Make sure to go to the Guardian site and sign up for one of the addresses of the voters. That way it will be removed from being given to the wacko libs.

Then, if you are so moved, write a letter to the person urging them to vote for Pres Bush.

We can turn this against the Guardian and the unscrupulous liberals.

WTF?

That's all I can think of. I'm stuttering mad now.

I think 'far-left' and 'anti-American' is a bit superfluous. Where you find the former, you find the latter (not necessarily in the reverse order, though...A always implies B, not B always implies A).

al-Guardian and al-Qaeda: Together in the fight to swing foriegn elections to liberals and appeasers.

#1 Another Thought, smashing idea. I believe I will.

I predict the more foreigners urge Americans to vote for Kerry, the more likely they are to vote for Bush.

I find the very thought that outside forces would have a hand in the US elections...disgusting.

What right do they have? Do they live here? Why dont they just influence their own foreign policy?

Does democracy not work in their sections of the planet? I'm confused.

Operation Pathetic Liberal

This is disgusting! write your complaints here: clark.county@guardian.co.uk,

They sooo want to take us down...
and the LLL think it is because the LUV us.
HAH! We don't bow to the alter of socialism so we must be told how to vote by group of nonAmericans.

Didn't we break away from the Brits. I have to again thank the good Lord for our founders again.

/gets on knees and prays

This is very interesting. Observe the cross breeding of moonbatus.

I'm not convinced this won't backfire. Americans as a rule tend to be more independent than Europeans and may resent being told what to do by a foreigner. Further, I doubt anyone so animated by Bush-hatred as to do this will be able to restrain themselves to civil discourse and well-reasoned arguments. The decent citizens of Clark County will smell a rat.

The media is like the weather...except its man-made...

I have had countless people try and influence my vote here...I tell them to basically pi$$ off. Its America's choice...its OUR choice...

For giggles... Beta Vote A friend sent me this via SMS and was saying "LOOK!!! No one in the world wants George Bush!"
Me: "Who cares?"
Him: "Well...its proof that you should not vote for him!"
Me: "Like I give a #uck who someone in France wants for our President. You dont see me chanting about who should be your next PM in the UK."
Him: "Typical American...does not care about the rest of the world..."
Me: "Typical European...thinking that everyone really cares what you think..."

Surely this idea is illegal(?). Even if it's not, if someone contacts me I'll flame their a** from here to Timbuktu!

I submitted my e-mail address and obtain the name and mailing address of a registered voter in Springfield, OH. I'm going to mail the article and the e-mail I recevied from the Guardian to this person with a post-it saying "FYI!"

It's about time we, in the spirit of !OUR! Declaration of Independence, stand up, and tell England to "shove-it" like we did in 1776.

I may be naive, but what the hell is the Guardian doing with the registered voter roll for Clark County, Ohio. Is this legal?

Oh yeah, the voters of Clark County are just going to love being lectured by patronizing English socialists.

Minion StreeCafe lives in Clark County.

StreetCafe, can you notify the local papers / TV stations (or give us a list) about this?

I wonder what the folks of Clark county think of the Brits trying to influence them.

Gee them Clark county folks must be dumb as rocks and don't know nothin bout evil Bush. We Brits is smart and stuff we'll tell 'em how to vote.

And the EUropeans consider us arrogant?

And I be interested as hell to hear just how a Glasgowian is gonna talk to some corn fed boy in Ohio to persuade him about who to vote for in the American presidential elections.

Oh, please, please, please, contact me. Please. Come here little moonbat. I have some nice lettuce leaves. Or whatever the hell it is you've been smoking.

Unlike American newspapers, British newspapers don't even pretend to be objective, which may frankly be healthier.

As for them writing to American voters I can only say that it is one of the most boneheaded ideas I have heard in a long time and is almost certain to backfire.

If it isn't illegal for foreign nationals to be able to lobby US citizens for their presidential vote, it ought to be. What next, free Irish Sweepstakes tickets for those who pledge to vote Kerry?

Hey Kids,

We don't want individual Clark County voters bombarded with lobbying letters so this site will assign only one name and address to each user – please don't pass yours on to anyone else.

Thanks to the fact that I have way too many email addresses, 7 Clark County voters will not be subjected to Eurowhining.

How many email addresses do you have?

Where does The Declaration of Independance say

“a decent respect to the opinions of mankind”,

???

It's actually WORSE than Charles reported. Look at the link.
My fellow non-Americans ...
When I found this yesterday I sent it to Charles and a few other Blogs.
I may not have been first, but I'm glad to see this getting some attention.

From Al Guardian:
Several of the ideas described here can easily be applied across the US too, though, and we have provided further resources on our website for this purpose. While there's no point being coy about Britain's preferences in this election...

Hey Europe! This isn't your election. Mix out.

Sincerely,

zulubaby

I sent a copy of my e-mail from the Guardian and a link to their website to the local paper, The Springfield News-Sun.

IndependEnce. (Sheesh. I'm not the speller I used to be.)

Here's my contest entry, too bad I won't be able to win:

Dear Sir,

You have me to thank for not receiving a whiny request from some Euro-trash liberal to vote for Kerry.

Thank you for your time.

Regards,
JDM

I wouldn't say that the Guardian is far left so much as in a strange mad zone of its own; its present adventure can be cited as evidence.

Fuck off, Brit-bigots.
You can vote in American elections if you pay American taxes, live under American law, and support the American Constitution.
No Euro-left media whore does this, and their American counterparts do it only under protest.
Ironically, this kind of foreign electioneering is, in fact, illegal in Canada and in many European countries, though Michael Moore and others of his ilk are apparently exempt from the law.

I have forwarded this entry to the Ohio Secretary of State.

My letter:

Dear Clark County Voter:

Although I am not an American, I am a good transnational socialist and my voice in the American Election is at least as important as yours. So please forego voting for the candidate of your choice and vote instead for the candidate that will best serve my interests instead of yours. That candidate is John F. Kerry.

Sincerely

Cnut Agnavi
Sweden

#25 - Try the opening statment.

For Geepers, and everyone who's interested in contacting the appropriate Clark County officials regarding their failure to keep confidential their Voter Registrations (as it would appear from the story that Al Guardian will be providing to participants in its' campaign with just that):

Clark County Board of Elections Home Page

Links to other appropriate persons can also be found on this site. And remember, we rise above the Dems because we are respectful as well as knowledgeable, and we need not harass people in order to make our point. Dem tactics aside, you really do get more bees with honey!

The Springfield News-Sun appears to be the paper of record for Clark County.

