Do what you can, at EVERY opportunity!

The following is an email I sent to nearly every friend and acquaintance on my email list:

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Greetings, all:

Yes, it's another mass-mailing from Jim
Allyn!

I believe there is much in this world that
can and must be changed - for the better. And I
think that we must all do our part to make those
changes, and to enlist others in making positive
change in the world.

Toward that end, I believe we need to speak
our minds at every opportunity, and I believe that
we have many more opportunities than we realize.
For example, I use Xandros Linux (not Windows!) on
my computers, and am an active member of the
Xandros Forums, helping out other Linux users
whenever I can. On every post I make on the
Forums, there is a "signature" line. For an
example, look here:

http://forums.xandros.com/viewtopic.php?t=21852

My post is the second one in that thread, and
at the bottom of my post you can see my signature,
a large red number, currently 2276. What, you may
ask, is the significance of that large red number?
And why does the number change now and then?
People do ask me that on the forums, and I give
them the answer I'll give you here:

http://icasualties.org/oif/

That is the current number of American dead
in Bush's illegal and immoral war of aggression in
Iraq.

As I am a regular on the Xandros Forums, by
now hundreds of people all over the world know
what the number in my signature means. And they see
the number go up on a regular basis.

The first time someone asked what the number
in my signature was, it was in this "Off Topic"
thread:

http://forums.xandros.com/viewtopic.php?t=21651

Having seen my signature, then at 2267,
another user asked what it meant. And I told
him. That poster responded, "That is sad, on all
levels, for everyone, for the world. I think you
have to add a 0 and multiply by some factor to
get the total dead in that poor, sad country."
Another responded, "2267 an unpleasant necessary
reminder."

That particular thread started with someone
asking, "What's with all the environmental stuff,
and sometimes the political stuff, in this forum?"
Most likely, the threads that triggered the
question were these:

http://forums.xandros.com/viewtopic.php?t=20059

http://forums.xandros.com/viewtopic.php?t=21391

http://forums.xandros.com/viewtopic.php?t=21635

http://forums.xandros.com/viewtopic.php?t=21187

If you have a look at those threads, you'll
see that I (and my big mouth) figure prominently
in all of them. The first thread was just a
mention that the color theme of the Forums had
been changed to something more winter-like. When a
Forums member added a comment about "global
warming alarmists", I took the opportunity to
educate and inform the Forums members on global
warming. Other members joined in, some asking
questions, which were answered with scientific
facts. Several other threads on global warming
ensued. In total, the threads linked to above
have now been viewed 4106 times. If you read the
threads (and I encourage you to do so!), you'll
see that in the course of the discussion,
people's minds have been changed, and much
misinformation was dispelled. And LOTS of good
information on global warming was made available
for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people to see.

As another example, there are two signs on
the back of my car. I printed them out with my
computer, and taped them up in the back window,
and everybody that gets behind my car has a pretty
good notion of how I feel about Bush's illegal and
immoral war of aggression - one of the signs says:
"Blessed are the peacemakers. - Jesus I'm a
war president. - Bush."

OK, I've gone on longer than I intended, but
the point is: we all have opportunities to
educate and inform, to do good, and to change minds,
everywhere we go, and in everything we do. And I
believe we have an obligation to do so. I believe
we have an obligation to do everything in our
power to make this a better world, both for
ourselves and for our fellow human beings. Think
about the opportunities you have in your everyday
life to change the world. Think of
the opportunities you have to reach people's
hearts and minds. Do what you can - everything
you can - and feel good about it.

Jim


P.S. My email signature (below) is another way I
try to change the world for the better!

--
This message was composed and sent with
Kmail running under Xandros Linux. Kmail
and Linux are Open Source/Free Software
projects. For more information, see:
http://www.gnu.org,
http://www.debian.org, http://www.kde.org,
http://www.xandros.com,
or do a Google search for "open source" or
"Linux". Get out from
under the Microsoft monopoly! Start using
fine quality, stable, and
free Open Source software today!

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What opportunities are YOU missing?