Healthcare Independent Expenditure idea
(I wrote this up and sent it to a few friends who I thought could tell me if it was a decent idea or not. Only one responded, and even then without saying whether it was a good idea or not. I'm getting the feeling that I'm either past my prime or unable to get any political scheme funded or people interested anymore. So, I'm posting it here in the resigned defeat of watching another political idea die on the vine.)Healthcare Independent Expenditure idea
1. Get a voice artist who sounds similar to President Obama
2. Identify and rent lists of elderly likely voters in key areas
a. Senate
Colorado – Bennett
Arkansas – Lincoln
North Dakota – Dorgan
b. House
South Dakota – Herseth
(other potentials)
c. Legal limitations
Check for states where the most favorable regulatory regime exists:
http://winningcalls.com/statelaws.html
3. Record a short spot using the voice artist:Sterile female voice:Please hold for a fake message from the President Barack Obama
Obama voice artist:Good afternoon seniors,
I want to talk to you for a moment about healthcare reform. I know many of you are concerned about losing Medicare and Medicaid benefits and likely cuts to Social Security that will be necessary to pay for my healthcare reforms. However, I want to ask you to end the divisiveness on this issue and support me. I know what’s best for you and even if we do take your benefits, tax your healthcare plan or increase taxes, it will be worth it to provide healthcare to those who can’t afford it. So, please stop opposing me and trust me.
Thank you.
4. Robocall lists with this message. Distribute .mp3 file to other organizations with robodialers.
Labels: activism, election, healthcare, obama, politics
My new group: LTPC
The "Love Thy Prisoner Campaign" made its debut at the Gay Pride Parade in Boston over the weekend.
People were asked to adopt a detainee, provide a home if they get released, help them with their 'religious needs' and be a friend, a pen pal.
James and I were told that we were "the most truly progressive people here..." and this was at the Boston Gay Pride rally, so, I think that puts us in strong running for the most progressive people in the world.
Fact sheet -
Signup sheetHopefully you can see where this is going...
Labels: activism, homosexuals, leftists, video
An old activism schedule for four days of content-generation
sadly most of this didn't pan out, but enough did where it should end up being pretty glorious. I tried to be a little obscure with some of these things, so if you're truly curious then just email and ask.
day 1LTPC Campaign
Adoption
formerly deviant
document parade/march
new media event
day 2religious audit
set up logistics for marketing
no work union job
day 3ACLU skit
hit up campus clinics
calling potential funders
day 4editing, promoting
Labels: activism, ideas, plans
Teaching tool for pro-life
I made this quick graphic for an idea at work to help foster pro-life discussions for younger children, and get them in the baby-saving mindset.
Labels: activism, pro-life, pro-life movement
Handouts for pro-life outreach
I made a handout, below, for use in pro-life outreach efforts to young adults at risk of abortion. It's designed to be printed on black and white, cut twice and creating three little flyers for use on public streets to be put on cars, handed out one-by-one.
Also
in Photoshop in case you wanted it. The fonts I used were Arial and
N.O.Movement.
Labels: abortion, activism, pro-life
Naomi Wolf, activism and right and wrong
I watched
these awful comments by
Naomi Wolf about activism and "fake" activism. It always intrigues me to hear people talk about activism, because they usually only mean the most rudimentary political action. "Activism" is present tense, more than just the method of taking action and yet most of these people mean one simple thing, with one trite and cute simple idea. In Wolf's case she wants "massive protests" but it betrays her sheltered life to show that her idea of progress in politics is not much more than mass displays of humanity. The March for Life, as I noted below, has a mass display of humanity and yet it is almost wholly disconnected from directly ending abortion. It's tough to watch Wolf and not read too much into her mannerisms and ways of her speech: seeming so stilted and full of herself. It reminds me of people arguing in student government: the overgeneralizations, the vague indictments, the reflexive reactionary solutions that are without nuance, skill, thought or planning. Not to mention that she's just so plainly wrong. Wolf's entire premise is that the "system" has evolved higher and higher opportunity costs to political action in order to keep "the people" from ruling. Would that it were so it would validate her ideas about a conspiracy by "the man" to keep "the people" metaphorically "down." But anyone who spends 5 minutes in applied politics, who deals with these bureaucrats, realizes that more often than not these rules evolve out of well-meaning bureaucrats who try to prevent a specific special interest from abusing the system to take advantage of a loophole. Wolf cites the rules against false voter registrations, but when her preferred candidate loses by a slim margin with thousands of questionable voter reg. filings the day before the deadline, she'll be saying death is too good for whomever denied her the opportunity. We have no patience for problems, no tolerance for mistakes, and we contribute to this awful bureaucratic system and its inane rules. We rail against bureaucrats and then fail to consider how often we tell others that "we'd like to help, but..." and then use some arcane rule to justify our inaction. I question the sincerity of her commitment to true openness, to true competition. Many states have silly laws that hurt political action, removing those laws would be a good thing. I doubt that Wolf will carry forward on this and not just write another book about feminism or retreat back into New York City. Incidentally, I also tend to confuse this Naomi with
Naomi Klein, who is, as well, almost equally as feminist, socialist and wrong.