The managing editor is Jack Bianchi.

jbianchi@coxohio.com

Guardian did not attempt to authenticate my email address... can we just make up addresses and exhaust their voter list? I'm not that computer-savvy.

OT

href="[Link: sciencepolitics.blogspot.com"...] target="_blank">Science and Crazy Politics

GOP of today, an extreme right-wing, crypto-fascist, pseudo-Christian party that laughs at the notion of fair play. They are in it to win, and if they need to kill people, they will. If they need to pay Osama and give him a couple of Boeings to play with, they will

#26 Jimmy The Clam

It's worth considering at the outset how counterproductive this might all be, especially if approached undiplomatically. Anybody might be justifiably angered by the idea of a foreigner trying to interfere in their democratic process.

No, really? Ya think?

This might be awfully counterproductive. Extremely counterproductive. My guess is that most voters who register as independant or unaffiliated (like myself) do so with the notion that they don't need anyone to tell them how to vote. That goes double when it's whiny Eurolibs doing the telling.

As a proud citizen of flyover country (read: the American Midwest) I find this patronizing, very European attitude toward Americans (especially noncoastal Americans) nauseating. Unlike the common European view, we're not a bunch of uninformed, unsophisticated yokels.

As an Anglophile, my only response to the Guardian is "Go f*ck yourselves."

Rant on Al Guardian's foolishness all you want but know that spanish-language and other immigrant-targeting media (also on radio & tv) in your area are probably doing the same pro-Kerry dance right under your nose.

The Washington Post does it through their El Tiempo Latino publication plus free giveaway Express at every Metro station in the DC area. Just chock full of rabid antiBush tidbits. All in-kind contributions to the DNC which will never be acknowledged.

Yechhh.

Let clark county know what these moonbats are up to..

[Link: www.co.clark.oh.us...]

let the local paper know too..

[Link: www.springfieldnewssun.com...]

# 25, littleoldlady
The phrase "a decent respect to the opinions of mankind" is in the Declaration of Independence. If I remember correctly, the context of the phrase was that the colonies believed thay had a duty to explain to the world their reasons for declaring themselves independent from England (I'll have re-read the Declaration to be absolutely certain). They wrote a long list of the King's offenses against the colonies and made their case against monarchies.

I want my "Stolen Honor" back from these election stealing global totalitarians!

What the Guardian forgets is that we left Europe for a reason. Piss off mate.

OMG! From the email w/ a voter's address.

Here is the address of your voter in Clark County, Ohio. When writing to him or her please be courteous and consider how you would feel if someone from Ohio was to write and advise you how to vote.

I'm considering just that. I'm also considering how I would feel if a lefty Eurorag was doling my name out to it's socialist readers so that they could attempt to influence my vote in an election that's entirely my buisness and none of theirs.

You know, I'm getting a little pissed off.

:-P

If Europe is going to insist on "voting" in the US presidential elections, can I insist on receiving EU social welfare benefits? Perhaps the EU taxpayers could reimburse me for my student loan payments?

#25 littleoldlady

“a decent respect to the opinions of mankind”,

The ravings of moonbatus while interesting do not merit respect.

#44 grapenut

Yeah, I saw it on my second read. But hey! We didn't mean THEM! ;-)

"...In the spirit of the Declaration of Independence pledge to show a decent respect to the opinions of mankind we have come up with..."

Wasn't "The Declaration of Independence" aimed at the unjust & overbearing influence of Britain upon the colonies.

Do we have to re-declare it every few years just to remind them of who it was intended to thwart and why?

Read about anti-amercanism and anti-semitism in Brtian

Here's the ad the Norwegians placed in the Washington Post. (PDF)

Here's their website.

#23 Milo Minderbinder

If it isn't illegal for foreign nationals to be able to lobby US citizens for their presidential vote, it ought to be. What next, free Irish Sweepstakes tickets for those who pledge to vote Kerry?

It's as if a relative of a candidate in a US election went to a foreign country, ostensibly to speak to expatriate absentee voters, but also to attempt to influence the foreign election. Fat lot of good that did. Aussies aren't dumb, and neither are Ohioans.

Dear Brits,

We fought two wars to be free of British influence. The War of Independence and the War of 1812. America must always be free of foreign chains and influence. Thats what America is all about.

You have no business influencing our national elections, just as we have no business influencing yours.

I love Great Britain a lot. Always have, always will.

But please, as kindly as I can put it: Fuck off.

Better to laugh about this inane stuff. It's not worth getting angry on it.

Well I'll Be Dammed. I never dreamed that that they would sink that low.

I wish they were as serious about the brutal dictators that they usually support.

Gawd, what arrogant shits these people are. I hope what they've done breaks some law somewhere.

Well, if you'd like to meet a European who is not a moonbat - a very sane and funny German, as a matter of fact, I'd like to introduce my friend Niko

The more I hear about these kooks the more I believe the Internet needs the digital equivalent of the "Roach Motel" to stem further infestation .

I read about this at Tim Blair's site earlier today. I posted the following comment:

I went to the website, registered with my AOL address, and just moments later received my Clark County voter's address. Since The al-Guardian won't send duplicate addresses, I have spared Margaret H. the dubious pleasure of receiving a letter from a Moonbat. I also had the real pleasure of reading the cover letter that came with the address. There are helpful tips about writing to Clark County folks, and 23 terms and conditions for entering the contest. These people are beyond satire. By all means, go and register. You, too, can have your very own Clark County, Ohio voter.

Wine me. Dine me. The Free World may depend on it.

The Declaration of Independance reference is highly ironic.

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

Basically, we're good enough folk to explain ourselves when we tell you to piss off and MYOB.

Hopefully, at least some of the Ohio voters, when they receive an e-mail from someone outside the States telling them who they should vote for, will hit the "reply" button with a hearty FUCK YOU.

Brits lecturing about the Declaration of Indepedence??

Maybe they missed this part:

That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved...

#1 Another Thought: Heh. Good idea. I just signed up for mine, using my Hotmail account. Should be very interesting.

Knowing the Guardian and the lefty loonies, Americans can now expect a flood of hate mail and possible mail bombs. Thanks, Guardian!

I've done my part - I've got my Springfield, OH address.

Europe is pathetic; they think the only hope for the survival of its stupid socialist EUtopia is to bring us down to their level. They don't have the balls, the energy, the initiative or even the population to do anything anymore except nod off in their old folks' homes. But they think they can still "matter" by screwing with the system WE built with our own hard-work and non-socialist spirit of enterprise.

It's just the same old story: socialists trying to free-load off of other peoples' efforts. Screw 'em to hell and back.

me 2!

#34 Jocund Mavis

You owe me a new keyboard! Mine's covered in coke after I read your signature.

