There wasn’t enough space for the dancing Ewoks. I hope that’s OK with you. Thanks for all your support and uplifting of the Disembodied Head of Dick Devos.

Before I wander off into that good night, I wanted to ask you all to take care, be well, and work to make this state and country a better place, especially by reaching out to folks across the aisle. We have some huge problems. They didn’t magically disappear last night and solving them is going to require all of our skills (and money – how about $30 million for renewable energy, Dick?). As long as we have them, the threat of replacing ineffective government with truly terrible government remains very real.

This site will now become a drifting hulk of information. The information stays because is is information about a man who is only about 1% less rich and probably 0% less committed to some really scary things.

(try Dood Abides & Jesus General for similar fun)

Kommiserate at Kommunist HeadKwarters 

In a time of darkness, when Hope seemed to have gone out for a pack of smokes and ended up on a boat to China, when television seemed to have become nothing more than an ad delivery service, when the most flawed candidate in the history of our state seemed like a credible threat, well, in those days the people of Michigan finally got a chance to have their say.

Vote, people, and get your friends, relatives and total strangers to do the same.

Michigan’s future isn’t for sale.

UPDATES GALORE:

Ominous music to hum on Election Day!

Kos Posted with a Kattle Kart o’ Komments!!

Michigan Liberal with a … multitude of meh???!!!

Let’s have a big TV-Land welcome for everyone’s favorite ad buying billionaire, Hollywood Dick Devos! It’s time to meet our celebrity guests. If you don’t have time to click the links, you are encouraged to mouse over them. Also, please don’t wonder why almost everyone who is speaking for Dick DeVos is either from out of Michigan or is in his family – it’s bad manners!

President George Bush: Although Dubya has been persona non seeya on behalf of Amway Dick this campaign season (’cause the Dickster said “you stay the hell away, Toxic George“), never forget that the DeVos family was the #1 contributor to Bush/Cheney 2004.

VP Deadeye Dick Cheney – see above, and don’t turn your back on him – he’ll rob you blind!

2008 Presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani – if DeVos manages to buy a miracle, what’s the over/under on DeVos quitting to run as Rudy’s VP in 2008?

Rev. James Dobson of Focus on the Family – Dick & Betsy love themselves some far, far right causes and few more than that of the Reverend of Right who focuses on the family as he defines it like a killer laser of intolerance.

Fundraiser and Felon Jack Abramoff – It’s unfair to single out Dick for taking Jailhouse Jack on his Potomac River Cruise aboard his yacht Enterprise because really, what powerful Republican didn’t get down with Abramoff?

Dealmaker, Cashtaker, Lawbreaker Tom DeLay – Tom sez thanks: “RAD (Restoring American Dream PAC, founded by Dick DeVos) has played an essential role in maintaining Republican control of the House of Representatives in both 1998 and 2000.”

Evil Genius Karl Rove – Hey, Dick & K-Street are “just friends“!

CEO Superstar Lee Iacocca – Lee lives in California and although his “turnaround” of Chrysler involved a heady infusion of taxpayer dollars, he’s always willing to fire up the charm if the price is right!

Billionairess Betsy DeVos – My Billion-dollar Baby-doll has been told to keep quiet … at least until after the election! I love her, scary eyes and all!

Kos-posted!

There I was: hovering high above the Michigan interWeb like a proud but disappointed eagle when a fast-dodging mourning dove alerted me to this post by some bird-watcher guy. A bird watcher? With a political opinion? Hello in there, Mr. Red-breasted Nuthatch. Let’s leave politics to the politicians … and the soap guys.

Anyway, I have to stay on the move, carrying my message to Take Back Michigan (except for the Republican Legislature and Supreme Court) to a state weary of my ads and face. Since the Bird Man of Michigan was silly enough to license his little book report about Dick DeVos as Creative Commons, I’ll post it here followed by my devastating response! Also a video from The YouTube.

michigan – get out and vote for granholm!

I don’t write much about politics here, although I follow it closely and with some passion. In case there are any undecided Michigan voters reading this, I feel it is my civic duty to provide some info on the Michigan gubernatorial race between incumbent Jennifer Granholm and her Republican challenger, Dick DeVos.

Dick DeVos scares me. His strongly religious and ultra-conservative support/activism scare me. His rabidly pro-business agenda scares me, in no small part because it threatens the environment.

In a vignette of the race, Grist provided insight into some of the anti-environmental organizations and initiatives supported by DeVos. It quoted a Sierra Club rep, who said “Almost nowhere else do you see a more striking contrast between a stellar, hard-won environmental record and an anti-environmental agenda.”

You can read DeVos’s environment plan yourself (PDF). It is 7 pages (with big pictures) that, like most of his “plans,” are full of platitudes and generalities and lack specifics. In contrast, you can read about Granholm’s past accomplishments and environmentally-related press releases. Granholm is endorsed by the Sierra Club, Michigan League of Conservation Voters, and Clean Water Action. A coalition of environmentalists is campaigning for Granholm.

