A Progressive Call to Action
I've not yet viewed "Capitalism - A Love Story" (I hope I have that title right), but want to. I'm w/o question the biggest fan/exponent of Michael Moore's agitator-provocateur "documentary" movies at this address. I know he offends or annoys some folks whose politics are pretty consonant with mine. I don't agree with everything he has done or said, or every aspect of his movies (duhh! - or is that "doh"?), but I greatly admire him as one of the few with chutzpah comparable to rush, o'liar, beck, and a nauseatingly long list of right-wing neocon ideologues, sadly including more than a few congressionmen (women). But in MM's case, this intensity of belief is leavened with a live, working conscience, a respect for being truthful (lying is of course an annoyingly repetitious - broken record - theme of the aforementioned), and empathy for others (which characteristics are, if I dare say it, a brief definition of being progressive/liberal).
So, despite the hour, and the multitude of other things calling to me, I could not resist, once I saw it, clicking on a title like "Michael Moore's Action Plan: 15 Things Every American Can Do Right Now" on CommonDreams (though doubtless also findable elsewhere, e.g. HuffPost, given MM's imprint).
And I'm glad I did. Michael sets the bar pretty high here, but justifiably so, given the amazing multiple Augean Stables left for our President by the last so-badly-behaved-not-house-trained tennant-swines, not to mention the long run of (briefly-interrupted) government-antagonistas bred by the reagan death-squads in the preceding couple decades.
Just in case you haven't grokked by now, I am not, to my shame, a proper civil disobedient a la H.D. Thoreau and income-tax-refusers, nor a proper agent provocateur, and certainly no taser-taking demonstrator (though I did manage a good whif of tear-gas in DC way back when), looking for my next lockup. Outright confrontation R not US, bowdlerizing from that giraffe. But, yes, indeed, I can both feel some satisfaction at things we have been doing around here (e.g., "We Demand" #2, "We Can Do" #5 and "We Should Do" #1, 1/2#2, and #5), and possibly others we should consider.
I will try to excerpt, but, as is pretty common, must recommend a click-over to the full original. This is good germinal material that deserves your attention:
Friends,
It's the #1 question I'm constantly asked after people see my movie: "OK -- so NOW what can I DO?!"
You want something to do? Well, you've come to the right place! 'Cause I got 15 things you and I can do right now to fight back and try to fix this very broken system.
Here they are:
FIVE THINGS WE DEMAND THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS DO IMMEDIATELY:
1. Declare a moratorium on all home evictions. Not one more family should be thrown out of their home. The banks must adjust their monthly mortgage payments to be in line with what people's homes are now truly worth -- and what they can afford. Also, it must be stated by law: If you lose your job, you cannot be tossed out of your home.
2. Congress must join the civilized world and expand Medicare For All Americans. A single, nonprofit source must run a universal health care system that covers everyone. Medical bills are now the #1 cause of bankruptcies and evictions in this country. Medicare For All will end this misery. The bill to make this happen is called H.R. 3200. You must call AND write your members of Congress and demand its passage, no compromises allowed.
3. Demand publicly-funded elections and a prohibition on elected officials leaving office and becoming lobbyists. Yes, those very members of Congress who solicit and receive millions of dollars from wealthy interests must vote to remove ALL money from our electoral and legislative process. Tell your members of Congress they must support campaign finance bill H.R.1826.
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FIVE THINGS WE CAN DO TO MAKE CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT LISTEN TO US:
1. Each of us must get into the daily habit of taking 5 minutes to make four brief calls: One to the President (202-456-1414), one to your Congressperson (202-224-3121) and one to each of your two Senators (202-224-3121). To find out who represents you, click here. Take just one minute on each of these calls to let them know how you expect them to vote on a particular issue. Let them know you will have no hesitation voting for a primary opponent -- or even a candidate from another party -- if they don't do our bidding. Trust me, they will listen. If you have another five minutes, click here to send them each an email. And if you really want to drop an anvil on them, send them a snail mail letter!
2. Take over your local Democratic Party. Remember how much fun you had with all those friends and neighbors working together to get Barack Obama elected? YOU DID THE IMPOSSIBLE. It's time to re-up! Get everyone back together and go to the monthly meeting of your town or county Democratic Party -- and become the majority that runs it! There will not be many in attendance and they will either be happy or in shock that you and the Obama Revolution have entered the room looking like you mean business. President Obama's agenda will never happen without mass grass roots action -- and he won't feel encouraged to do the right thing if no one has his back, whether it's to stand with him, or push him in the right direction. When you all become the local Democratic Party, send me a photo of the group and I'll post it on my website.
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FIVE THINGS WE SHOULD DO TO PROTECT OURSELVES AND OUR LOVED ONES UNTIL WE GET THROUGH THIS MESS:
1. Take your money out of your bank if it took bailout money and place it in a locally-owned bank or, preferably, a credit union.