#53:

Concerned citizens of Norway?

Try SNORE-WAY

John F. Kerry as president would be worse than King George III ever was; I doubt a monarch would sell out his country as this phony wannabe aristocrat has done all his life.

Today's EUros are not our colonial forebears--these ingrates have been living at our expense, under our military protection for 60 years at least (WWII).

Now they want to destroy us.

And pursuant to my post above at #69, check out how low the Euros have sunk:

Mass Grave of Women and Children Found in Iraq; Euro Researchers Refuse to Help Gather Evidence

And why won't they help gather the forensice evidence? They're afraid that their buddy Saddam will get a bullet in the brain if they help Americans collect forensic evidence of mass killings.

These are the kinds of morally bankrupt Guardianista fruitcakes who are trying to influence our election! People who want to sweep mass murder of babies under the rug because they don't believe in the death penalty.

Thanks for the news links everyone.

Sent out a couple of letters to the Ohio press to let them know what's going on.

Be curious to see if it get's any air in Clark county. Seems like it should.

#63 Barbara Skolaut

The addresses they give are mail addresses, obtained from voter rolls, not email. A reply would cost $.80, not just hitting send.

#70

Well, I always wanted to be a gynecologist but I was too tall.

I also got an address.

And does anyone else appreciate the irony of the little note that appears on the site?

When you type in your address, it informs you that your email address will remain privcate and will not be used for any other purpose.

However, your voter registration address, private information which can be used to harm you, is now in the hands of a total stranger who probably dislikes you as an American very, very much.

FUCKING HYPOCRITES!!!

One more American voter saved from these sleazebags.

And here is what I got in my email box (minus the private info of the registered voter):

Here is the address of your voter in Clark County, Ohio. When writing to him or her please be courteous and consider how you would feel if someone from Ohio was to write and advise you how to vote.

(DELETED PORTION)

If your address is incomplete, and for any correspondence, please email clark.county@guardian.co.uk

To enter the competition to campaign in Clark County, email your letter to clark.county@guardian.co.uk. For terms and conditions see below.

A few tips about writing to Clark County:

* Don't make any assumptions about the voter with whom you have been matched. His or her name comes from the publicly available voters' roll. The voter has not registered any party affiliation. (We don't want individual Clark County voters bombarded with lobbying letters so this site will assign only one name and address to each user – please don't pass yours on to anyone else.)

* Explain why you think they should pay the slightest bit of attention to what you think about their election. Remember, charm will be far more effective than hectoring.

Terms and Conditions for entering the competition
1. To obtain a Clark county address, submit your email address to [Link: www.guardian.co.uk...]
2. Your letter must be courteous and polite. It must not contain any material which is obscene, libellous, offensive, illegal or which may bring the Guardian into disrepute.
3. You must write only one letter to the voter you are assigned.
4. To enter the competition, send a copy of your letter by email to clark.county@guardian.co.uk it must be received by Guardian Newspapers Limited ("GNL") before midnight on October 20 (the 'entry').
5. Entrants should be UK resident, aged 18 or over and available to travel from London or Manchester on October 26.
6. The prize for the winning entries is 3 nights in Clark County, Ohio. The prize is a return flight to Ohio and accommodation on a room only basis to meet voters and participate in the closing days of the race. The flights depart from London or Manchester on October 26 and return on October 29. The winners shall be solely responsible for all taxes, insurance, transfers, spending money and other expenses (including meals and other personal expenses).
7. By taking part in the competition, entrants agree to be bound by this Agreement.
8. The competition is not open to employees or agents of GNL or any family member.
9. Only one entry is allowed per person and each letter must be written and submitted by the entrant.
10. No responsibility is taken for entries lost, delayed, misdirected or incomplete due to server functions, virus, bugs or any other causes outside GNL's control. Proof of entry is not proof of receipt.
11. In consideration of GNL agreeing to consider the entry, each entrant assigns to GNL the complete copyright and all other rights in the letter which shall be for the full period of copyright. GNL shall be free to assign such rights to third parties.
12. GNL shall not be responsible for the return of entries.
13. A panel of G2 editors will select four entries which in their sole opinion are the best letters. GNL reserves the right to edit and publish the winning entries on the Guardian Unlimited website ('the Website') and in the Guardian newspaper. All entrants consent to the use by GNL of their names for this purpose. All entrants consent to publication of their submission by GNL.
14. The judges' decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into with entrants.
15. The winners will be notified by e-mail/phone on October 21. The winners are required to accept the prize within 24 hours of notification. In the event of non-acceptance by any of the winners, GNL will select a new winner (the same acceptance period will apply for the new winner).
16. The prize is non-transferrable and there will be no cash alternatives or substitutions for any other prize.

Truncated

OT The real "chickenhawks"

AL THAWRA DISTRICT, Baghdad, Iraq -- Although they usually patrol a southern portion of Baghdad's slum commonly called Sadr City searching for insurgent activity of the Muqtada militia, on Oct. 6 they did something entirely different: they handed out chickens.

The Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, out of Ft. Riley, Kan., attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, passed out 300 frozen chickens to residents along a road in their sector that is one of the poorest parts of what is notoriously the poorest area in Baghdad.

It didn’t take long.

"We distributed the 300 chickens we had in less than half an hour," said 1st Lt. David Riggs, a platoon leader with Company B, 1-41 Inf. and a Dixie, Tenn. native.
[Link: www.centcom.mil...]

(clears throat)

Good day,

I am contacting you because of an election concerning a huge decision affecting the world. I work here in Nigeria, um, the United Kingdom. Though I know that a transaction of this magnitude will make any one apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that all will be well at the end of the day. I actually decided to contact you due to the urgency of this transaction...

Actually this will probably backfire on most of the Moonbats. They hate Americans and America so much they can't possibly keep the contempt, vitriol and nasty, bitter Euro-condescension out of their "communications" -- no matter how hard they try. They'll probably alienate voters so much they'll vote for Bush.

Hey! Did you guys notice that this rag is running a contest for the best letters? The winners GET TO GO TO CLARK COUNTY WITH GUARDIAN JOURNALISTS AND CAMPAIGN!

Gawd. I should get out there just to find the fuckers and kick some Brit all the way back over the pond.

Jeebus, this pisses me off. And this letter from Her Insufferablness Antonia Fraser

First of all, if you back Kerry, you will be voting against a savage militaristic foreign policy of pre-emptive killing which has stained the great name of the US so hideously in recent times

I'm just about ready to put my fist thru a wall someplace.

I doubt it will get published, but I sent the following e-mail to the Guardian's editors this morning.