Labels: activism, election, politics, theory
Two great groups
It may seem, assuming anyone reads this with any regularity or consistency, that I am overly critical of nonprofits and conservative groups. There are two great groups I want to mention, though, the
Alliance Defense Fund and
Americans United for Life. And the work that the
American Civil Rights Initiative does, working to overturn state race codes one by one, is great as well.
Labels: activism, conservativism, movement, pro-life movement, theory
Pro-life injustices, and its opportunity for outreach
Walter Hoye has been jailed in California for standing on a sidewalk with an unpopular message. His 'crime' was talking to people,
even the San Francisco Chronicle can't cover up the obvious in their story. Because of the content of his speech, because of what he was saying and what his personal principles are, he was jailed. This all leads one to the question of: does this offer an opportunity for group and activist development in churches. And I would have to say, probably not. Hoye's actions seem outside the range of normal church activities. Few churches, and virtually no Catholic churches, evangelize anymore or are used to such actions and activities. Using this as a catalyst seems stuck because our people are so unused to the tactic of taking any action outside simple prayer. They forget that prayer ought to rightfully lead to action. Prayer sanctifies as it leads one to move. That connection seems lost, so perhaps this incident can help us reach out to a different set of people: for example the "spiritual" moderates who would be offended by a pastor being jailed but are perhaps not of a particular denomination. I don't know, perhaps I'm overthinking this.
Labels: activism, organizing, pro-life, pro-life movement, theory
me as Debbie Downer: red envelopes
I hate seeming cynical or that I'm tearing ideas down, but it is damn frustrating to watch people get worked up over the
'red envelope' campaign. I know people have the best of intentions, but the return email I got for an announcement of the campaign was from Lindsay@republicanprofessionals.net - and so it doesn't inspire a lot of confidence that this is a truly 'grassroots' enterprise as
claimed here.
In fact, reviewing the FAQ, listen to this paragraph:
This movement is a true grass roots phenomenon. There is no entity behind this project other than the thousands of men, women and children that have volunteered their time, money, and effort to be involved. The Red Envelope Project has spread largely through emails and word of mouth. I believe that many have been moved by the Holy Spirit to do this. It has crossed all denominational lines, and has brought together the efforts of Roman Catholics and Protestants in our common value for life and the blood of Christ. Churches, schools, CCD classes, youth groups, religious communities, and small groups have joined in this effort.
This is ridiculous. Of course some group is behind it, otherwise it wouldn't be as organized. I don't mind that a group is behind it, I just don't want to be lied to about what's going on about it. AUL did a great FOCA campaign, there are several Students for Life of America projects that they occasionally announce - they're all good things, but claiming that it's spontaneous generation just irks me for some reason. Not the least of which is that I suspect this very very very passive activity, mailing an envelope, will ultimately be thrown away by the White House and will just build some mailing list for a pro-life group. And, as one working for a pro-life group, I understand the need for these kind of things, I just wish they'd be tied to
effective action rather than
ineffective action.
