Of Credit Cards and Big Bad Wolves

Act One: Enter the Wolf

Once upon a time, a dizzy blonde forgot her payment to the big bad wolf known as Bank of America (BOA). In her defense, it was the silly season between Thanksgiving and Christmas and she simply forgot to make the payment. On December 7th, 2007 a day that will certainly live in infamy, she realized she’d forgotten the payment, which was now 7 days late. So, being an individual more than willing to take responsibility for her mistake, she paid over double the minimum payment plus the late fees, and since she’d never been late on a payment before, thought that was the end of it.

But the big bad BOA wolf was having its own problems at the time with losses in the sub-prime mortgage market, like other wolves such as Washington Mutual (WAMU), and since our blonde had made this “error,” the BOA wolf decided that she, and thousands of others, should help the big bad wolf cover its losses. The blonde received notice with her next statement that the interest on her balance was being raised-to 31.74 percent-but if she paid on time like a good little blonde for six months, the big bad BOA wolf would “review” her account.

When she called the BOA wolf’s customer service line, the blonde discovered that “review” didn’t mean the interest rate was going down after six months. Oh, no. It just meant “review” as in “we’ll continue to shaft you as long as we want and you can’t do a damn thing about it.” Well, the blonde decided to fight back in a totally remarkable way. She refused to pay. She called customer service a second time to let them know that she wasn’t going to pay what amounted to usurous rates and that she didn’t care about her so-called credit rating, a cattle prod if ever there was one, created by lenders to herd frightened sheep into the slaughter pens of big bad wolves all over the country and the world.

The blonde did her research and spoke to a friend who’s worked in the banking industry for over twenty years to find out what, if anything, the big bad BOA wolf could do to her for refusing to pay. The BOA wolf could garnish the blonde’s wages, but the banking industry expert had never heard of any wolf doing that because it’s just too darn expensive for the wolves, having to get a lawyer in the blonde’s home state, etc. The big bad wolf also could, in theory, serve a writ on the blonde’s bank and clean out her bank account, but the banking industry expert hadn’t ever heard of that being done either, again, because it’s too cost prohibitive for the wolves. Outside of ruining the blonde’s credit rating, there was little else, if anything, the big bad BOA wolf could do.

So, our courageous blonde did not pay. And the sky did not fall. But, this isn’t the end of the story by any means.

Act Two: A Classic Bait and Switch.

After ignoring repeated calls from the BOA wolf’s collectors, and thanking God for caller ID every time, our blonde had a fit of conscience. Never one to stiff anyone she owes, even a big bad wolf–unlike all the big bad wolves who had no qualms about gorging themselves on fresh cash at the taxpayers’ bailout trough–the blonde decided to work out a deal with the BOA wolf. The BOA wolf agreed to settle for half of what was owed, to be paid off in thirty dollar installments over the course of 60 months. Fine and dandy. The BOA wolf cashes the first payment. Two weeks later, a representative for the BOA wolf calls and says thirty isn’t enough.

“Federal law won’t let us accept less than eighty dollars a month,” Eric, the BOA rep, said.

“Cite me the statute,” the disbelieving blonde replied.

Eric didn’t know what the specific statute was, so the blonde asked to be transferred to someone who does. He refused to transfer the blonde, even to his supervisor, for at least five minutes of bickering and gnashing of teeth, until finally he relented. Eric’s supervisor offered to take fifty a month instead of the eighty (and whatever happened to the “federal statute” requiring eighty? Eric’s supervisor dodged that question.) The blonde refused to pay more than thirty because, to her way of thinking, she and the BOA wolf had made a deal and the wolf should honor his end. The BOA supervisor refused to take thirty. The blonde now keeps that money in her pocket. And still the sky did not fall.

The blonde had a similar run-in last year with HSBC, where they were going raise her interest rate to the high 20s, which she also refused to pay and let them know it on at least three different phone calls. HSBC then perpetrated their version of the bait and switch, promising the blonde 9% interest on her remaining debt, if only she would pay X amount by a certain date, and then make timely payments until the debt was satisfied. She met this wolf’s requirement, but then the HSBC rep said they couldn’t honor that deal either. And so the blonde kept her money in her pocket while HSBC, BOA, WAMU, CITI Bank, and other wolves lined up at the taxpayers’ trough to feed on the fresh meat supplied by our own Congress and President.

New credit card regulations are due to take effect in February 2010. However, these “new” regulations are to be interpreted and put into practice by the leader of the wolf pack, the Federal Reserve. There is nothing to prevent the wolf pack leader from interpreting the provisions this “new” law to the wolves’ own advantage, or “re-interpreting” the provisions at any time in the future, perhaps when the economic mess these greedy wolves got us all into has abated some, or maybe when the fresh meat in the bailout trough is thoroughly exhausted.

Distrustful of all banks now, with good reason as illustrated above, the blonde feels at this point in time that she’d rather owe the wolves than beat them out of it. And since the economy has taken a nosedive and the blonde has her own little cub to raise and a mortgage on their small den to satisfy, those wolves will just have to wait their turn, if it ever comes.

To the blonde’s way of thinking, the wolves, with the not-so-hidden support of our Congress and President, will continue to feed as long as consumers everywhere fear to fight back in the only language these wolves understand–money.

M.L. Bushman

Ronald Reagan on Socialized Medicine

No truer words spoken, or warning given, then as now.

Write your senators and representatives, even if you think it will do no good. At least once we shown them all the door, they cannot claim they never heard from us.

Lip Service by the President

Lip service–that’s what I heard in the President’s speech last night. That, and a signal to the Taliban that the US will tuck tail and run in eighteen months.

This is just like telling the tenants in a low-rent housing project that the police force will be leaving in eighteen months–after eight years of turf warfare.

And sure, we’re going to beef up our police force, but then we’re leaving.

If I were the Taliban gang, I’d be sitting back and toasting our Police Chief for telling us his plans.

What a moronic thing to announce to the world.

Why, it’s as if Obama doesn’t realize that the world is, and always has been, a ghetto. We have our turf, others have theirs, and what you do on your own turf is, and should be, largely your own business. That is, until your gang crosses into our turf to kill our gang, as al Quaeda did on 9/11. Then, we’re perfectly justified in leaving our turf to kick your assets on your own turf.

Instead of dragging this war on for eight years to all but virtually announce that we’re going home, we should’ve kicked major butt and had the job done in less than a year or two. We should’ve brought all our resources to bear and finished it.

You know, if we’d only gone all the way to Bagdad in the first Gulf war and really kicked Sadam’s butt, the bullies of the world would think twice before messing with us. But we didn’t. And now they’re messing with us again, encroaching on our turf, especially with our hood leader being so visibly weak and all. That’s where playing politics in a ghetto gets you. Negotiations with bullies do not work. That’s a simple fact. Reality.

