Election Message

October 30, 2004


Hey People,

I hope everyone's doing alright out there. I had a great weekend
performing at at the D.C. Music Conference (hosted by WPGC), William &
Mary, UNC-Wilmington and UNC-Chapel Hill. Thanks for all the love
you've been showing me on the road. And I'm glad y'all enjoyed the
Smokey Robinson tribute on BET. I appreciate the words of
encouragement you've posted at the Graffiti Wall. Anyway, I wanted to
take a break from the music to talk about something else that is very
important to me and hopefully is very important to all of you.

I want to encourage everyone in the U.S. 18 & up to exercise your
right to vote this Tuesday, Nov 2.

Each of you should make your own personal decision on who you think is
the right candidate (check out www.voteforsomething.com if you want
some quick advice on the candidates' positions). I'm personally
voting for John Kerry for President. I'm doing so for a number of
reasons:

----

I prefer Kerry's philosophies on foreign policy and national security.
I believe President Bush has consistently misled the public on the
reasons for going to Iraq. He has mismanaged the plans for post-war
Iraq, and, overall, he has made America and the world a more dangerous
place by alienating the rest of the world and taking his focus off of
the actual terrorists in order to pursue the war on Saddam, who had
nothing to do with 9/11 and had no nuclear weapons. (Read the 9/11
Commission Report at http://www.9-11commission.gov/)

Terrorist cells exist in many countries throughout the world,
including some of our allies like the UK, France, Canada and even
right here at home. We can't and won't go around declaring war on all
these countries just because there are terrorists there. The main way
to destroy these terrorist cells is to cooperate with the law
enforcement and intelligence officials in all these countries to help
stop the cells before they can plan another attack. In addition, we
need to focus on alleviating the conditions that lead people to become
terrorists in the first place. Attacking Saddam had nothing to do
with that and only helped these terrorist cells recruit more people
willing to threaten our safety.

As much as he tries to scare people about what will happen if Kerry
wins, President Bush is the one who has failed to make this country
safer. His policies continue to create animosity around the world,
and he refuses to admit that he's wrong, so don't expect things to get
any better in the next four years.

----

Bush's domestic policies are not very encouraging either. He does not
have a comprehensive plan for bringing health care to poor or working
class people. His priorities are on tax relief for wealthy Americans.
Everybody likes lower taxes (I know I hate paying taxes myself), but
you can't get something for nothing. Every President has to decide
what is a priority, because the government can't do everything. When
it comes down to it, Bush's priorities are with the rich and powerful.
(FYI: Bush is expected to sign a bill that gives $140 billion in new
business tax breaks to big businesses and multinational corporations,
the bill is so extreme that Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican,
called it "the worst example of the
influence of special interests that I have ever seen.") In the
meantime, Kerry has a plan to bring healthcare to nearly all
Americans. To pay for it, he'd restore higher taxes for really rich
people. I think this is a small sacrifice to make sure nearly every
American has equal access to quality health care.

While Bush pays lip service to education and helping the middle class,
he fails to put his money where his mouth is. This is part of a
common pattern with this so-called "compassionate conservative."
He'll talk like a moderate, but he always governs from the far right
with a very divisive agenda. He claims to be a man of his word, but
he so frequently misleads the American people and fails to deliver on
his promises. He said he'd "leave no child behind" in his education
policy, but he'd rather spend that money on attacking Iraq and cutting
taxes for the wealthy than fund his own education programs. He said
he was for an assault weapons ban, but he intentionally made no effort
to get the ban passed in the congress. I guess he was more
preoccupied with trying to pass a constitutional amendment on gay
marriage than protecting his own citizens from gun violence.

Additionally, George W. Bush has been the worst president in decades
when it comes to the environment. Again, he always sides with the
rich and powerful when he sets his policy priorities. He is oblivious
to the long-term effects of his policies and refuses to accept the
overwhelming scientific evidence about global warming and its harmful
consequences. I could provide more examples, but this note is already
getting long. (Read Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s new book "Crimes Against
Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the
Country and Hijacking Our Democracy;" I hear it's very good.)

----

And, perhaps most disturbing of all is the Republican effort to
suppress the ultimate symbol of democracy—the right to vote. In
Michigan, Republican
State Rep. John Pappageorge unapologetically said that his party would
not win the
presidential election if the Republicans failed to "suppress the Detroit vote,
[which as we know happens to be overwhelmingly African American!]."

