Facebook Fascists & Nihilist Naderites

[Tara Carreon]

I sent this letter to Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez today:

Tara Lyn Carreon
The Ralph Nader Library
2165 S. Avenida Planeta
Tucson, Arizona 85710
(520) 822-7288

October 27, 2008



Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez
Nader for President 2008
P.O. Box 34103
Washington, D.C. 20043

Dear Ralph and Matt:

As you may remember, we met in Denver at the Super Rally where my husband and I made a $1,000 contribution to your campaign. You may recall that my husband was one of those invited to the stage to speak a few words by Greg Kafoury. It was a moving moment for both of us, and we have proudly voted for you in the mail-in voting here in Arizona. We also held two house parties for you, and invested $600 in advertising in the local paper to advertise the parties. I have also contributed another many hundreds of dollars to the campaign online. Suffice it to say, my husband and I are stalwart supporters.

However, we have had a couple of disappointing experiences that I do not think reflect well on the management of your campaign. To begin with the most recent problem, this regards the Facebook page. From September 25th until October 24th, I was a regular poster on the Ralph Nader facebook page. I operate NaderLibrary.com, and posted a number of links back to the site, as well as making various other comments. Last week, after a barrage of acrimonious complaints against me by one poster, I was "banned;" in other words, silenced. My email to the manager of the Facebook page, Patrick Miner, received virtually no response whatsoever. I enclose a copy of that document. In addition to being a silencing of free speech, this is a most undiplomatic way to treat a financial supporter of the campaign who has demonstrated her dedication to your principles in many concrete ways. Accordingly, I would like to be reinstated on Facebook promptly.

Second, I have had similarly disappointing experiences at VoteNader.org, where some Speech Czar has appointed him or herself the arbiter of what should or should not be said in that venue. This is a violation of free speech, and perhaps worst of all, conveys the impression and makes it a reality that the campaign seems tunnel-visioned, close-minded, and immured in group-think. The Internet is considered to be a vehicle for "crowd sourcing" ideas, a function that it cannot perform when a small tribe of self-appointed thought censors regulate the speech of the crowd. While I understand that you do not have time to delve into the dynamics of "new media," this is just a free heads up -- your online campaign is looking ridiculously out of step with the free-wheeling exchange of ideas that is found in most progressive venues.

Third, when we were in Denver, we asked to obtain the email list for all Arizona Nader supporters, and were introduced to Nicole Brooks. She promised to provide us with a list. We emailed her several times, and she failed to ever send a list despite promising to send the list of "Southern Arizona supporters." Ours were the only house parties held in the entire state of Arizona. Why she was hoarding the list is beyond my comprehension. Because she could not bring herself to part company with it, our parties attracted a total of two visitors, neither of whom were able to donate any money.

In summary, while you are out killing yourself, working with unrestrained zeal on behalf of all Americans, some of your important staffers are utilizing your cachet to burnish their own self images, enjoying regulating access to online venues and communication resources, and thereby impairing the distribution of your message. Were I not a mature and seasoned individual, I would take all of this seriously to heart, be miffed, and throw your candidacy out with the bathwater. However, I'm not that type of person, and although my feelings are genuinely injured, I am taking the time to write this letter, in the hope that it will reach you and you will quite frankly kick some internal ass.

Thanks for all that you do for our nation. Charles and I send our most earnest good wishes. I hope that I will be able to resume posting on Facebook, so that I may express my thoughts and enthusiasm in that venue. If you wish to see in one place the content of all of my posts, to confirm their positive, on-topic content, you may find them at this link: http://www.naderlibrary.com/bulletin_board/viewtopic.php?t=701

Sincerely,


Tara Carreon

cc: Patrick Miner, Manager of Ralph Nader Facebook page patrick@votenader.org
Nicole Brooks nicolebrooks@gmail.com

**********************************************************

ATTACHMENT:

From: Patrick Miner - The Nader Team (patrick@votenader.org)
To: Tara Carreon
Date: Saturday, October 25, 2008 1:30:07 PM
Subject: Re: Mein Kampf: My Struggle Against Nazi Communists -- Facebook Fascists & Nihilist Naderites

Tara,

I don't call myself Ralph Nader. Rather, I work for him on his
presidential campaign.

Thanks,
-Patrick


Patrick Miner
National College Coordinator
patrick@votenader.org

Nader for President 2008
PO Box 34103
Washington DC 20043
202.471.5833
www.votenader.org

Paid for by Nader for President 2008



Tara Carreon wrote:
> How dare you call yourself Ralph Nader, Patrick? Read my response to
> your outrageous deletions here:
>
> http://www.naderlibrary.com/bulletin_board/viewtopic.php?t=701
>