As an American, I was insulted by the lip service Obama paid to “who we are” and paying down the deficit and small business rebuilding our economy and all that other crap his speech writer threw in to try to make him appear to love this country.

Ok, if he’s suddenly in love with America and knows just exactly “who we are”, why is healthcare reform still being debated in the Senate? Why did Cap and Trade pass the House? Why is he running off to Copenhagen to a debunked Climate change summit or to collect a prize he surely hasn’t done one single thing to earn? Why is he holding a “jobs summit” with a bunch of people who have yet to create a single job between them? Hello? The words passing his lips don’t begin to equal his actions, or lack thereof. Why isn’t he saying to Congress–we can’t spend any more money or pass any more legislation until this deficit is under control? Why? Because he doesn’t believe one word of what he said last night. That’s not his puppetmaster’s true agenda.

The man reads the speech his handlers think will appeal to the American People wholly fed up with his lies. And he reads the speech without any emotion, without the emotion the strength of his convictions would provide, if he had any. Then he caps that off, this muslim marxist/socialist puppet in drag, by saying God bless everyone and America. And that, too, was highly insulting, at least to my way of thinking. And feeling.

If he’d shouted Allah Akbhar, I might’ve believed at least one line of that crap last night. The only thing I heard was lip service to the political forces in America. And a promise that we’re going to spend even more American lives and money on a war to which the only end result that Obama dared commit was tucking tail and running like we’re all as weak of mind and spirit, and love for our country, as he.

I’ve got one word for Obama this morning: Traitor.

I wish he’d roll up his road show and go home to Indonesia or Kenya or wherever he wants me to believe he grew up, because he sure didn’t grow up here on my turf–America, land of the free and home of the brave. And God bless us all in our efforts to survive this disaster named Obama. We’re going to need all the help we can get.

A Thanksgiving Prayer

Lord God of all the Living Universe, God of Whom there is no image,

–Thank you for the Constitution of these United States, for once we knew we should be free.

–Thank you for the men and women of the Armed Forces who offer their lives in defense of America–no greater sacrifice is found.

–Thank you for our children, our future. May we not disappoint them–or you.

–Thank you for good friends and sworn enemies. Both teach us more about love and hate, trust and dishonesty, than we ever learn in church or school.

–Thank you for the athiests who daily prove your existence, lest their clamoring voices be raised against nothing but thin air.

–Thank you for what’s right in our world, and what’s wrong, that we may better know the difference, that we may all find the purpose–large or small–to our lives.

–Thank you.

M.L. Bushman

When Media Hitches its Wagon to a Failing Star

Here’s what happens when liberal media hitches its wagon to a falling political star: According to Reuters, the circulation of the major newspapers has continued its steep decline.

Karma, if you ask me.

You forgo your journalistic integrity and ethics to make the news instead of reporting it. You fail to properly vet the candidate that winds up president and now that he, in his own words, is being judged not only by his inactions, but also by the people he surrounds himself with, you reap what you’ve sown.

The media, both print and television, with the exception of one news channel, abandons its mandate as the watchdogs of the People only to discover that fewer and fewer Americans want to pay to read liberal propaganda from “approved White House sources.”

Obama has shown his true colors. And Media, by and large with some notable exceptions such as FOX News and the Wall Street Journal, have demonstrated their extreme bias toward their country–its people and ideals–as well as the truth and real journalism. They have fallen at their would-be Fuhrer’s feet, licked the shit from his boots, only to have the American People vote with their wallets and condemn the drivel that passes for news from these easily-led sycophants.

I suppose the New York Times, MSNBC, ABC News and others will be standing in line for a bailout for their years of dedicated service as the propaganda arm of the Democratic Party.

Perhaps they should return to the ethics of an Edward R. Murrow or Walter Cronkite, but it may be too late for many of them. Unless, of course, they get the bailouts they so willingly sold their integrity and honor and professional ethics like cheap whores to ensure.

Karma, yes, indeed. The numbers don’t lie. Hitching your wagon to a failing star like Obama is the end of light and life and cultural  elitism as you’ve known it. And you only have yourselves to blame.

HCAN Plans Counter Attack on Americans Protesting “Healthcare” Reform

I think the following memo speaks volumes. According to the following, anyone who disagrees with Obama’s healthcare legislation is a militant right-wing activist paid to disrupt the public “townhall” meetings being held across the country. God forbid we might all be actual Americans representing the entire political spectrum who don’t want Obama and his socialists gaining control over every aspect of our lives. So here’s what the organization HCAN (Healthcare for Americans Now) plans to do (the comments in caps are mine):

From: Margarida Jorge To: HCAN Field Partners

RE: HCAN—Responding to Right-Wing Attacks in the Field – August 4, 2009

Since early February, we’ve seen increasing numbers of militant right-wing activists attending public meetings across the country targeting Members of Congress and President Obama. Now in the August recess, the “tea-bagger” protesters and right-wing activists are showing up in larger numbers with a mission to be as disruptive as possible in the hopes of rattling Members of Congress and halting health care reform through pure spectacle and obstruction. EASY TO SLANDER AMERICANS EXERCISING THEIR RIGHTS TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH OR ASSIGN MOTIVES WITH NOT A SHRED OF PROOF TO BACK THE FALSE CHARGES THAT WE THE PEOPLE WHO PROTEST HAVE ANY OTHER MISSION THAN TO BE HEARD.

Our response is shaped by 3 things:

 Our targets are Members of Congress who must vote “yes” for this bill. THESE TARGETS MUST VOTE THE WAY YOU WANT THEM TO, HUH? Our targets are not the rightwing extremists. The targets of these attacks are Members of Congress. Those Members are also our targets. We need to use these attacks as opportunities to work with the Members in ways that build our relationship in the field and bring us together as allies in health care reform. Members may be more receptive to partnering with us if they know we will help them combat the opposition. NOTE THE LIBERAL USE OF THE MILITARY TERM “TARGETS” AND THE WORD “COMBAT.”

 Our core message is effective, and we should always come back to it. Our campaign plan has always
anticipated opposition. No matter what the right-wingers bring up to distract the debate, we should always circle back to our key message. WHICH IS WHAT? THE TRUTH OR MERELY THE POLITICALLY CORRECT PROPAGANDA?

We are on the side of quality, affordable health care for everyone, and we are against turning over health care reform to the insurance companies and lobbyists who got us into this mess to begin with WHAT MESS ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HERE? THIS MANUFACTURED “CRISIS”? NEVER LET A GOOD CRISIS GO TO WASTE, EH?