2. Get rid of all your credit cards but one -- the kind where you have to pay up at the end of the month or you lose your card.
3. Do not invest in the stock market. If you have any extra cash, put it away in a savings account or, if you can, pay down on your mortgage so you can own your home as soon as possible. You can also buy very safe government savings bonds or T-bills. Or just buy your mother some flowers.
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So, despite the hour, and the multitude of other things calling to me, I could not resist, once I saw it, clicking on a title like "Michael Moore's Action Plan: 15 Things Every American Can Do Right Now" on CommonDreams (though doubtless also findable elsewhere, e.g. HuffPost, given MM's imprint).
And I'm glad I did. Michael sets the bar pretty high here, but justifiably so, given the amazing multiple Augean Stables left for our President by the last so-badly-behaved-not-house-trained tennant-swines, not to mention the long run of (briefly-interrupted) government-antagonistas bred by the reagan death-squads in the preceding couple decades.
Just in case you haven't grokked by now, I am not, to my shame, a proper civil disobedient a la H.D. Thoreau and income-tax-refusers, nor a proper agent provocateur, and certainly no taser-taking demonstrator (though I did manage a good whif of tear-gas in DC way back when), looking for my next lockup. Outright confrontation R not US, bowdlerizing from that giraffe. But, yes, indeed, I can both feel some satisfaction at things we have been doing around here (e.g., "We Demand" #2, "We Can Do" #5 and "We Should Do" #1, 1/2#2, and #5), and possibly others we should consider.
I will try to excerpt, but, as is pretty common, must recommend a click-over to the full original. This is good germinal material that deserves your attention:
Friends,
It's the #1 question I'm constantly asked after people see my movie: "OK -- so NOW what can I DO?!"
You want something to do? Well, you've come to the right place! 'Cause I got 15 things you and I can do right now to fight back and try to fix this very broken system.
Here they are:
FIVE THINGS WE DEMAND THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS DO IMMEDIATELY:
1. Declare a moratorium on all home evictions. Not one more family should be thrown out of their home. The banks must adjust their monthly mortgage payments to be in line with what people's homes are now truly worth -- and what they can afford. Also, it must be stated by law: If you lose your job, you cannot be tossed out of your home.
2. Congress must join the civilized world and expand Medicare For All Americans. A single, nonprofit source must run a universal health care system that covers everyone. Medical bills are now the #1 cause of bankruptcies and evictions in this country. Medicare For All will end this misery. The bill to make this happen is called H.R. 3200. You must call AND write your members of Congress and demand its passage, no compromises allowed.
3. Demand publicly-funded elections and a prohibition on elected officials leaving office and becoming lobbyists. Yes, those very members of Congress who solicit and receive millions of dollars from wealthy interests must vote to remove ALL money from our electoral and legislative process. Tell your members of Congress they must support campaign finance bill H.R.1826.
-clip-
FIVE THINGS WE CAN DO TO MAKE CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT LISTEN TO US:
1. Each of us must get into the daily habit of taking 5 minutes to make four brief calls: One to the President (202-456-1414), one to your Congressperson (202-224-3121) and one to each of your two Senators (202-224-3121). To find out who represents you, click here. Take just one minute on each of these calls to let them know how you expect them to vote on a particular issue. Let them know you will have no hesitation voting for a primary opponent -- or even a candidate from another party -- if they don't do our bidding. Trust me, they will listen. If you have another five minutes, click here to send them each an email. And if you really want to drop an anvil on them, send them a snail mail letter!
2. Take over your local Democratic Party. Remember how much fun you had with all those friends and neighbors working together to get Barack Obama elected? YOU DID THE IMPOSSIBLE. It's time to re-up! Get everyone back together and go to the monthly meeting of your town or county Democratic Party -- and become the majority that runs it! There will not be many in attendance and they will either be happy or in shock that you and the Obama Revolution have entered the room looking like you mean business. President Obama's agenda will never happen without mass grass roots action -- and he won't feel encouraged to do the right thing if no one has his back, whether it's to stand with him, or push him in the right direction. When you all become the local Democratic Party, send me a photo of the group and I'll post it on my website.
-clip-
FIVE THINGS WE SHOULD DO TO PROTECT OURSELVES AND OUR LOVED ONES UNTIL WE GET THROUGH THIS MESS:
1. Take your money out of your bank if it took bailout money and place it in a locally-owned bank or, preferably, a credit union.
2. Get rid of all your credit cards but one -- the kind where you have to pay up at the end of the month or you lose your card.
3. Do not invest in the stock market. If you have any extra cash, put it away in a savings account or, if you can, pay down on your mortgage so you can own your home as soon as possible. You can also buy very safe government savings bonds or T-bills. Or just buy your mother some flowers.
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posted by Sir Gumbo at 9:38 PM
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