At Wikipedia, you can read a summary of the race. You’ll notice a few tidbits about DeVos:

• Many of DeVos’ critics, including some conservatives, propose that his leadership of highly controversial Alticor, the parent company of Amway and Quixtar, the world’s largest multi-level marketing organization, should disqualify him from holding public office at all.
• He supports the teaching of intelligent design in science classes.
• In an interview, DeVos said he would be thrilled if Roe vs. Wade was overturned.

Also at Wikipedia, you can read about Amway/Alticor’s heavy Republican leanings, and more ominously, the DeVos preoccupation with the dominionist political movement (scroll down a bit); the DeVos foundation is one of the single largest donators to specifically dominionist political groups in the U.S. (Dominionism is a trend in Protestant Christian evangelicalism and fundamentalism that seeks to establish specific political policies based on religious beliefs — read more here).

CREEPY! How about his theoretical strength, as a businessman? The Michigan Liberal sums up some key points on how DeVos has actually failed at business and quit other elected positons:

• When Dick DeVos became President of Amway, in 1993, Amway reported estimated retail sales of $4.5 billion. By 2002, sales had mushroomed by $0.00 to stay flat at $4.5 billion. Adjusted for inflation, sales at Alticor/Amway while the company was led by Dick DeVos actually fell by 19%.
• In 1990, DeVos was elected to the State Board of Education. He left two years into an eight-year term when he had missed about a fifth of the meetings and responsibilities at Amway demanded his attention.
• In 1996, then-Gov. John Engler appointed DeVos to the Grand Valley State University Board of Control. DeVos resigned four years later after missing 16 of 27 meetings. Business and his 2000 school voucher campaign were keeping him away.

This man should not hold political office. He’s not qualified and his ambitious plans are doggedly focused on jobs with few details on how he would carry out any of his initiatives. Granholm has struggled with a crisis in the auto industry and a contentious Republican legislature. I think she could have been more effective, but she is head and shoulders better than DeVos, who would be ruinous for Michigan. Vote for Jennifer Granholm on November 7.

Speaking of heads, for a biting, humorous, but informative look at DeVos, visit The Disembodied Head of Dick DeVos.

My response

Nuh-uh!

The photo

The picture used above is titled “blessings of peace“. Here are a bunch of pictures of Michigan’s Bird of Peace, the mourning dove.

DH1

From a hometown called “Run When You See Me Coming” here’s Quixtar – The Land of ill Will – on Dateline.

Kos-posted and Michliberalized! In a watchy mood? How about watching Holland Rep Peter “Share the Bomb” Hoekstra’s collossal A-Bomb Bollocks!

Get down on the Gold Digger, Dick DeVos Remix and YouTube it up if you’re a true sports racer … and remember: if you want to be flash, fear the man with all the cash!

Shout out to Ze Frank!

Kriss-Kross-Kos

What have they done to MY newpaper???!!!

Ode to Dick DeVos by His Disembodied Head

I don’t like to brag, and I don’t like to boast,

But speaking of mansions, I have the most.

I’ve got lots of cars, boats & yachts from a dream,

And if you want to talk planes, well I have fourteen!

My money’s from Amway, Alticor and Quixtar,

It’s multi-level magic that has taken me far!

I’m the richest to run for Michigan’s high seat,

and my spending on ads just cannot be beat!

If elected as Governor, I won’t take a penny,

but don’t ask me for plans, ’cause I haven’t got any!

My strength is in secrets and vague accusations,

and sending Michigan jobs to far foreign nations!

If you vote for DeVos I can promise you true:

Tax breaks for the rich, higher taxes for you!

###

Lifestyles of the Rich & Infamous is an exclusive look inside the swanky life of Dick Devos with guest appearances by Gorgeous George Bush, Jailhouse Jack Abramoff and Tricky Tom DeLay! It was made by the Michigan Democrats but you and I know that they’re just jealous!

Kross-posted to Kos 

The campaign is in the home stretch and before things get too crazy, I would like to direct your attention to the phenomenal success of my Campaign for Secrecy! All you h8ers who think that Tricky Dicky can’t do anything right better take a look at my Plan for Secrecy 5.6: The Business of Dick Devos is none of your Business, Michigan:

DeVos won’t release tax returns: “Republican candidate for governor Dick DeVos, a member of one of America’s richest families, says he will not release his entire income tax returns. He says he will provide some summaries of his wealth.” Summaries should be good enough for the people of Michigan and if they’re not, TOO BAD!

How Dick Devos will pay for Michigan tax cuts: While my $2 or $3 billion dollars in tax cuts got slammed by Governor Granholm in the debates, only a few articles got written on the subject, I never was forced to answer the question in the debates and it appears that most everyone is in favor of my “I’ll Figure it out Later” strategy. Don’t ask, cause I won’t tell!