We need to educate the press and the public that the protesters are aligned with the corporate lobbyists and insurance companies who are trying to stop reform. SO HERE THIS MEMO ATTEMPTS TO TURN THE FOCUS OF THE DEBATE FROM ACTUAL ANSWERS TO LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS FROM AMERICANS ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM TO A LIST OF ENEMIES.

 Our ability to put the extremists into perspective helps us frame our narrative. We should be prepared to
respond to the other side, but we don’t need to be reactive or feel pressure to answer their accusations point by point. Instead, we should treat them as agents of the insurance lobbyists who want to maintain the status quo. We can dismiss their radical rhetoric by circling back to the basic things that we know most people care about—affordability, access, and quality. SO, QUESTIONS ARE ACCUSATIONS AND AMERICANS WHO ASK QUESTION ARE AGENTS OF THE ENEMY AND EXTREMISTS AS DEFINED IN THE PREVIOUS PARAGRAPH. AND SIMPLE QUESTIONS FROM THOSE WHO OPPOSE THIS GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER OF OUR LIVES IS RADICAL RHETORIC. WONDER WHO REALLY PLANS ON SPINNING THE RADICAL RHETORIC HERE?

In many cases, protestors will show up at events or meetings you don’t organize but are participating in as an attendee or sponsor. You can still influence the outcome of these events or meetings, and it’s important for HCAN organizers and leaders to be ready to encounter these protesters in order to make sure that our volunteers and activists respond appropriately as well as capitalize on opportunities to also move our message, work with Members, and educate the public. EDUCATE THE PUBLIC? TO WHAT? THE POLITICALLY CORRECT PROPAGANDA OR THE TRUTH?

Who are these people? YEAH, WHO ARE THESE SO-CALLED RIGHT-WING AMERICANS THAT SHOW UP UNPAID, UNORGANIZED TO PROTEST A HEALTHCARE BILL THEY DON’T WANT? UNLIKE HCAN MEMBERS WHO MARCH IN STEP WITH THEIR LEADERSHIP…

The people who show up are far right-wing ideologues recruited by paid organizers. AND THE PROOF OF THAT IS WHERE? NOT HERE, CERTAINLY. 

Much of this recruitment and organizing is funded by industry lobbyists and public relations firms to engage radical right-wing groups. AGAIN, WHERE IS THE PROOF?

Many of these groups are motivated by far right ideology in general – not by health care as an issue. WHERE IS THE PROOF? HOW CAN A MEMBER OF THE “OPPOSING” SIDE EVEN DO MORE THAN GUESS AT WHAT THE MOTIVES OF PROTESTING AMERICANS ARE?

They are held together by a common vision of the world that centers on defeating Obama and his agenda. WHAT ARROGANCE, TO ASSUME OBAMA IS SO DAMN IMPORTANT THAT WE WHO WOULD PROTEST THE CONTINUING RAPE OF OUR COUNTRY–ITS FREEDOM AND RESOURCES–ARE CENTERED ON DEFEATING THE MAN VERSUS DEFEATING LEGISLATION WE KNOW IS WRONG FOR THIS COUNTRY. 

We can expect to see anti-abortion groups, pro-gun groups, insurance company employees (mandated by employers to come out AND WHERE IS THE PROOF?), militia groups, and antiimmigration groups. AGAIN, WHERE IS THE PROOF?

What are their goals in turning out disruptive mobs? FIRST ANSWER THIS: WHAT WAS THE GOAL OF THE SEIU UNION THUGS WHO RECENTLY BEAT UP BLACK CONSERVATIVE, GLADNEY, IN ST. LOUIS? AND WHY HASN’T OBAMA OR ANY HIGH-RANKING DEMOCRAT, OR EVEN HCAN, PUBLICLY CONDEMNED THIS BEATING OR INVITED GLADNEY TO THE WHITE HOUSE FOR A BEER SUMMIT? WHY HASN’T THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA REPORTED THIS BEATING?

Their goal is to stop Obama, influence the media, and scare Members of Congress into thinking that there is more resistance to health care reform than really exists. OH, THERE’S A LOT MORE RESISTANCEE TO THIS HEALTHCARE “REFORM” THAN EVEN THE RIGHT-WING EXTREMISTS WOULD ADMIT.

The attendees are not reflective of the middle or average Republican Party member AND HOW WOULD ANYONE IN HCAN KNOW WHAT IS REFLECTIVE OF THE AVERAGE REPUBLICAN MEMBER? AND WHY DOES THE AUTHOR OF THIS MEMO ASSUME THAT ONLY REPUBLICANS ARE AGAINST A VERY BAD PIECE OF LEGISLATION?.

Insurance industry lobbyists and public relations firms recruit mostly right-wing extremists WHERE IS THE PROOF? who are willing to employ militant tactics THIS MEMO IS VERY MILITANT IN ITS USE OF MILITARY TERMS in order to demonize Obama by tapping into fear and anger in the electorate. SO, ONE OF THIS MEMO’S PURPOSES IS NOT TO DEMONIZE THOSE WHO WOULD DARE PROTEST? 

The fear comes from both aggressive communications tactics and rhetoric: anti-tax, anti-abortion, anti-immigration, and other themes that resonate with the farthest right wing of their party. REALLY. AND THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA HAS BEEN KISSING WHO’S HALF-BLACK ASS SINCE THE ELECTION?

What is the strategy of the lobbyists and right-wingers who are orchestrating these protests?

The most important thing to remember about this type of mobilization is that it is foremost a media strategy, not an organizing strategy. WHAT A CROCK–LIKE THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA CAN GET ITS COLLECTIVE HEAD OUT OF OBAMA’S ASS LONG ENOUGH TO REPORT ANYTHING CLOSE TO HONEST, FAIR OR OBJECTIVE.

These angry mobs are not trying to persuade Members of Congress or the folks who are attending the event about their point of view. NO, WE MOBSTERS WANT ANSWERS IS ALL.

Their goal is to disrupt the event as much as possible in order to:

1. Prevent our message from getting out. RIGHT. LIKE THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA REPORTS ANY VIEW OPPOSING OBAMA. NOT LATELY.

2. Scare Members of Congress into silence and submission. ARE THE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SO EASILY COWED? KNOW THAT FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, DO YA?

3. Paint a picture for the media that conveys widespread disapproval for health care reform in order to influence the narrative. NO NEED TO PAINT A PICTURE–I THINK THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA IS HAVING TROUBLE CONTAINING THE TRUTH THAT OPPOSITION TO THIS HEALTHCARE “REFORM” IS GROWING BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS. AND IT’S MEMO’S LIKE THIS ONE THAT FUEL THE FIRES OF DISSENT AND DISCONTENT.

