Republicans having Moore prosecuted for underwear gifts

[DrSmellThis]

If convicted of vote buying, Moore's punishment should well fit the crime

By

Laura Berman / The Detroit

News

It could be the next Trial of the Century. . . The famous Slacker Trial of 2004, when Michael

Moore defended himself against election law charges, fighting for the right to hand out clean underwear to grungy

college students.

Moore, the Flint-born provocateur who left Michigan 20 years ago to annoy people on a grander

scale, returned here briefly last week to bother the home base.

And, boy, did it work.

For a few days of his

so-called Slacker Tour, Moore toured Michigan college campuses, signing up voters and handing out free underwear and

corn chips to prospective voters.

Moore’s pitch was theoretically nonpartisan — he gave away gag gifts like

Ramen noodles and promised to clean dorm rooms in exchange for voting — but he’s been clear about his political

preferences.

The filmmaker who backed Ralph Nader’s candidacy in 2000 showed up at this summer’s national

Democratic Party convention: For the moment, he’s playing Mr. Mainstream, and plunked himself down in the

Kerry/Edwards camp.

Moore’s on-campus hijinks generated publicity and added new voters to the registration

rolls. It helped rouse apathetic college students from their three-decade-long slumber, at least momentarily, and

created some buzz for the electoral process.

But the Republicans were not amused.

The Michigan Republican

Party dispatched letters to prosecutors in four counties, seeking action. The party wants Moore charged with

violating election law by buying votes — a misdemeanor that could get him 90 days in jail or a $500 fine. Or both.



Rather than resort to a spirited response — humor, say — the party opted to condemn Moore for “making a mockery of

the election process,” as Chris Paolino, a spokesman for the state party, said.

“While ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ was an

abuse of the editing process, this was an abuse of the election process,” he added.

So far, none of the

prosecutors has taken the bait. And Kelly Chesney, spokeswoman for the Secretary of State’s Office, said the party

had not complained to the office, which administers election law but has no prosecutorial powers.

In the

meantime, even Moore isn’t sounding particularly amused. “I intend to keep distributing a free, clean change of

underwear to all slackers and college students who promise to vote in this election,” he wrote me, by e-mail.

As

spectators to the democratic process, we can only hope the case eventually goes to trial before a jury of Moore’s

peers.

Envision, please, the scene in court: the Court TV cameras keeping watch, while Moore’s legal defense

Dream Team, commanded by Geoffrey Fieger and O.J. Simpson defender Johnny Cochran, seize the opportunity for

national exposure.

And an array of questions that some over-eager prosecutor couldn’t quite resist asking.



“Did you, Mr. Moore, offer to clean Suzy Smith’s dorm room in exchange for her agreeing to register to vote?”



“Um, yeah.”

“Are these the Tostitos you offered, in exchange for voter registration?”

Convict him, sure,

but offer an appropriate, painful punishment: a job writing humorless press releases for the GOP.

[Elk Dreamer]

Does this surprize you? The

majority of Michigan Republicans in MichiganThink,Look,act.and smell like Dick Chaney. ( three Day in the full sun

road kill )
Mike Moore just showing up as he is, drives them nuts! Without wearing his pheromones
just his

dirty underwear.

Elk a Michigander orginally from the woods near Traverse City