Dick Devos tells Michigan newspapers NOTHING! Michigan Press Association? Can we get this outlawed?

How poor of a communicator is Dick DeVos? How cavalier is the gubernatorial candidate toward the public’s right to know? …

“Thank you for your interest in Dick DeVos’ campaign for change. We respect that your organization is engaged in the public arena. People coming together to address issues is a quintessential American right and tradition. At this time, we will not be responding to your questionnaire.”

No, no — thank you, Mr. DeVos, for reminding us of a quintessential press obligation to inform the public to expect the same dismissive treatment from a DeVos administration.

Amway and the Bermuda Tax Haven: “Over the last 3 years, the Michigan Legislature, controlled by Republicans who support the Amway Guy, has enacted laws designating Bermuda as a tax haven country five separate times.” What does it say that a news search for “Amway Bermuda Tax Haven” produces THREE articles and that all of these articles are just about the accusation? I don’t know but I can tell you that Dirty Dick is smiling all the way to the nameless, tax sheltered bank!

The DeVos Alterra Lie: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel could figure out that “Alterra board chairman Jerry L. Tubergen is executive director of the RDV Corp., the investment vehicle of the DeVos Family, which owns 20% of Alterra.” It’s not a lie if nobody cares!

Dick DeVos and the Magic Apples: Nobody has even heard about this! Like Alterra, only with apples!

Funding the Far Right: In addition to being the largest contributor to George Bush’s re-election and giving money to Tom Delay, the DeVos family has given millions of dollars to organizations that are working to promote rightwing policy through a network of organizations doing advocacy, educational, and legal work. I’m just happy nobody has picked up on the fact that Dick Devos is a Republican! That could be damaging!!

Dick Devos Support for School Vouchers: “Dick DeVos Jr. has used his family’s fortune and status to create an intricate national network of non-profits, political action committees and federal groups known as 527s that effectively fund the political arm of the school voucher movement.” Devos & family are still funding these efforts in other states. If you close your eyes and stick your fingers in your ears, you might have a career as an investigative journalist!

Secret Religious and Social Agendas of Dick DeVos: Whether it’s Intelligent design, undermining the rights of gays, re-criminalizing abortion or breaking down the wall separating church from state, it’s no secret that Dick Devos has a secret agenda. Can I say it’s a matter of personal faith and keep it secret if my faith says that I have to impose it on you?

Disembodied Headquarters would like to thank DemWave for his mad research skillz. His ability to use The Google coupled with something called “curiosity” make us happy that he is not working for a newspaper or TV station.
Don’t forget that Dick Devos is a quitter!

Kross-posted to Kos 

As I was floating around on The Google, I realized it had been a long time since I went out and viciously attacked the liberal blog-o-thingee. First, I had to take the edge off my hunger – a Head develops a powerful appetite on the road for Big Bucks – so I decided to find some cookies. Imagine my surprise when an innocent search for “SPRINKLES” led to Liberal Lucy’s Lady Leader Lovefest, a relatively new blog about how we become closer as a community, stronger as a state, and more invested as global players. Closer? Keep your distance: I have a private army and I’m not afraid to use it!

I’ll get back to the cookies but first, Reasons to Say No to Dick and Yes to Jen? These are a bunch of bite-sized (mmm) but well thought out arguments against Dick Devos and for the Gal Governor Jennifer Granholm. Let me refute quickly:

• #11 Environmental Funding Just say “No” to the environment!
• #12 Job Outsourcing Keep those profits high!
• #13 Public Health My plan: stay healthy!
• #14 Middle Class and Minimum Wage I agree: Minimum wage for the Middle Class!
• #15 Stem Cell Research I am opposed to Research. Or stem cells. Let me check my plan.
• #16 Campaign Finance I will finance my own campaign. And Bush’s.
• #17 Drilling in the Great Lakes Another excellent idea!
• #18 Job Creation Like I say: Jobs, Jobs, Jobs to China!
• #19 Tax Plan What? Where? Let me see!!
• #20 Jobs See #18.
• #21 Healthcare Coverage See #20. My job plan is my health care plan!
• #22 Education See #23.
• #23 School Vouchers See #22.
• #24 China v. US Job Creation I’m on the “China” side of this one.
• #25 Amway What is the big DEAL with Amway??

Now back to the cookie thing. Lucy has apparently some sort of degree in Cookieology and has developed an equation of Politics + Cooking = Democracy Cookies. She explains:

Here’s how they work. My friends and co-workers have been alerted that if they show up with an “I Voted” Sticker on November 7th (or promise they filled out an absentee ballot) they get some Democracy Cookies. This is not a bribe, and I’m not asking people to vote for any particular candidate or any particular way on a ballot/millage proposal. This is just a way of saying how much I appreciate people participating in the democracy process by voting, period.

I’m not sure how to respond to this. I feel like I should offer people money or something if they vote but I’m not sure how people going out to vote helps ME. Really, all I want is some of those sprinkles…

(cross-posted to Kos)