4. Create as much tension as possible at these events so that the average spectator is completely turned off and disengages totally from this issue. SO, WHO’S COMING TO THESE MEETINGS WITH A BATTLE PLAN? LOOKS LIKE HCAN TO ME…

What can we expect them to do?

• They will be loud: They will “Yell, stand up and shout out, and rattle” the Members of Congress. They will be
disruptive and not follow the agenda. They won’t wait for an opening to speak. They will just interrupt and shout from the minute the event opens until it ends. AND LIBERAL PROTESTERS DIDN’T ENGAGE IN THIS VERY BEHAVIOR ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES ACROSS THIS COUNTRY WHEN CONSERVATIVES WERE ASKED TO SPEAK. WHY IS IT SUDDENLY TERRIBLE NOW? AND WHO SAYS REAL AMERICANS ARE GOING TO DO THIS? OR DOES THE AUTHOR OF THIS MEMO KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT UNION THUGS AND ACORN MEMBERS PLAN TO DO THAN SHE IS TELLING?

• They will paint a picture: They will carry a lot of signs. They will have gimmicks and props to get attention from the MOCs and from the media. REALLY. AND THIS WASN’T DONE AD NAUSEAM BY LIBERALS BEFORE THE DEMOCRATS TOOK CONTROL OF THE WHITE HOUSE?

• They will look bigger than they are: They will spread out and distribute their signs widely. They will also get in front of any TV camera or press people in order to make sure the story that is reported is their story. WELL, I LEARNED SOMETHING NEW TODAY, HOW TO LOOK BIGGER THAN I AM WHEN PROTESTING.

• They will seek confrontation: The right-wing protesters will foster confrontation at every turn because that’s what draws media and distracts the public. They will use any means to do this including abusive language, arrests, props, and physical violence. Be prepared. AND THIS WASN’T DONE BY LIBERALS AND DEMOCRATS FOR YEARS LEADING UP TO THE OBOMINATION BEING ELECTED…AND THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR WON’T BE USED BY CLOSET LIBERALS ATTENDING IN CONSERVATIVE CLOTHING IN HOPES OF MAKING AMERICANS WHO WOULD DARE OPPOSE THEIR GOVERNMENT LOOK BAD? AGAIN, WHO IS THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA STUMPING FOR? AND WHAT IS HCAN PREPARING FOR?

How should we prepare to encounter the right wing protesters at MOC events?

1. Contact friendly MOCs and let them know you are coming to make sure our side is heard and that the
event is positive. Provide constructive support for Members of Congress who are holding public events to
promote health care reform by turning out constituents and anticipating problems ahead of time. Ask the
Member’s staff what would be most helpful and talk through a strategy for making sure the right messages don’t get drowned out by chaotic protesters. THE RIGHT MESSAGES=THE POLITICALLY CORRECT MESSAGES, NOT NECESSARILY THE TRUTH.

2. Inoculate your staff and your volunteers by telling them what to expect and what purpose lies behind the
right-wing demonstrations. The more that the attendees know what to expect; the less startled they will be by the irrational tone and militancy of the protesters. SO, ANYONE WHO PROTESTS IS IRRATIONAL AND MILITANT.

3. Bring more people than the other side has. MIGHT BE HARD TO DO.

Their side will be smaller but noisier. REALLY, SMALLER? YOU SURE HAVE A LOT OF FAITH IN YOUR ORGANIZATION’S ABILITY TO PULL THE WOOL OVER THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’S EYES WITH THIS BATTLE PLAN.

You must bring enough people to drown them out and to cover all our bases so as to marginalize their disruptive tactics. SO, WHO’S PLANNING ON DISRUPTING THE EVENT?

You don’t want to get into a screaming match, but it must be obvious to everyone—including press—that you represent the majority. AND WHAT IF YOU DON’T REPRESENT THE MAJORITY? WHAT IF HCAN IS JUST ANOTHER FRINGE GROUP HOPING TO REAP FUNDING AND POWER BY DELIVERING MORE MINDLESS SHEEP TO OBAMA’S FOLD?

4. Arrive earlier than the other side does. THIS SOUNDS LIKE WAR, DOESN’T IT? TERMS LIKE THE “OTHER SIDE” ONLY PROMOTE CONFLICT, DON’T YOU THINK?

We need to stack our folks in the front to create a wall around the Member, SO IS THIS A GANG OF THUGS PREPARING TO PROTECT THE POOR WEAK CONGRESSPERSON FROM HIS OR HER CONSTITUENTS? and we need to stake out the best spots for visibility and signs. Reconnaissance on the venue and an understanding of the staging will be important here. Make sure you do your homework so you can position your
folks most effectively. RECONNAISSANCE ON THE VENUE, STAGING, THE BEST SPOTS, EFFECTIVE POSITIONING–SURE SOUNDS LIKE WAR TO ME.

5. Be more visible than the other side. Bring more signs and leaflets, and whenever possible, post your signs all over the place so that you visually out-perform the other side. VISUALLY OUT-PERFORM–THIS MUST BE A CONTEST, NOT PREPARATION FOR A CIVIL DISCUSSION.

Make sure you have people holding signs in every place where a TV camera is likely to be SO THE TELEVISION CAMERA IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE ISSUE and that next to every right wing sign, there’s one of your signs with your message.

6. Have a real plan for the media. Remember, this is a communications strategy that the right wing is using and our goal is to stop them from hijacking and changing the message and tone of these events. AND WHO’S ATTEMPTING TO HI-JACK AND CONTROL THE TONE OF THESE EVENTS? LOOKS LIKE THE STRATEGY’S BEEN LAID OUT HERE.

Assign 3-5 people to speak with the reporters who attend and make sure the reporters understand the scope and message of the event. If you let the media just report on what they see, they will invariably focus on the mayhem. That is a far juicer story than affordability and the public health insurance option. Don’t wait for the reporter to approach you. You must approach the reporters and be assertive in shaping the narrative that they write. Have someone assigned to greeting the media or checking in media as they arrive. That way you will know who they are and be able to work with them both during the event and afterwards. SO, ATTACK THE REPORTERS, EH? DO YOU REALLY NEED TO GO THAT FAR?

Also, plan to record both the events you attend and the events you organize. TV stations will use amateur footage to round out their stories, and the other side is recording and posting video online. We need to be able to give the press video of successful events too. ARE THERE SO FEW “SUCCESSFUL” EVENTS THAT THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA IS GOING TO MISS ONE? SUCCESS IS DEFINED HOW? THAT ALL THE SHEEP SWALLOWED THE BRAIN-WASHING AND NO ONE SAID A DISCOURAGING WORD?

