pardon Sister Carol Gilbert. And posthumously, Sister Jackie Hudson and Sister Ardeth Platte.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>In October 2002, these three Dominican nuns dressed in white hazmat suits and broke into a nuclear missile site in Colorado. They used a hammer to bang on a nuclear missile silo loaded with a Minuteman III missile that was armed with a 20 kiloton nuclear bomb. They made the sign of the cross on the silo\u2019s lid in their own blood and said a prayer: \u201cOh God, help us to be peacemakers in a hostile world.\u201d Later, Sister Ardeth would recount, \u201cEvery movement of our body was a liturgy.\u201d The three nuns were arrested. This was not their first run-in with the law. As members of the peaceful and anti-nuclear Plowshares movement, Sister Carol had previously been arrested at the Pentagon in the mid-1990s, and in 1998, they were arrested after attending an air show at Andrews Air Force Base and banging on a B-52 bomber with a hammer and pouring their blood on it. Two years later, they entered another Air Force base and put their blood on a fighter jet. I dedicated my 2001 book,&nbsp;<em>Stupid White Men<\/em>, to them, and Sister Ardeth would later become the inspiration for a character on Netflix\u2019s&nbsp;<em>Orange is the New Black<\/em>. You see, the Sisters had spent so much time in prisons, that they took that as part of their calling, too. Sister Ardeth became a chaplain for all faiths behind bars, fighting the unfair sentencing of the mostly poor women of color alongside whom she served her time. Sister Jackie passed away from cancer after one of their early stints in jail, but Sister Carol and Sister Ardeth continued on. By 2017, they estimated that they had spent more than 15 years in total behind bars, and had been arrested around 40 times. Sister Ardeth died in 2020, with Sister Carol by her side. Sister Carol has continued their cause to this day. I don\u2019t even know that she \u2014 or they \u2014 would&nbsp;<em>want<\/em>&nbsp;a Pardon. But you should give it to them anyway. And then, when Sister Carol immediately goes out with pardon in hand to continue her righteous lifelong protest against the bloodthirsty violence of our murderous and militarized government, you or President Harris can pardon her again. (Note: In the full interest of transparency, Sister Ardeth and Sister Carol were \u201cmy nuns\u201d back in the 1970s and later worked on my paper&nbsp;<em>The Flint Voice \u2014&nbsp;<\/em>when they weren\u2019t being pursued by law enforcement.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbf0576ee-f3dd-43d1-9da3-19dd605b0fdb_1002x671.jpeg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbf0576ee-f3dd-43d1-9da3-19dd605b0fdb_1002x671.jpeg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F945454ec-2572-43e6-95cd-4d62ed324f0d_1002x667.jpeg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F945454ec-2572-43e6-95cd-4d62ed324f0d_1002x667.jpeg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>12. Ban All Spam Text Messaging (Including Political Fundraising Text Messages!).<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Everyone hates these. The only people who like them are scammers and politicians. Weird combo, huh? Anyway, these messages are annoying, unhelpful and often harmful. These unregulated texts are used to scam our most vulnerable people out of their hard-earned money. They serve no good purpose. More importantly, if you were the President who successfully saved every American from being bombarded by this daily barrage of messages, we\u2019d add your head to Mount Rushmore tomorrow (as long as you do 60% of the other things on this list as well.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5070d977-402c-4b1d-b1c1-751012a6f15a_450x75.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>13. Grant Clemency to Non-Violent Drug Offenders, Many of Whom Need Help and Recovery, Not Prison Time (People Just Like Your Son, Hunter).<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Do I really need to say more, Joe? For the last 30 years, our nation has practiced a campaign of mass incarceration. You\u2019re responsible for some of that, and I think it weighs on your conscience. Now, you\u2019re seeing just a small glimpse of this up close and in your own house. What they did to your son is evil, Joe. It\u2019s evil. And it\u2019s no different than what\u2019s happened to millions of sons and daughters all across this country. Those parents feel just like you, Joe. And you can help them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ACLU runs an ongoing nationwide effort \u2014 The Redemption Campaign \u2014 to free 50,000 people from federal and state prisons by pushing elected officials to use clemency powers in transformational new ways. You\u2019ve granted many clemencies like this, Mr. President, but I\u2019d like to challenge you to go further. Grant them all. Grant as many clemencies as you can. Order your team to work directly with the ACLU and then challenge every single governor in the U.S. to join you in this cause. The ACLU\u2019s network of lawyers have focused on these 50,000 people in four large groups of unjustifiably imprisoned people:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li>People who, if they were convicted under current laws, would serve a lesser sentence than what they are now serving;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>People convicted of possession offenses, regardless of underlying substance;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>People incarcerated for technical probation or parole violations; and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Older incarcerated people.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine how you would feel, Joe, if someone granted your kid clemency. Your good kid. Maybe he messed up. But he needs help, not prison. Imagine all of a sudden, someone told you that the President of the United States had reached out, and that your kid was free, free to get help, to get a fresh start, to be a good kid again. Imagine that.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>C\u2019mon Joe. I know it doesn\u2019t look like it, but you\u2019ve been around a while. You know what to do. We\u2019re Americans. This is what we are built for.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ve got, starting today, 100 days left in the White House.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Make \u2018em count. And for God\u2019s sake, let me say it again: Don\u2019t let the violence that you are funding and allowing against the people of Palestine become what your presidency will be remembered for. I know that is not the legacy you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So rewrite it. Today. It\u2019s as easy as taking the cap off a pen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Enjoy these 100 days! Rehoboth Beach awaits you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>YOU HAVE IMMUNITY!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.michaelmoore.com\/p\/bucket-list-joe?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share&amp;token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo2NTM4NTgsInBvc3RfaWQiOjE1MDA2Mzg2NywiaWF0IjoxNzI5MDU2NjkxLCJleHAiOjE3MzE2NDg2OTEsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0zMjA5NzQiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.t8Xnl_HLbG8oPVcvFqAGuWc4TvWEBHwoxsc68AR3Jdw\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Write to mike:&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:mike@michaelmoore.com\">mike@michaelmoore.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Photo Credits: Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images, and The Dominican Sisters Archives Collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Upgrade to paid<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.michaelmoore.com\/p\/bucket-list-joe\/comments\">Leave a comment<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>** In order to have a troll-free, hate-free comments section \u2014 and because if there\u2019s one thing I know about my crazy haters, they would rather spend an eternity in hell with Marjorie Taylor Greene than send me $5&nbsp;if forced to become a paid subscriber \u2014 my&nbsp;Comments section here on my Substack is limited to paid subscribers.&nbsp;<strong>But<\/strong>, not to worry \u2014 anyone can send me their comments, opinions and thoughts by writing to me at&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:mike@michaelmoore.com\">mike@michaelmoore.com<\/a>.&nbsp;I read every one of them, though obviously I can\u2019t respond to all. The solution here is not optimal but it has worked and my Comments section has become a great meeting place for people wanting to discuss the ideas and issues I raise here. There is debate and disagreement, but it is refreshing to have it done with respect and civility, unfettered by the stench of bigotry and Q-anon insanity.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Biden Has 100 Days Left in Office. He Has Newly-Granted Supreme Powers WITH Immunity and No Political Consequences. What If He Were to Use Them? MICHAEL MOORE OCT 12, 2024 (micahelmoore.com) Dear President Biden:&nbsp; I have found myself thinking of you often over these past few days. About how&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2024\/10\/15\/michael-moores-open-letter-to-joe-biden-joe\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37036"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37036"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37040,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37036\/revisions\/37040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}