Sometimes I am very concerned that the intellectuals of Europe have all gone insane, aren't you?

...

Hello,

I don't know if urging Guardian readers to contact Clark County voters, in an attempt to influence the U.S. elections, is such a good idea. It is bound to backfire. Americans don't like foreigners telling them what to do.

I am an American, so I feel I know something about how Americans feel about being bossed around by foreign busybodies. Take George III. Take France. Americans are pretty good at making up their own
minds themselves, and have been doing so since 1776, in case the readers of the Guardian (especially the British ones) haven't noticed.

I suggest that if a particular reader of the Guardian would like to vote in America--would really like to influence the American election, say--that reader should move to America, become a citizen of the United States. Everyone is welcome here. Even the readers of the Guardian.

But if you do not wish to be an American, to live in Ohio, for instance, and participate in the American political process, that is too bad. Perhaps there is something wrong with you. Perhaps it is your mind.

I don't know. Sometimes I really feel sorry for Europeans. Some of my best friends are Europeans, you know. Some are quite intelligent. Some have even gone to Harvard.

I don't want to seem like a snob, or too terribly ignorant, but I was wondering if the Guardian could tell me what's the matter over there in Europe: can't you vote in your own countries?

Or doesn't your vote count?

Curiously,
New York City

en #84

Spectacular!

I wrote to the person whose address I was given:

Dear Ms. XXX,

The Guardian newspaper in England has devised a little "experiment" with the aim of telling American voters how their readers (mostly British) feel YOU should vote in our upcoming Presidential elections. I have enclosed a copy of their webpage describing this project, as well as an adjoining article expressing the opinion that foreigners should be entitled to vote in our election

Of course, I am not writing to tell you who to vote for (although I certainly hope that you WILL VOTE). This letter is to inform you that by merely plugging in my eMail address at their website I, a complete stranger, was given your name and address and encouraged to write to you.

I am not sure if this endeavor by the Guardian violates any of our election laws (not that they care), but there certainly is a blatant issue of invasion of privacy involved. I thought you and your neighbors might want to be apprised of this situation.

If I were you, I'd be angry.

Very truly yours,
littleoldlady
Your neighbor in the "swing state" of Pennsylvania

grayp #84

You aren't the only one. I got an address too, but didn't realize about the contest until I read it on the thread.

I hope Clark County raises so much hell that whoever wins the contest is too damned scared to show their face there.
This smells of manipulation to me.

Looks like Germany is also trying to influence a Kerry win:

Germany says they MAY possibly send troops to Iraq if John Kerry wins the election:

[Link: washingtontimes.com...]

Register for a name, cut, paste, print, 37cents and an envelope.

Dear ,

I would like to bring to your attention that a news agency in the United Kingdom has given out your name and address to a complete stranger. The agency is called “The Guardian”. They continue to do the same thing to many other Americans. They have done this so that the person they gave your personal information to will attempt to sway you to vote for John Kerry in the November 2nd presidential election. The details of their campaign to alter our electoral process can be found on the internet at [Link: guardian.assets.digivault.co.uk...]

When I read this I was shocked and outraged as I am sure you are as well. For a foreign company to try to sway our electoral process is unacceptable, but for them to give away your name and address to complete strangers is outrageous. I believe they are wrong to do these things. I took the initiative to sign up for the name giveaway so that I could protect one of my fellow citizens from someone else getting their personal information. I do not know if they will give your name to other people as well, they say that they only give one name and address per person, but you may receive other letters from those trying to influence the election. I wanted you to be aware of their efforts and to ask that you not be swayed by them.

I believe the American people can make intelligent decision for themselves. I believe that we have a responsibility to think of our nation's best interests when we elect a president. I believe you have the right to the privacy of your personal information. I hope you feel the same way. I am not asking you to vote one way or the other. I am warning you of what has been done to your privacy and asking that you vote with a resolve not to be swayed by those who do not have our country's best interest in mind.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

P.S. If you are interested in discussing with me how I plan to vote in the upcoming election I would be happy to talk with you.

en #84:
Great letter. Only one quibble point:

Everyone is welcome here.

Not really. I would love to be more welcome here than I am. True, America is more welcoming than many other countries, but as someone who is here from somewhere else, I know that it's still a difficult proposition to try to come here permanently from somewhere else.

The Guardian admonishes:

"Remember, charm will be far more effective than hectoring."

Righto. Here's my letter, as forwarded to the Guardian:

Dear Clark County Voter,
You blithering idiot. How could you even *think* of voting for that evil, lying, chimpanzee George W. Bush? Are you *that* stupid? What is the problem with you Yanks? Regrettably, I can't vote in your stead, but if some dim glimmer of wisdom manages to penetrate your bloody thick skull you will VOTE KERRY!
Yours,
Lord Cocksnoot,
London

#91 Victor

HAHAHA, I like yours better.

I think it may backfire too.

I know I would be offended if I received a letter from a stranger (which I usually don't bother with anyway) some foreigner was urging me to vote a certain way --for THEIR benefit.

#90 blt

as someone who is here from somewhere else, I know that it's still a difficult proposition to try to come here permanently from somewhere else.

Of course it's difficult to come to another country and adjust to a new life, no matter what your country of origin is or the country you immigrate to. I am also from somewhere else and even though it's still hard to adjust here, I've been made to feel welcome by 99% of the people that I've met in the States. So I don't know what you mean when you say

I would love to be more welcome here than I am

Would you please explain?

(BTW, I did NOT send that letter to any Clark County voter.)

#18 Capt. Queeg

In most states you can purchase the lists of registered voters.

I'm ... how you say? ... gobsmacked.

The Guardian is so in touch with America (and Ohioans in particular) they suggest readers donate their pounds sterling (hard-earned by queuing up at the dole) to either the NAACP (Dems) or the Christian Coalition (GOP). Genius.

Don't they know if Kerry wins his secret plan doesn't involve the Brits at all. How gauche, n'est ce pas?

Jocund Mavis (#34) has the right idea, I think:

Dear Yankee Imbecile,

(If you are not literate, as is undoubtedly the case, please find the nearest educated person to read this to you.)

Since you are clearly not competent to make leadership choices on your own, I instruct you to vote John Kerry for president. Senator Kerry will take the necessary measures to ensure that America becomes a proper socialist state, and that your armed forces come under the control of the United Nations, rather than their current leadership, which clings to archaic ideas like "protecting America."

Yours,

Jacques Drapeau-Blanc
Paris, France

(There, that should help the good senator out, non?)