How should we interact/what do we say to the other side?

1. Do not debate on their “policy” points. Remember, they are seeking a platform to distort the truth about
reform by making health care about abortion, rationing, euthanasia, etc. REALLY, AND NONE OF THOSE ITEMS ARE IN THAT BILL, EH? Rather than try to reply with the truth RIGHT–WHAT GOOD IS TRUTH?(which won’t move them anyway) we should respond with our message SO YOUR MESSAGE IS NOT ABOUT TRUTH and at every turn re-focus the agenda on communicating with the Member of Congress.

2. Interrupt them when they get disruptive and refocus the meeting WHAT IF THE ONLY DISRUPTION IS COMING FROM LIBERAL PLANTS IN THE AUDIENCE TO CAUSE TROUBLE?:

Line up a number of people who feel comfortable interrupting and prepare them with statements like: GET YOUR SOLDIERS IN LINE HERE

• “Excuse me, I came today to listen to Representative XXX explain how this bill is going to make health
care more affordable for me and my family. We’re being gouged by insurance companies that just want
to make more profits while we struggle to keep up with premiums and co-pays. Representative, how are
you going to fix that?” WHO REALLY PLANS TO DO THE GOUGING?

• “I’m retired and can’t afford my prescription drugs because I’m on a fixed income. Representative, how is
this bill going to affect me?” YEAH, WHAT ABOUT THAT MANDATORY “END OF LIFE” CONSULTATION? OR THE BACK-ROOM DEAL OBAMA MADE WITH THE DRUG COMPANIES? CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT?

• “I want to hear the Representative speak. He’s the one voting on the bill. Representative, how will this
bill help people who already have insurance at work?” IF YOU READ THE BILL, YOU REALIZE YOU WON’T GET TO KEEP YOUR INSURANCE.

• “What I’m worried about is how we’re going to keep the insurance companies from continuing to charge
people more for being sick and keep them from taking away coverage when we need it most. What’s the
plan for that?” READ THE BILL, SEE IF YOU CAN ANSWER THAT.

3. Don’t get into a shouting match with them. Instead, prep people on our side to keep raising the questions
that we want answered. WELL, WHAT ABOUT THE QUESTIONS WE THE PEOPLE WANT ANSWERED?

Repetition is the key. We need to arm our side with questions that play to the strength of our message AND THAT MESSAGE IS NOT ABOUT THE TRUTH AS NOTED ABOVE, AND AGAIN THE USE OF VIOLENT TERMS SUCH AS ARM OUR SIDE, and make sure we keep bringing them up over and over so that the press recognizes those central themes LIKE THEY DON’T KNOW THEM ALREADY.

We should also phrase those questions strategically to help move the message, WHICH AGAIN IS NOT ABOUT THE TRUTH (SEE ABOVE).

• “Over the last XX years, insurance company profits have risen XXX %; in this bill you would regulate
insurance companies so that they can no longer deny people with pre-existing conditions and would have
to play by fair rules. Isn’t that right, Representative XX?” THERE ARE NO FAIR RULES WHEN THE INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE PREVENTED IN THIS BILL FROM SIGNING UP NEW CUSTOMERS. READ THE BILL.

• “Isn’t it true that this bill would guarantee everyone a choice of public health insurance option that will
lower cost overall in the system?” ONLY AFTER THE GOVERNMENT AND CONGRESS SHOWS US THEY CAN RUN MEDICARE, MEDICAID AND SOCIAL SECURITY EFFICIENTLY AND IN THE BLACK, THEN AND ONLY THEN WILL I BELIEVE THAT OUR GOVERNMENT HAS A CHANCE IN HELL OF RUNNING A HEALTHCARE PROGRAM FOR ALL OF US.

4. Address the MOC directly with a positive message: Remember, these Members need cover and they are
getting beaten up by right wing zealots in these meetings. NO, THEY’RE BEING BEATEN UP BY REQUESTS FOR THE TRUTH, FOR ANSWERS TO LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS FROM REAL AMERICANS. NOTE AGAIN THE USE OF ANOTHER MILITARY TERM: NEED COVER.

We want to let the Member know that we appreciate his efforts to hear constituents WHO ARE MOUTHING THE RIGHT MESSAGE, BUT NOT THE TRUTH, and that we, the majority, agree with him. SAYING OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT YOU’RE A MAJORITY DOES NOT MAKE IT SO. ESPECIALLY IN THIS CASE.

5. We should demonstrate that we are the majority by chanting: When the other side gets too loud, we should shut them down with chants that counter their message like “Health Care Can’t Wait!” and “Health Care Delayed is Health Care Denied” and prep people to chant at key points when the other side gets most disruptive. SO, YOU HAVE TO PROVE YOU’RE THE MAJORITY BY OUTSHOUTING THE “OTHER SIDE”. THOUGHT THIS BATTLE PLAN DIDN’T CALL FOR SUCH TACTICS–SEE ABOVE–THOUGHT SUCH TACTICS WERE VERBOTEN.

6. Follow up with the Member one-on-one: This experience may have been trying for your MOC. YEP, VERY TRYING, TRUTH HURTS.

Make sure that you thank him and that you let him know that the majority is with him. He needs to know that we will provide cover and support him at every turn for his leadership on this issue.

Organizing your own events with a Member of Congress

One advantage to organizing your own Town Hall or public event with Members of Congress is that you will have much more control over the event and limit the other side’s opportunities for disruption. SO, YOU NEED CONTROL TO LIMIT FREE SPEECH.

Still, you should take precautions to make sure that you can keep meetings you organize under control.

Here are some basic tips TO GET AND MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE PEOPLE:

a. Talk to the Member of Congress ahead of time so that you agree on a format that is comfortable for the
Member and that you can troubleshoot roles or concerns that the Member may have about the event. It
is important to know how much time the Member will have, when he will arrive, what staff he’s bringing, and how many questions he’ll answer so that you can anticipate any issues that may arise and can plan your program appropriately. AND PLANT YOUR QUESTIONS PROPERLY.

b. Know who you are turning out to attend the event. Make sure you turn out a substantial number of people
from your base OF OPERATIONS and that everyone signs a sign in sheet upon entering the event. Give everyone name tags so they are easily identifiable. If you want to ensure greater control–YES, MORE CONTROL–over turnout, you can ask attendees to rsvp or even issue tickets to the event TO LIMIT LEGITIMATE DISCUSSION AND/OR QUESTIONS–AFTER ALL, THE MESSAGE IS NOT ONLY DIFFERENT THAN, BUT MORE IMPORTANT THAN, THE TRUTH, RIGHT? and require presentation of the ticket at the entrance.

c. Choose a venue that is difficult for the opposition to access without being noticed. GOD FORBID, THE AUDIENCE SHOULD BE REAL AMERICANS ASKING QUESTIONS.

