Success!

When I started this blog I did not really think it would have much impact on national politics. But I was wrong. My first success was getting Republican Senator George Allen defeated (see my post 9/25). Of course, his idiocy did not help him nor did the fact that Jim Webb, his opponent, turned out to be a decent guy with something worthwhile to say. But it was my blog post that made the difference, and resulted in the Democrats taking control of the Senate.

I was pretty happy about that, but still underestimated the power of the (my) pen, or keyboard. Since Allen's defeat, a bunch of Republicans have announced they would not run for reelection, lots of other Republicans have revealed themselves to be true hypocrites (Senator Craig comes to mind), and the probability of further Republican losses in Congress in 2008 has soared.  The Republican party is in shambles. The crumbling Republican juggernaut has given new meaning to the word fissiparous.

People don't even talk much anymore about how bad Bush is. They are just waiting for him to go away.

So a word of advice to all you aspiring bloggers out there who lament the lack of readers and your failure to make an impact: don't give up. You too can be someone special with a lot of clout!

Just write brilliant stuff, like I do, and eventually people will notice and you will become very influential. It happened to me; it could can happen to you.

I'm taking on consumerism next.

Fidelity Out of Sudan

I just sent the letter below to Fidelity in support of the Fidelity Out of Sudan campaign. See http://fidelityoutofsudan.googlepages.com/ for more details

 

Fidelity Investments
P.O. Box 770001
Cincinnati, OH 45277-0035

Dear Fidelity,

Please sell all shares of Fidelity Contrafund in account #xxxxx and invest the proceeds in Fidelity Cash Reserves.

Although I am pleased with the performance of Contrafund, I cannot continue to invest in a fund holding securities of companies such as PetroChina and China Petroleum that enable the genocidal policies of the government of Sudan.

I have contacted Fidelity previously to express my concern over your failure to divest from such companies. I plan to continue to work for the Fidelity Out of Sudan campaign by urging my friends, co-workers, employer, and family to learn about Fidelity’s position. I am also considering moving all my Fidelity investments to another company, such as Calvert, that does support the divestment goals.

Sincerely yours,

Daniel Burke

cc. Anne.Crowley@fmr.com

customer.email@fidelity.com

info@FidelityOutOfSudan.com