#94 zorkmidden:

Actually it was not the cultural adjustment that was on my mind. Although I find it an interesting change, from my perspective it is not that difficult. And the people I've met here have been very welcoming, very friendly and very warm.

The problem I was referring to is the bureaucratic one of getting permission to live here -- permanently. Many might aspire, but in my experience, many of the many would be excluded. We will still have hoops to jump through if we hope to stay. The bureaucracy certainly does not welcome anyone who wishes to immigrate.

Still, as I mentioned before, opportunities for immigrants to America and participate in American life are relatively more plentiful here than many other countries. It is a great place.

They want to send money to influence an election??

Dont send your money to some soulless political group!

In the words of Spinal Tap:

Stop wasting my time
You know what I want
You know what I need
Or maybe you don't
Do I have to come right
Flat out and tell you everything?

Gimme some money!
Gimme sone money!

Just dont send me goddam allright?

#91 Viktor

Oh, dear, ROTFLMAO and wiping away the tears...

oops my #99:

last paragraph -- "opportunities for immigrants to move to America . . ."

That was supposed to read:

Just dont send me goddam Euros allright?

I mean, I'll take them...but I wont be happy! :)

VERY OT to grayp

Did you say you were born in Uniontown? Me too! (It's kind of amazing that almost no one here in the eastern part of the state has ever heard of Uniontown.)

I got so upset and angry when I read that the Guardian is trying to influence our Presidential election. I wrote those "jerks" two emails. I encourage everyone on this site to bombard the Guardian with emails.bombard the Guardian with emails.

#99 blt

The problem I was referring to is the bureaucratic one of getting permission to live here -- permanently

LOL! :-)

Well then, don't try immigrating to a country in Europe. Do you want to hear a strange immigration story? A friend, born in Greece, immigrated to the States, lived here a few years and then moved back to Greece. She had to leave Greece every 3 months (actually cross the border, any border) to get her American passport stamped so she could re-enter Greece for another 3 months. This went on for three years until her Greek papers came through, in the country where she was born.

American bureaucracy is nothing compared to European bureaucracy. At least here you can conduct most of your affairs by phone. In most European countries you have to go in person and wait in endless queues.

Good luck in your citizenship process :-)

Viktor, I just showed your post to my husband (who loved it). He said, "Who was that congressman who told the story about what he did about offensive letters from consitutents? He said "I send 'em back with a note:

Dear Sir,

Some jackass sent me this letter using your name. I thought you'd want to know about it so you could straighten him out.

Regards,

#108 grayp, LOL!!

littleoldlady, NO WAY! Really? How wonderful! Yeah, we lived in Hopwood until I was about 11, then moved to Pittsburgh. I went to South Union grade school - all 6 roooms of it! It's gone now

email me if you like & we'll have a nice chat (wouldn't it be weird if we like, ya know, actually know each other?)

Victor, you made me laugh. Nothing makes me laugh. I'm gonna enter this:

Dear Clark County Voter,

Oy! Right, then, I'm writing from Great Britain. Um, you know, Engerland ... the land of Mr. Bean and them little Teletubbie queers and the Queen Mum and Posh and Becks and whatnot. You know, Beckham. The footballer, mate! Oy. Can you see and old soldier right, mate, and cast a ballot for John Kerry? Easy peasy, pull the lever and Bob's your uncle, mate! We'll be like in that Mary Poppins film, you and me, dancing with penguins and all. Anyway, if you vote I might win an aeroplane trip to the states and we can meet down the pub over a pint. Do you think you might could make me an appointment with one of your American dentists?

Yours,
Fauntleroy Tuttlebottom
Derbyshire

I might have missed it -- where can we email the Guardian?

I need to let them know how relieved I am that they are helping us think through the issues, now that they have reached a state of perfection.

Minions who may have missed what to do. Click the link, go there and put in you email addy. Keep going back untill you have put in all your email addys.

Victor,

I now have hot chili all over my lap, my keyboarb, the end table, the floor, my tennis shoes, the telephone and my cat is hiding under the tv stand.

Nancy:

Germany says they MAY possibly send troops to Iraq if John Kerry wins the election:

German troops, abroad for the first time since the Big 'Un?

The Germans may have noticed that Kerry does not seem to acknowledge the existence of Poland. There's like this big empty space next door, just sitting there. Uh oh.

Well, Kerry's bitch sister had shit for luck influencing the Australian vote, as will this bunch as they try to influence our election.

#110 grayp
yinzer alert

#110 grayp

Well, I tried, but I don't think the LGF email function works for AOLers. Crashed the computer twice. :-(

Anyway, we moved to Philadelphia when I was 1, so I don't suppose we ever met. :-) My father's uncle lived on Lawton (?) Ave. We were back to visit there twice; once when I was 9, and then again for my great uncle's funeral when I was 11. It's a beautiful area!

My father (luckily) left Europe in 1938 and went to live with his uncle in Uniontown. (The family name was/is Davis. Not too many left anymore...) He had a store in Brownsville up until 1954 when we moved to Philadelphia. Your family may have known my family.

jrdroll
h'aint it tho?

LOL! You too?

littleoldlady

it's grayp6354@earthlink.net

And yes, my family did indeed know yours. My parents lived in Brownsville when they were first marriied and guess where they got their first furniture.

I'll be damned. Mom died September 2003, Dad passed last August.

#119 grayp
go stillers

That was quick. (Must be handled by computer.)

Here's my e-mail from the Guardian with "my" Clark County voter:

"Here is the address of your voter in Clark County, Ohio. When writing to him or her please be courteous and consider how you would feel if someone from Ohio was to write and advise you how to vote.

[Name & Address deleted by me; why set the poor woman up?]
SPRINGFIELD
OH 45503
USA

If your address is incomplete, and for any correspondence, please email clark.county@guardian.co.uk.

To enter the competition to campaign in Clark County, email your letter to clark.county@guardian.co.uk. For terms and conditions see below.

A few tips about writing to Clark County:

* Don't make any assumptions about the voter with whom you have been matched. His or her name comes from the publicly available voters' roll. The voter has not registered any party affiliation. (We don't want individual Clark County voters bombarded with lobbying letters so this site will assign only one name and address to each user – please don't pass yours on to anyone else.)

* Explain why you think they should pay the slightest bit of attention to what you think about their election. [I'd be interested in reading that myself.] Remember, charm will be far more effective than hectoring."

[Followed by the T&C for entering their contest for a 3-day trip to Clark County - unfortunately not including election day.]

Hmmm - should I call her or write her? I'm definitely telling her where I got her name and address.

What think you, Lizardoid Minions?

Charles, I wonder if anyone has informed whatever newspaper covers Clark County about this foreign attempt to influence our election.