Get to your location early and make sure you set up the venue in a way that ensures that the attendees you want are at the front INSTEAD OF ATTENDEES, YOU MEAN PLANTS, DON’T YOU? OR IS IT UNION THUGS? and that any protesters who come are sequestered as far as possible from the stage.  YEAH, WOULDN’T WANT ANYONE TO ASK A QUESTION OUTSIDE OF THE MESSAGE OR ANYTHING…

Make sure that you have signs and visuals up and that you adequately understand the layout of your venue so that you know where the entrances are, where the press will be positioned, where your speakers will be, etc. WHERE THE TARGETS ARE

d. Select a strong moderator to move the agenda in a disciplined way. Make sure you select someone who is
comfortable interrupting rowdy protesters, who can command the attention of the room, and who understands how to de-escalate tensions and re-direct people to the agenda, AGENDA = THE MESSAGE, WHICH IS NOT THE TRUTH (SEE ABOVE).

e. Lay out goals for the meeting and establish ground rules for conduct in the meeting at the beginning of the
event. Among these ground rules should be a protocol for asking questions. One way to do this is to ask people to submit questions ahead of time on cards, to permit only one question at a time, and to limit the topic of questions. IN OTHER WORDS, TO BE ABLE TO PICK AND CHOOSE THE “CORRECT” QUESTIONS AND TO LIMIT THE TOPICS OF DISCUSSION.

f. Plan for disturbances and assign marshals. YEAH, MARSHAL DILLON, WE NEEDS US A POSSE. Make sure that you assign marshals to take care of moving the crowd, keeping people organized and orderly, and acting as security should any need arise to ask noisy or disruptive protesters to leave. If you have cause to think that you will need more back-up, notify the police ahead of time. WHAT’RE YOU GOING TO DO WHEN THE POLICE DON’T AGREE WITH YOU OR OBAMA?

g. Collect signs and leaflets that are not provided by you or your organization. Another way to limit
protesters’ ability to hijack your event is to confiscate signs or leaflets that they may bring into the venue from outside. SO, NOW WE NEED TO TAKE AWAY ANY UNAPPROVED SIGNS IN ORDER TO GAIN EVEN MORE CONTROL.

The best way to do this is to make a blanket rule that no one can bring signs or leaflets and to advertise this fact as you do turn out in the weeks preceding the event. You can distribute your own signs in the event and offer them one as they enter if you choose to allow them to enter. OH, NO ONE CAN BRING SIGNS, BUT YOU CAN DISTRIBUTE YOURS. AND THIS IS FAIR? AND PEOPLE LIKE YOU WILL BE IN CHARGE OF DECIDING WHO LIVES AND DIES UNDER THIS HEALTHCARE “REFORM?” UH, NO THANKS.

h. Assign people to greet the media and to stay close to reporters both as they enter and leave the event. OH, YEAH, WOULDN’T WANT THOSE REPORTERS REPORTING ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE FEDERALLY-APPROVED OBAMA PROPAGANDA.

It’s important that you take away right-wingers opportunities to talk with reporters IF YOU’RE RIGHT, WHY ARE YOU SO SCARED? by making sure that your staff or leaders are in constant contact with the media who attend. You should set up a special table or area for the press to sit during the event and that area should be close t the stage and away from any areas of the venue where protesters may gather. YEAH, THOSE DISSENTERS HOPING FOR A LITTLE TRUTH MIGHT TALK TO A REPORTER WHO ISN’T BOUGHT AND PAID FOR BY THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION. UNLIKE HCAN…

Also make sure you have materials ready for the reporters so that they know the purpose and message of the event AH YES, THE PURPOSE AND THE MESSAGE, WHICH IS NOT ABOUT THE TRUTH (SEE ABOVE).

Here’s a link to this HCAN memo in .pdf: HCAN: Responding-to-Right-Wing-Attacks-in-the-Field

Send your Senator an Email on Healthcare Reform

Ah, Mari Bushman–author, editor, publisher, alter-ego–sent an email to her two Senators this morning registering her opposition to Healthcare Reform among other taxes.

From her Townhall.com blog, To My Way of Thinking, here’s what happened:

I wrote an email to my two Senators, Baucus and Tester, registering my opposition to the so-called healthcare reform. Then I forwarded said email to my lengthy list of friends, most of whom are now in the process of sending this email to their Senators, or an edited version of the email (with my compliments) or writing their own emails to their respective Senators. Here’s a link to the Senators if you wish to contact them yourself (and I hope you let ‘em have it): http://senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

I received an “answer” from Baucus a little while ago, which would be funny, if the issues weren’t so serious and it wasn’t our tax dollars paying some staffer to reply on his behalf. The stump speech he sent me I put in italics so you can scroll down to my reply to his so-called “reply.”

But first, the original email I sent to my Senators and forwarded to my friends (and, again, feel free to copy and paste, edit, or write your own):

Dear Senator (insert name here):

I don’t know why you and your fellow senators, plus our so-called Congressional representatives think you can legislate healthcare reform when Congress is unable to balance the nation’s budget or refrain from ludicrous legislation such as Cap and Trade, which is really another tax on all of us and nothing more.

Forcing people to acquire a healthcare plan according to your whims or face a fine is also just another form of taxation.

Before you try to legislate my health insurance or lack thereof, before you impinge on my right to acquire the healthcare insurance I choose or not, I suggest you and the rest of Congress round up the twenty million plus illegal aliens in this country and send them home and see what kind of savings are realized in doing so. California’s budget problems might actually get closer to being solved. I also suggest you and Congress get off your lazy assets and close the loophole in the immigration laws that allows an illegal alien to “pop” over the border at the last minute and give birth, thus enabling the immediate family to be eligible for the many free services this country offers to our poorer, yet LEGAL citizens. See what kind of money can be saved by doing this, not only in healthcare but also in educational service, etc., before you and Congress think of taxing the American People yet again with your “healthcare reform.”

Another thing I think you and Congress ought to do is make English the national language and thus do away with any state’s need to post signage in up to six different languages. Again, California might save some money by not having to print so much signage. Why not stick up for your own country once instead of buying into the “hate America” rhetoric spewing from the White House. I am not ashamed of my country, not in the least. But I am ashamed of its leaders.

I will also tell you I am sick and tired of taxes labeled as something else in the hopes the American People are dumb enough not to see past the subterfuge. I am sick of the games Congress is playing with our money and the wasted time in salaries we and our hard work provide for you. My ROI (return on investment) in Congress and the White House appears to be nil.