Please know that this is a common sentiment among Republican
officials. In addition to Michigan, they are making a concerted
effort to suppress the black vote in key "swing" states such as
Florida and my home state of Ohio. (In Florida, it has been so bad
that state police officers have gone into the homes of elderly black
voters in
Orlando and interrogated them as part of an odd ''investigation'' of voter
fraud). They have recruited an army of Republican volunteers who will
raise frivolous challenges to registered voters in heavily
minority/Democratic counties and spread misinformation and hostility
to voters. They spread rumors about false voting requirements; they
create conditions that will lead to longer lines and confusion at the
polls. They DESTROY the registration cards of Democratic new
registrants!

All this in an effort to discourage people from exercising their
constitutional right to elect the next President. This is quite
simply immoral and intolerable. These are not underground conspiracy
theories, people; these efforts are public knowledge and have been
documented extensively by many of the major news organizations. I
can't believe there isn't more public outrage on this subject.

Don't allow yourself or your family to be misled, discouraged or
intimidated. The only way Bush can be re-elected is if he succeeds in
suppressing the votes of young people and minorities. He knows this;
his party knows this; you should know this too.

So, I urge you to GO VOTE ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2nd. I believe this is
the most important election of our lifetime. I know Kerry's not
perfect, but this country can't take another 4 years of deception,
mismanagement and misplaced priorities by the Bush administration.

If you've gotten this far in my looooong message, thanks for your time. :)

Peace,
John

Update: The Tour, BET Walk of Fame & New Album Release Date

October 16, 2004



Hey People,

I'm back. Just checking in to let y'all know how things are going.

First of all, the Truth Tour has come to an end. We performed at the
world-famous Madison Square Garden this week then had our closing show
in Hartford, CT. I had an amazing time on the road with Usher and
Kanye. Thanks to both of them for providing me with this opportunity.
It was great meeting so many fans around the country and introducing
them to my music.

Coming next is my first headlining tour! I'm so excited to start
touring on my own. I'll be doing a few solo acoustic shows in the
rest of October, then starting a tour of the U.S. (and hopefully
Canada) with my band in November, going thru mid-December. We'll be
playing at colleges and clubs throughout North America. We're still
confirming dates and venues. They'll be posted on my site as we
confirm. Make sure you come out and support and bring all your
friends. I need to see you out there. Thanks to all my fans in
Philly, Toronto and New York. I played solo shows to packed houses in
all three cities over the last 2 weeks. I had such a great time.

Also, last weekend, I was in D.C. to participate in the taping of the
BET 10th Annual Walk of Fame honoring Smokey Robinson (more info at
www.bet.com). It was a very humbling experience. I was fortunate
enough to be asked to sing one of my favorite Smokey songs, "Quiet
Storm." Among the other featured performers were Stevie Wonder, India
Aire, Boyz II Men, New Edition, Gerald Levert, Cristina Milian, Brian
McKnight and Smokey himself. I was so honored just to be in the same
show as all these incredible artists who have been around for such a
long time. I even got to meet Smokey & Stevie. Thanks to BET for
asking me to contribute. You can check out the show on Tuesday,
October 26, at 9pm ET. You don't want to miss it.

Speaking of October 26... as some of you may have already learned,
Sony has decided not to release my album on that date. The new
release date is Tuesday, December 28. They wanted to give me a chance
to get some more exposure on radio and television before we put the
album out. I know that all my loyal fans have been waiting a while
for the album, but most people in the country don't know who I am yet,
and the label wanted to give them a chance to hear more about me
before we put the album out.

Now I know there's a new bootleg leak of the final version of the
album on the internet and on the streets, and I know some of y'all are
bumping it in your stereos right now. You know who you are...
Anyway, I appreciate your enthusiasm. I don't mind you listening to
it now. I'm glad you cared enough to check for it. Just do me the
favor of purchasing it and telling all your friends about it if you
think it's deserving. I tried my best to make it so... So please
support the album in stores on December 28. Think of it as your
birthday present to me. (Yeah, December 28 just so happens to be my
26th birthday. Capricorns, stand up!). :)

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing all of y'all out there on the
road in the next few months. Get ready to Get Lifted...

Love,
John