I sent the Guardian this email - wonder if they will bother to reply? I know they do not speak for Britain (apart from about 0.00000001%) but it is annoying when they do something like this as some people do think all Brits agree with these muppets. Anyway, email reads:

"Just curious - what happens if someone using an address YOU provide then stalks or writes a letter so foul that the receipient commits suicide if for example he/she were in a depressed state at the time? Will you accept liability and pays millions of dollars?

Will you also do the same with the local press in Ohio to enable US voters to write to people in say, Sedgefield when the election is held over HERE?

IS this not against electoral law in either the States or the UK?

Why were we not allowed to vote in the last Iraqi election? We could have prevented the 97% vote in favour of Saddam! What about Zimbabwe? France!?

And finally, bearing in mind that 1 April is some 5 odd months away is this whole thing in fact yet another Gaurniad early release of story cockup?

Yours aye"

Dave

I just sent in my email address and sent the same one again after a few minutes. They sent me two addresses.

I guess I'll spare a few more Ohioans from some liberal Brit's blather.

It's time to tell the Guardian to Sod Off!

Never mind. It sends you the same guy each time.

#89 badmonkey: Excellent letter; along the lines I was thinking of.

Don't mind if I use it too, do you? :-p

God save the Queen!

The Brits live in a freakin Monarchy fer cryin out load.

grayp - sent you email!! Have to go out for 1/2 hour. catch up with you later!

#30 BoomerVF14 - on second thought, I like your letter better.

Shorter and to the point. :-D

jrdroll

You have no idea what it was like growing up with Terry Bradshaw, then moving to a town where the QB used hairspray (Joe THIGHSboy)

gaaack!

This calls for a trip to the Elizabethan Curse Generator.

Dear Guardian Editor ... thou knavish tickle-brained clotpole!

Interesting and alarming...

Looks like I should have read the thread before posting my letter.

Oh, well...

Stupie f*cking lefty limeys -don't they know Trix are for kids?

American War of Indenpendence I (1776) -no taxation without representation

American War of Independence II (2004) -no representation without taxation, you dickheads -or did someone already say this?

Just curious...are they sending the same name to everyone?

Well, as someone that lives in Clark County OH, I guess I'm going to have to make up my form letter for when the British come...

Hope the ponces are prepared.

daNightMan

Oh, DO remember to write a scathing letter to al Guardian.

OT: littleoldlady is checking but it looks like our mothers may have been friends. How weird is that?

#135 buckeyecpa

I've gotten a different name each time I've tried - about 15, so far.

As a Springfield resident, I figured it couldn't be too long before I got the name of someone I knew. Second attempt, my neighbor across the street. ;-)

Not that he'd need any encouragement to vote for Kerry.

Wonder how we got to be so popular this year? You may remember John Kerry's midnight speech after the Republican convention - right here in good ol' Springfield, OH.

First of all, I want to say this is a great site. For some reason, I'm not finding most of these stories at cnn.com.
i registered my two email adresses with the Guardian, and sure enough, received two free addresses of what the Guardian is hoping to be "mindless sheep". Somehow, I doubt that. And to think I turned down a job in clark county last month! Therefore missing my chance to tell some misguided Europhile personally that theoretically, they can vote in their own countries.
Unfortunately, Germany has turned down the same path - leading the way, actually. When visiting one of my German buddies - I've kown Germans for over twenty years as a member of the military - i asked him pointblank whether he thought that American foreign policy should be turned over to the United Nations. he answered with an unequivocal "yes!" And he's supposedly conservative for a German . (Which is about as meaningful as saying that Gov Dean is more liberal than john kerry).
Europeans are clearly insane.
Anyway, i've read the examples of what to write my two Clarkenians, and will probably plagarize them mercilessly, without shame. My apologies, and thanks for the ideas.

#126 Barbara Skolaut

Thank you. Yes, use it.

I'm a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch working on a story about this whole situation... are any of you Clark Countians willing to talk with me about it? Please give me a buzz at 740-477-2011. It's 4:40 p.m., and my story needs to be done tonight... Please call! Thanks!

Hurray for the Dispatch Reporter! So glad this story is going to get some play in print.

Sorry to go OT on this subject but it is indeed a small world.

I remember my mom having a friend with the same name as littleoldlady's mom. littleoldlady's mom is still alive and remembers a woman with the same first name as my mom's. My mom's first name is so unusual that I never knew anyone else who had it. In a town as small as Uniontown, what are the odds?

Pretty looong, thinks littleoldlady and yours truly.

#141 Disipatch Reporter

Yaayyy!!! Go get 'em! scroll up to post 136 - I think daNightman posted his email address.

Will your story be online?

grayp and I are probably long-lost cousins, too.

How many degrees of separation? ;-)

At first, I thought my head would explode. Then I read the article by Thomas Freedlander (a misnomer if ever there was one) which is linked to on that page. (It's down at the bottom on the left.) That did make my head explode! ;o) After I put it back together thanks to that good ol' American invention, duct tape, I had a flash of inspiration! Why not give them all the vote? All they have to do is apply for statehood! They'd have to accept OUR Constitution (ALL OF IT!), abide by the decisions of OUR Supreme Court (which stands to look pretty righteous when GW's reelected), allow their people to keep and bear arms, and give up their socialized medicine and the subsidized laziness of the dole. There is precedent for a foreign country becoming a State (remember the Republic of Texas?), and if they started acting stupid we could still send troops in to tear up the countryside (just ask Mr Lincoln about that one, because we down South sure haven't forgotten).

For the record...THIS IS SUGGESTION IS MADE WITH TONGUE PLANTED FIRMLY IN CHEEK! NO WAY DO I WANT TO SHARE THIS COUNTRY WITH SOCIALIST KNUCKLEHEADS FROM OVERSEAS...God knows we've got more than enough of the homegrown variety!

Will be firing this off to my intended "victim" in the AM.

Dear XXX,

First of all sorry for intruding on your privacy in this way, I would not do it if I didn’t think it was important. You don’t know me, nor indeed should I know you. I obtained your name and address by entering my email address into the UK based Guardian newspapers website and a random Clark County registered voters name and home address was emailed to me. The purpose of the exercise run by the paper is for Guardian readers to send letters to Clark County voters in an attempt to persuade American citizens to vote for their favoured candidate in the upcoming US elections. I have enclosed copies of the relevant Guardian articles on why Clark County was chosen by the Guardian for this campaign, or as they call it, “operation”.