I suggest the whole of Congress, and the White House, get its fiscal house in order before attempting yet again to stick its hands in my pockets or legislate my or any other American’s behavior through taxation.

You are shooting yourselves in the foot by ignoring the hue and cry of the American People. The Sleeping Giant is waking from its American Dream to this ongoing National Nightmare that Congress is allowing to happen and there will be consequences for you and your Congressional buddies should you persist in taxing and spending our children and their children’s futures.

Mari L. Bushman

Here’s Baucus’s reply (feel free to scroll down to my reply to his reply–I think he’s given this speech already, ad nauseam):

Dear Mari:

Thank you for contacting me about health care reform. I appreciate
hearing from you on this very important issue.

There is little disagreement about the state of America’s health care
system. It’s broken. Today, 47 million Americans, including thousands of
Montanans, find themselves without health insurance either because
they’re denied coverage by insurance companies or because they can’t
afford it. Millions more Americans are finding that health insurance
doesn’t cover sky-high medical costs. The link between health care and
the financial security of working families is undeniable. Just last
year, the average household spent more than a quarter of its income on
health insurance premiums. This trend is unsustainable.

Reforming a health care system as complicated as ours requires us to
work together. In my over 30 years of serving Montanans, I’ve faced no
greater challenge. We can’t afford to ignore the serious issues facing
our health system any longer. I understand we won’t agree on every
detail of comprehensive health care reform. There are trade-offs with
any proposal. Radically changing American health care by adopting a
single-payer system, for example, is not a solution that could pass in
either the House or Senate. We are not Canada or Great Britain. America
needs a uniquely American solution with both private and public funding.

Last November, I released my plan, “A Call to Action,” that offers a
starting point for reforming America’s health system. My plan has three
primary goals: (1) make health care more affordable, (2) increase the
quality and value of the care that’s provided and (3) ensure coverage
for all Americans. To accomplish any one of these goals, we must succeed
on all three. For starters, we need health coverage for all Americans.
Covering every American will help make insurance more affordable by
preventing costs from shifting to those who have insurance.

Expanding insurance coverage doesn’t mean we are going to limit people’s
options. Under my plan, if you are happy with the insurance you have,
you can keep it. But if you’re uninsured or you lose your health
insurance coverage, you will be able to purchase affordable coverage
through a “health insurance exchange,” a one-stop shopping place for
affordable insurance. If your income is too low to afford coverage, you
can get a subsidy to help pay premiums. Small businesses will be offered
a new tax credit for offering health insurance to their employees.

We also need to improve the quality of health care delivered in our
system. The United States spends twice as much per person on health care
as any other nation in the world. Yet we rank 19th out of 19
industrialized countries in terms of preventable deaths. Clearly, more
care doesn’t always mean better care. Too often, patients are subjected
to unnecessary tests and treatments simply because their doctors don’t
know their full medical history. My plan rewards care that works, rather
than wasteful and ineffective treatments. In doing so, it takes steps to
reestablish primary care as the backbone of the health care system by
paying primary care doctors more and providing incentives for medical
students to choose a career in primary care. We also need a delivery
system that helps physicians coordinate and manage medical care, and one
that focuses more on prevention and wellness rather than treating a
condition or illness that could have been avoided.

There are other things we can do to reduce costs as well. We need to
invest in health information technology and comparative effectiveness
research to better understand what treatments work best so that doctors
and patients can make better decisions.

Funding health care reform and making the system more efficient and fair
overall depends on our ability to make targeted reforms. For example,
one way to invest in reform is to limit the exclusion of employee health
benefits from tax. Such a limit would not affect the employer’s tax
benefit and incentive for providing health care to employees, but rather
would serve to constrain spending. The limit would also be specially
designed to protect low-income tax payers. Rest assured any changes to
the tax code will be designed to make health care more — not less –
affordable for all Americans.

Many of my colleagues in the Senate share my ideas on health care
reform. My plan is also generally consistent with President Obama’s
vision for health care reform. In instances where our plans diverge, I’m
committed to achieving consensus. I understand that there are many
different opinions out there, but most can agree that reforming our
broken health care system is necessary. Thanks again for getting in
touch. Please don’t hesitate to contact me in the future.

Senator Max Baucus

Are you still awake? Or did you just scroll past?

Here is my reply to his reply, sent minutes ago:

Dear Senator Baucus,

Thanks for the stump speech in reply to my email today. Now, take that 47 million people you claim are uninsured and minus the 20 million or more illegal aliens currently riding free on the taxpayer’s dime, not only in medical care, but in education, food stamps, TANF, etc. Please tell me what kind of savings for the States as well as the Federal Government will be realized once these freeloaders are sent home.

Then, estimate the future savings in closing the loophole that allows an illegal immigrant to pop over the border and give birth on our soil and, by doing so, immediately qualify her extended alien family for all sorts of free services offered to LEGAL IMMIGRANTS and our poorer American citizens.

Finally, estimate the savings in signage and printing costs by making English the national language, thus foregoing any need to print any kind of application, any kind of directions, any kind of any government form, et al, in languages other than English.

I eagerly await your replies. Oh? You don’t have these figures? Never commissioned a single study in these areas prior to formulating your plan to tax me for healthcare? Perhaps you should get the answers to these questions first before you and Congress and the White House make any further concerted attempt to wipe out my personal budget–against my will I might add–to support your wasteful spending by pretending a reform that, bottom line, is simply another tax as well as another attempt to restrict my freedom of choice. Just like cap and trade, or as a growing majority of we working Americans like to call it–Crap and Tax.

Again, I remind you that unless my ROI (return on investment) in your salary, your Congressional buddies’ salaries, even the President’s salary, starts to pay me and other Americans like me some dividends in the form of less government, less taxation, less interference with our individual lives, and more freedom, plus greater adherence to the Constitution,  your actions will have serious consequences. And you won’t like it, not one bit. You might even have to work for a living like the rest of us for a change.

I am an American and I vote. And I am not alone. Keep that in mind when considering what you ought to be doing to serve the interests of the American People versus crafting reams of nearly unreadable legislation in order to force the American People to serve you and Congress and the White House.

Mari L. Bushman

Again, feel free to send this, or your edited version, or your own thoughts to your Senators, your friends, your fellow Patriots, etc. and so forth.

From the minute we’re born, we are running out of life–make yours count for something.

Michael Jackson

First, let me extend my heartfelt condolences to Michael Jackson’s family.  I know they’re suffering and I feel for them.

