Posted by
grad_1986 on Thursday, August 06, 2009 2:09:42 PM
Imagine playing any organized sport where the 2 teams have 2 different sets of rules to follow. Say for example a football game allowed the following to occur:
Home Team Visiting Team
Touch Down 6 pts 4 pts
Field Goal 3 pts 2 pts
Extra point 2 pts 1 pt
Downs allowed 4 2
Yards per 1st down 10 20
What visiting team would agree to such absurd rules and would not just get back on their bus and go back home? Answer: NONE
Yet sadly that is that state of our political system today. The Democrats can disrupt any forum they wish with chants of racism or vicious lies or even call for the death of the President, while Republicans can't even raise their voices in a Town Hall meeting without being labeled as "angry mobs". People dressed in everyday clothes bought at WalMart or Kmart are characterized as "organized by Right-Wing groups" and "astro-turf", while people dressed in pre-fabbed T-shirts baring logos for ACORN or SEIU are labeled as "grass-roots". This is only allowed because the so-called "referees" of the system, the media, allows these absurd difference in the rules and promotes this kind of behavior.
But I think things are changing slowly. The media is still operating on a 20 year old view that they control what people see on the field. But with the internet sites such as YouTube, FoxNews, and a variety of blogs such as this one, the truth has found a way around the system like water flowing around stones in a makeshift dam. People are getting their information from a wider variety of sources. Too many for any President to control (unless of course we go the direction of China).
What do I think we need to do in the mean time?
- Be ABOVE the system. I don't see a reason for us to SHOUT down our representatives. We do need to be stern with them and make sure they ANSWER our questions and not dodge them as they so often do. If you don't feel they adequately answered your question, politely let them know and ask them to try again. (re-state your question again if needed).
- Be prepared with your question. This will keep you from rambling or sounding un-intelligent (something the left wants to paint us as ... such as being called "stupid rednecks"). Don't YELL your question unless you have to.
- Make your question specific about the bill. Don't ramble on about "The Constitution" or "The Declaration of Indepedence". Yes we do want to honor these documents, but often our representatives sadly don't give a rats-a-- about it. I know it's sad, but it's important to confront them about the bill and how it will impact our country and how passing it will impact their future jobs.
- Don't call them names. We didn't like it when they did that to Bush. We should not do it either. They are not satan in the flesh.
- Make sure we have all of our facts before we confront. The left wants nothing more than to highlight some person who is yelling about something in the bill that is not there (like killing old people). Check and re-check your sources. If not 100% sure, phrase your issue as a question to your representative to clarify as truth or not.
- Personalize your question if you can. Show them how this bill will directly affect you as a person.
- If you have never been involved politically before. Let them know that. Show them that their job is on the line if this bill is passed because they have woken up a "sleeping giant".
- Confront people who may give our side a bad name. (They may actually be from the other side) If someone shows up with Nazi symbol or a congressmen hanging in effigy tell them to put those away and that they have no use or purpose there. If you see a reoprter talking to one these idiots, make sure you get in on the conversation and let them know that you want nothing to do with that person and to have the report pan the hall to see all the good signs and protestors.
- Video tape the event as much as possible. If your local news only shows the 10 seconds of stupidity by one person. Call them and let them know you have the whole event and you are posting it on YouTube. Also if a local news station shows a positive view of the meeting, call them and thank them for their even handiness in covernig the meeting. We often forget to do this and only contact them when we are angry. You may also want to tell the negative station that the other station was much better at covering it and you will be watching their competition from now on (also let their advertisers know this as well). This of course does not work on large outfits like MS-NBC and the like as they are well funded by left and have no concern about viewership. Also, video tape the reporters as they walk around. Let them know you are watching them as well and how they are targeting various people in the meeting, either by looking for Nazi's or people they can exploit as "stupid". All is fair in love and video.
- Be prepared for the media to question why you are here. Have an answer ready that is short, simple and non-frightening.