The reason for me writing to you rather than just ignoring the Guardian campaign is that I feel strongly that the citizens of sovereign democratic nations have a right to elect their leaders without interference from foreigners. I certainly would not appreciate a US newspaper running a campaign to get Americans to write to British people asking them to vote one way or another and I think it’s disgraceful that a British newspaper is doing this to the people of your County. The Guardian are offering a prize of free flights and accommodation in Clark County between October 26 and October 29 to those of their readers who write the letters most likely to subvert your electoral process by changing a voters mind and those flown over will be taking part in campaigning in Clark County between those dates. The only suggestion I’m going to make is that if the shoe was on the other foot and the New York Times was flying a group of Americans in to tell me how to vote then I and my neighbours would be inclined to make a point of politely letting them and the paper that flew them in that they should mind their own business and keep their nose out of other peoples democratic elections. In case you feel the same I’ve attached the relevant contact details of the Guardian. If using this letter either in contacting them or in public is of any use please feel free to use it.

Once again I’m sorry to intrude on your privacy like this and I hope that the people of Clark County and the wider population of our greatest friend and Ally in the world, the United States of America, do not think badly of the people of Britain because of a subversive stunt by one irresponsible newspaper.

All the best from across the pond,

XXX

written to the Guardian:

Re: Have Your Say: Nicely - Guardian, Wednesday, October 13, 2004

To Whom It May Concern:

I think you quoted the wrong section of the United States Declaration of Independence for your readers:

"When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them,"

Or maybe this would be more appropriate:

"Nor have we been wanting in our attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them, from time to time, of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity; and we have conjured them, by the ties of our common kindred, to disavow these usurpations which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too, have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. "

Or, if your readers still don't understand that we are not a colony or remember what took place July 4, 1776:

"We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name and by the authority of the good people of these colonies solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved;"

In otherwords, we deem it a hostile act on your part to attempt to interfere in anyway with our sovreign rights to elect a representative to our highest office. Your behavior is, at the least, reprehensible if not criminal.

I find it highly amusing and down right "misleading" that your "Welcome" to the Guardian and it's history lay this claim:

"The Guardian newspaper, of which Guardian Unlimited is its online presence, was founded in 1821 and has a long history of editorial and political independence".

It is my suggestion that you re-evaluate either your position on posting United States voter rolls, however publicly available, for the purpose of influencing our politics or your statement of political independence, because clearly, this attempt does not adhere to your alleged historical record.

Letters of complaint have been forwarded to the Charge d'Affairs ad interim David T. Johnson, United States Embassy, Britain and Ambassador Sir David Manning, British Embassy, United States.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

um, khenry1

um, you wouldn't happen to have an email address for the British embassy in D.C. would you? That really is a good idea.

oh, and overwatch, I forgot to say "Thank you very much" You are a class act.

Correction to an above mention that Germany may be seeking to influence by saying they would send troops to Iraq under Kerry -

It's not true --the press was reporting unsubstantiated information. What a surprise.

Germany Rejects Speculation That Iraq Policy May Change
By RICHARD BERNSTEIN
Published: October 13, 2004
[Link: www.nytimes.com...]

I've been reading through the correspondence so far, and I'm amazed that so many LGF-readers take the antics of a fascist-left rag like the Guardian seriously. It's been slagging off Israel since the Six-Day War, and Israel's still there. It's been attacking the monarchy, and the Queen's still the Head of State. It's been saying nice things about the Arabs - especially the Palestinians - for decades, and it hasn't done them any good. It's been notorious for encouraging lunatic fringe feminists (a real put-down is "Where did you read that, in the Woman's Page of the Guardian?"), and of course it competes for gay readership with its politically-correct rival, the equally anti-American and anti-Israeli Independent. Guardian readers take themselves seriously, but nobody else does. It keeps going by running huge weekly advertising supplements recruiting people for Mickey Mouse jobs in the public sector. (Where do you think the BBC gets its staff from?)

Say anything you like about the Guardian, but for God's sake, don't confuse it with the British people. And don't confuse the British people with Europe. The fastest-growing political party in this country is one whose sole platform is getting the hell out of Europe. (Can't happen too soon for my liking.)

Hey, Guardian:

If you Communistas give us the head of Red Ken on a plate, we'll consider it.

These boys are the modern-day Comintern crowd up to their usual tricks. Very opposed to national boundaries, democracy, and minding their own bloody business. Hell-bent on destroying the most powerful democracy on the planet.

Still peeved about the fall of the USSR? Get over it.

#152 Loch Inkopf

I'm amazed that so many LGF-readers take the antics of a fascist-left rag like the Guardian seriously

Um, because it's arrogant, insulting and gives us a chance to bitch-slap arrogant, insulting fascist left-wing rag-readers?

Just a thought...

There is no email address for the United States Embassy in England, but you can write to (and I did)

David T. Johnson, Charge d'Affaires ad interim
24 Grosvenor Square
London, W1A 1AE
United Kingdom

Or phone:
Switchboard: [44] (0)20 7499-9000

It seems our last ambassador resigned on July 10 and this gentleman is in charge until a new one is appointed (probably after elections)

You can write to the British Embassy in Washington at:

Sir David Manning, Ambassador to the United States, United Kingdom
Telephone: (212) 745 0277
Fax: (212) 745 0359
Address: 845 Third Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10022

You can email them, but it is on their own form. You must go to this page:
[Link: www.britainusa.com...]

And complete the form they provide.

I also wrote to my local paper, the Kansas City Star regarding the outrage of attempted political influence by a foreign paper or foreign nationals.

Unfortunately, the Guardian has a substantial readership in the UK. Since it has so many readers, it is absolutely correct to assume that it enjoys a large number of citizens in the UK who believe as they do.

Mind you, I usually don't pay attention to what they say or how they vote or how they feel about Americans. But, this one instance seems to have gone that step too far and should be addressed.

Maybe this is what our political reform is going to have to concentrate on next: getting the foreigners out of our politics.

thank you kehenry1...

The letters are good, but you're leaving out 2 very important things:

The Guardian is a Socialist newspaper.

Their stated aim is to sway voters to vote for Kerry.

Not everyone knows who/what the Guardian is.

#154 grayp

Enjoy.

But I have to say that if someone wrote to me from another country to tell me who to vote for in a British General Election, I'd laugh, conclude he was an idiot, and go down the pub.

Incidentally, if you ever tire of bitch-slapping, and ever come to England and give a Guardian journalist an actual arse-kicking, I'll buy you a pint. What's more, since you're an American, I'll tell the landlord not to warm it up first.

#159 Loch Inkopf - LOL. You're a class act. :-p

#159 Loch Inkopf Cheers!