That said, however, I don’t understand the media’s fixation with the guy. By the same token, I don’t understand Michael’s lifelong obsession with plastic surgery either.

Michael didn’t seem to have any trouble profiting on his God-given talents for singing and dancing. And he was good. Very good. Shivers up your spine good.

So, why did he feel a compulsive need to change his appearance? That, too, was God-given, and seemed to serve him extremely well for a long while. A nose job I can understand.  But what he morphed into over time and surgery allowed others, including segments of the same self-serving media, to call him a freak. And, sorry to say, he did look the part at the end.

Was this obsession with appearance a result of growing up virtually in spotlight? Was it drugs? Some aberration in his mental makeup? I’m not sure we’ll ever know. But I know, as a fan, I felt sorrier and sorrier for him as time went on. To the point where I shied away from following him or buying his records, ne’er to return.

Now, this same self-serving media currently fauning over Jackson in his death at the expense of other news will take apart his life, bit by bit, reveling in the worst details and allegations they can dig up for all the world to see.  Why? For money, naturally. As they say in the newspaper biz, this story has legs, and the media will milk every tidbit of news, good or bad, for every penny.

And that’s where the real tragedy lies. The family now will have to endure months, if not years, of this nitpicking of Michael’s corpse by the vultures of media concerned only with how the latest hoary headline fattens their bottom line.

Perhaps Michael’s apparent obsession with plastic surgery sprang from a subconscious desire to shield himself from the obsessively harsh lights of celebrity, if only for five freaking minutes.

Again, my heartfelt condolences go out to the Jackson family. May the media hacks that pass for journalists nowadays back off long enough for you to find some peace. If only for five freaking minutes.

Not Another Freaking Poll

Any time the mainstream media wants to help the Federal Government sell the American People another bottle of snake oil (read: higher taxes for an even larger government we can’t afford)–and this time the issue is “healthcare reform”–they whip out a poll.

The CBS News/New York Times poll, according to Reuters, (no liberal bias anywhere there, I’m sure) says 85% of all Americans want major health care reforms and “most would be willing to pay higher taxes to ensure everyone had health insurance.” So what percentage is most (surely they know the exact number, don’t they? Why not report that, too? Unless the number doesn’t help their sales efforts). What’s really disturbing, and another sign this poll is pure government propaganda, is that they base the results of the poll on speaking to exactly 895 people. They don’t say who these 895 people are, where they come from or their backgrounds; they don’t explain at length how 895 liberals (my assumption) are qualified to speak for 300 million Americans; they don’t give anyone the slightest idea of what criterion were used in selecting these 895 people to represent the views of all America; nor do they give any examples of what kind of questions were asked and in what manner. Were these trick questions, designed to elicit a yes when a no would have been more appropriate? We’ve all seen local ballot initiatives written like that to fool some of the people some of the time. But only CBS News and the New York Times know for sure. And we’re all just supposed to take their word for it that this poll is unbiased and accurate. Right. I’ve got a bridge for sale, if you’re that easy…

Have you ever been called to participate in a CBS News/New York Times poll? Neither have I. Personally, I think few, if  anyone, still working for CBS News or the New York Times realizes there’s life outside the Big worm-infested Apple and the Washington District of Crime, nor do they appear to comprehend for a New York minute that a growing majority of Americans are fed up with the more-taxes-bigger-government crowd. Case in point: the open letter to our government’s so-called leaders that Glenn Beck received from an Arizona grandmother. She’s got a yard of guts, this grandma, and she speaks for me and over a hundred thousand others (and counting) in demanding the Federal Government–Congress and the president–stop the spending and butt out of our lives, at least according to the petition based on her letter that had been signed by 116,767 Americans as of this morning.

So, again, I ask: do the opinions of 895 people about whom we know absolutely nothing, nor what kind of questions were asked and in what manner, mean just as much or more than the opinions of 116,767  Americans (and counting) who took time out of their busy lives to sign a petition of their own free will based on the open letter from an Arizona grandmother?

I am forced to assume from “impartial” data I’ve collected over the past decade that CBS News and the New York Times thinks we’re all morons out here in America.  One can further assume, again from my “carefully compiled” data, that most of the 895 people they selected to speak on behalf of all America had two things in common: one, they still watch CBS News for the “unbiased” reporting; and two, they’re still dumb enough to pay for a subscription to the New York Times.  I polled three people–me, myself and I–and that’s the conclusion we’ve reached, with an error rate of zero percent.

To my way of thinking, CBS News, the New York Times, and the Federal government should peddle their Federal snake oil  propaganda somewhere else–say, Russia or China or the US Congress. But just like the Arizona grandmother warns in her letter, continually ignoring the will of the American People will have severe consequences. Yes, we the People are coming, we’re coming for you all. 116,767 strong and counting…

At least give US some grease, Congress

The Congress (of America’s greatest thieves and liars) is trying to bend every American over without benefit of grease. This time the issue being ramrodded up our asses is healthcare. Although 76 to 79 percent of Americans want a public option for healthcare, that’s now off the table. In its place we get a proposal to fine us all for not buying coverage (a tax on a new tax) and co-ops.

I don’t know about you, but I already belong to a co-op, wholly against my will might I add, an electric co-op that raised its rates last year 22% while promising all members (those not on the board of directors) that our bills would only increase an average of $10.00. Well, my bill doubled–not even close to “just $10.”  And so did every other member’s bill that I spoke to. Yeah, I want a co-op for health insurance, a federally-run co-op. Uh-huh. This same federal government that can’t balance a budget or force Social Security to call you back in less than four months, the same federal government that can’t find 11 million or more illegal aliens, the same Feds who think they can run an auto company better than Russia did, back before it fell.

Why can’t we all join the same healthcare plan to which Congress belongs? Our senators and representatives seem to get rather good care at our expense. Why can’t they share with the rest of us who are footing the bill? Yeah, why can’t Congress lower itself to rub shoulders with the rest of us morons dumb enough to elect them in the first place?

How Congress plans to fund this healthcare is…wait for it…more taxes. That’s right. Higher taxes on alcohol and soft drinks, and a nationwide Value Added Tax of 3 or more percent. So, from an administration who promised no new taxes for 95% of all Americans we get…taxes, and spending, and taxes, and more insane spending, and taxes. Maybe Obama promised no new taxes for 95% of us because he really meant “incredibly higher and new taxes for 100% of all Americans.” Congress sure must think he meant that, but perhaps he simply neglected to tell the electorate to read between his lines.

The least our scheming senators and representatives in Washington could do is send every American taxpayer a tube of KY jelly–maybe even a case of the stuff. We the People ought to get something out of all the trillions of dollars being stolen from us every day by Congress and the president–even if it’s just grease.