ACTION ITEM - Call/email SF Examiner Executive Editor Vivienne Sosnowski ASAP!

Dear freedom lovers,

  After weeks of calling and writing the Examiner, trying to get them to drop the big "BUSH vs. KERRY" headline they run DAILY as part of their election coverage, I have reached the conclusion that they will do nothing about it unless they get a lot of calls and letters about it. With your help, that is exactly the kind of heat we will generate. Please forward this message as widely as possible.

  Executive Editor Vivienne Sosnowski has told me, and others at the Examiner have confirmed, that she is the sole decision-maker in this matter. She is a recent transplant from Britain who has been here only a couple months, so it's possible she is less knowledgeable about some of the intricacies of U.S. politics than a person in her position would normally be. She has been friendly with me, and willing to listen, but ultimately has delayed the matter and done nothing.

  Vivienne's phone number is (415) 359-2603. Her email address is <vsosnowski@...>. The address for letters to the editor is <letters@...> , or 450 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. The phone number for the Examiner city desk is (415) 359-2645. (You might call there and ask to speak with her, in case she gets a lot of calls and just starts deleting her messages or rerouting outside calls that come directly to her line). The Examiner also has an email address for news tips, which is <newstips@...>.

  Some additional background information and my own letter to the editor are below. It is long, but I am optimistic they may publish it, at least in part, because one of Vivienne's responses to my criticisms was that I should write one, and I have copied her on it. We'll see if they're brave enough to have their own editor personally identified and criticized in print.

  Ready to take on the establishment? Let's roll! 8)

Yours in liberty,
          <<< Starchild >>>

P.S. - Please let me know if your efforts result in any meaningful response.

The Examiner's editorial page editor (Tom Prete) got back to me quickly -- to say my letter was too long and that it needed to be 150 words or less. So bear that in mind if sending them letters. Note that Ralph Nader is *not* on the ballot in California (the six candidates referred to in my letter include Leonard Peltier of the Peace & Freedom Party), yet has been covered by the Examiner while Michael has not. Here is the revised version, at exactly 150 words. I also suggested adding a libertarian columnist to the editorial pages, and mentioned Walter Williams, Vin Suprynowicz, and Penn Gillette as possibilities.

Fight the power!
        <<< Starchild >>>

Editor,

  The "BUSH vs. KERRY" headline the Examiner prints daily is biased and misleading. It falsely implies there are only two presidential candidates. Actually California voters will choose from six. It is biased against alternative parties and candidates already excluded from presidential debates by the two-party Demopublican cartel that runs this country. Cartel candidates for president get millions in taxpayer subsidies while alternative candidates must mount expensive signature gathering campaigns just to get onto the ballot.

  The Examiner has had ZERO coverage of the leading alternative presidential contender, Libertarian Michael Badnarik. Embarrassingly, even overseas media like BBC have provided better coverage. Executive Editor Vivienne Sosnowski claims the problem is the Associated Press not sending stories about Badnarik. It’s a poor excuse. If the AP won't do its job, find a more balanced news source.

  Readers who value fair elections should demand that the paper drop its biased and misleading headline IMMEDIATELY.

Sincerely,

Starchild
Candidate for School Board
3531 16th Street,
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 621-7932