#159 Loch Inkopf

Incidentally, if you ever tire of bitch-slapping, and ever come to England and give a Guardian journalist an actual arse-kicking, I'll buy you a pint. What's more, since you're an American, I'll tell the landlord not to warm it up first.

Why thank you indeed. I'll wear my arse-kicking outfit - my leathers and pearls

grayp...glad to be of assistance. Just hoping my letter to the local paper gets printed. 3 to 1 Kerry supporters even though the state is nudging towards Bush.

Funny, the other day I took a drive down to God's country (the Ozarks). As I passed through Sedalia, I counted the Bush and Kerry signs on the main street I drove down (lots of old victorian homes).

18 for Bush, 4 for kerry.

then, I drove on to Tipton, (where the Burfield stage met the springfield train). Right as you pass the "welcome to Tipton" sign, there was a large billboard (very big at street level):

This Dog Won't Hunt...Poodle with kerry/edwards sign on it.

I have seen that sign on the internet, but had not seen it in real life. Nearly laughed my a$$ off.

In short...I am not thinking that Missouri is a Kerry state, unless St. Louis is drifting the other way.

I doubt if anyone apart from leftist self abusers actually read this sorry pile of ass paper on a regular basis. But wait until the next British election next May time and arrange for foreign right wing news organisations to so exactly the same and urge Brit ex pats to vote Conservative.

I bet teh gguardian editorials will blast on about foreign interference in British elections by rabis right wing Yanks, blah blah blah...

We Australians gave a sharp answer to our left wing media last Saturday. An increased majority and control of both Houses of Parliament for an incumbent right of centre government. And Pilger can stick that right up the bit he talks out of.

#1,
Already signed up using all my valid email addresses, as well as my wife's, and all my co-workers who are anti-JFK/pro-GWB. This could prove quite amusing, as well as effective.

Grayp -

I'm guessing Uniontown is coal country?

My Dad is from Westernport, MD - he came from that background, too...

Frank IBC

I'm guessing Uniontown is coal country?

Oh yeah. Ask your Dad if the name Jock Yablonski means anything. My grandfather gave him his first job in the mines.

Grayp -

Interesting! Dad passed on years ago, and he didn't actually work in the mines himself, but Yablonski's murder is one of the very first national news stories that I remember (although I had to Google it first to remember it) - it happened when I was about 7 or so.

Not to be confused with Cliff Yablonski...

Frank IBC

LOL on Cliff

One of the Yablonski sons was my dad's family legal stuff lawyer for years. I think he's still in the area.

I only met Jock once. The first Earth Day, I think. Cut school and went down to Pitt where he was appearing with Ceasar Chavez. Went up and introduced myself.

He glared at me. Why aren't you in school young laday?

Got tear-gassed on the way home.

From 10/14/04 Columbus Dispatch British paper tells readers to give Clark County an earful

The British are coming.

Letters from them, anyway. And they’re coming by the hundreds, from writers vying for a three-day trip across the Atlantic to stump for their favorite presidential candidate — most likely Sen. John Kerry — in the election’s closing days.

Their destination, however, isn’t Hollywood or the Big Apple: It’s Clark County, Ohio.

A large, left-leaning London newspaper published a multipage section yesterday urging non-Americans to speak up about who should be the next president.

Central to The Guardian’s "Operation Clark County" is a suggestion that readers write to a Clark County voter.

Under the headline, "Football and mowers," the paper describes the county 30 miles west of Columbus as a good example of American life outside big cities.

The paper calls it a significant swing county in a significant swing state. In the last election, the newspaper notes, Al Gore won the county by 324 votes.

By logging onto the paper’s Web site, [Link: www.guardian.co.uk,...] anyone can put in an e-mail address and, within seconds, receive the name and address of a registered Clark County voter not affiliated with a political party.

By the end of the workday, the paper had received more than 3,000 requests for voters, whose names were culled from public voter-registration rolls, said features editor Ian Katz.

The newspaper asked readers to send in copies of their letters. The four most persuasive letterwriters will be sent to Clark County with a reporter and photographer.

The paper is encouraging people to hand-write letters, and editors suggest they walk a fine line between engaging people and annoying them, Katz said. In the newspaper’s return e-mail that includes the voter information is a tip: "Remember, charm will be far more effective than hectoring."

Springfield resident Marcia Frank said a letter from abroad would make little difference to her.

"I would pretty much discount it," she said, "because I don’t think anyone who doesn’t live in the U.S. can fully understand the issues." She declined to divulge her choice for president.

By early yesterday, conservatives were sounding alarms across the Internet.

A typical response: "Hey, Europe! This isn’t your election. Mix out."

It’s a reaction editors at the newspaper, which has a daily circulation of about 400,000, expected, Katz said.

While the paper veers left, it presented its information so supporters of President Bush also could feel free to state their opinions, Katz said.

But polls show that most Europeans favor Kerry.

Katz said the newspaper campaign’s organizers are not naive enough to think a letter-writing campaign will sway the election. They just want Americans to understand how this country’s presidential election affects people outside the United States.

"I think with this little project, it would just be great if it led to a bunch of people in the States having a little more awareness, perhaps, of just how huge the effect of American policy is on the rest of the world," he said.

"And how America’s extraordinary power just means that all of our lives are shaped by you guys."

keckert@dispatch.com

What many people don't know is that there was a Revolutionary War battle fought in Clark County. George Rogers Clark (figures!) smashed a British aligned Shwanee Indian force in the battle of Piqua. Of course, the battlefield is nowhere close to modern Piqua.

Clark County will drub the Brits again.

raidedgoo (#171),

Thanks for the history.

Clark County will drub the Brits again.

Hear. Hear.

I would have more respect for the 'butt out' shouts on this thread if the same posters were not so supportive of US intervention to produce sympathetic governments in foreign states, whether militarily, economically or diplomatically. This goes for Iraq, Venezuela, Cuba, and on, and on, and on.

This is not to say that the US should not indulge in these interventions, but to say that if it does, the supporters of these actions cannot find grounds to complain when a letter writing campaign, involving the most democratic of tools, reason and persuasion, is instigated to influence and inform American voters. The only grounds that would suffice would be a belief in American exceptionalism, an intellectually bankrupt position that leaves no room for the world to respond to an America imagined upon such lines except for with fear or hate, which is surely not the goal of any believer in the project of civilisation.

As for complaints that the Guardian is a foreign news organisation, please remember that Fox is owned by an Australian. But, if you insist that his formal citizenship makes him an American, then please urge Mr Murdoch to pull out of British markets (The Sun, The Times, Sky Television), as well as abandon all his other non-US interests. Why should it be one rule for an American, a different one for the rest of the world?