Labels: activism, pro-life, pro-life movement, theory
Catholic Action
This article is wholly inadequate to what is appropriate, but it at least focuses on a long-running discussion I've had with several: the necessity of Catholic action vs. faith sustaining one's self alone.
Labels: activism, Catholicism, religion, theory
checklist for serious "activists"
I see the term bandied about so much, and yet, truly, what is an "effective activist"
Have you:
Been arrested?
Been threatened directly by a police officer?
Gotten another person arrested?
Made jokes about what's illegal?
Broken a law willingly within 30 days?
Broken a felony level law within 90 days?
Deleted a few things from a checklist like this because you worried people weren't ready for the truth?
Gotten caught telling seriously bad taste jokes?
Lost friends from the other side?
Broken off a relationship because of ideology?
Never vote for mainstream parties, even for local office?
Wish you had a robodialer?
Ok, maybe the last one is a bit silly, but still.
Labels: activism, definitions
One recent crazy night
A friend asked me to go record a meeting of radical homosexuals at a public meeting, and so I went. It was held at a government high school, after-hours, and the discussion of choice was on how best to structure homosexual activities in middle and high schools. I drove up and parked, walked inside and had a hard time discerning where to go. I saw a man walking with purpose, and decided to ask him. I asked him if he knew where the meeting was being held, and he prompted me to give him which one it was. I told him it was the GLBT one, and he prodded further. It seemed as though he wanted to screen me to see if I was actually going to the meeting or if I was an outsider. After I passed his informal test, he said he was going that way and that I could walk with him.
He was an older man, and the perfect expression of every stereotype of government school administration. He had an underlying personal tension, and his skin even had that awkward dark tint of a man in small authority. His short white hair were little yardsticks of his creativity, suffocated no doubt from years of bureaucracy. It feels awkward to write that, since I'm sure he's a 'good man' and 'everyone around him likes him' and it's uncouth to talk of people in such a way. However, he was also going to give the welcome to a group of people spreading perversion to kids, so I don't feel too bad about it.
As we walked, he asked me what all the initials meant. Never once in my life have I been hit on by homosexuals nor been confused for one, so I tried my best to play along. I avoided being too over the top with the lisp though, not because it's inaccurate, rather, I just didn't think I could pull it off.
I sat down in a cafeteria and tried to look busy. I had arrived early, and the head organizer approached me, surely I looked suspicious. She was nice, but was clearly probing for who I was with. I said half-truthfully that I was writing a story and a part-time journalist. She then left me, as I sat in this long awkwardly extended rectangular cafeteria and proceeded to deal with the refreshments.
Time passed and no one arrived. I thought it odd. Then I realized that everyone had left. The meeting was elsewhere and they decided to leave me in the cold. I wandered around the school for a while, pacing the linoleum, breathing in that strong cleaning agent that every school overuses, and passed the empty classrooms looking for the room I was supposed to be in. I covered almost the entire school, and was about to leave when I saw a very obviously gay man enter the building.
I decided to follow him.
He was lost as well, however, and he was even a speaker. We ran into the same principal and he gave us better directions. Together we walked to the right room, through the maze of the needlessly complex laid out school.
I arrived at the right room, finally, only about 15 minutes late. I entered a room full of homosexuals and transsexuals. They were of all ages, older, middle-aged, younger and even, sadly, high schoolers. I sat there as comfortably as I could, awkward from the environment and also from those tiny blue chairs that all schools buy. In a room full of perverts I started dissecting my own sexuality. A degree of introspection that I can't turn off kept racing in my head and I thought about my similarities to this group rather than my obvious differences.
They were fellow human beings, deserving of respect and rights. But they had serious problems as well. The several men dressed as women and women who had been surgically altered to be men clarified my mental confusion. But, strangely, even sitting there realizing that they were all perverted, I started identifying with them after a time. My own little Stockholm syndrome kicked on surprisingly fast. It's such an amazing topic to politicize and publicize, that I think it lends itself to conversions so easier.
These groups and these interests never promote stable sexual behaviors or lifestyles. The
Theology of the Body, a popular Catholic teaching about sexuality, never enters their minds. If abstinence is taught, it's presented as a joke, as something totally unrealistic. Rather, one's taught to do whatever feels good, and to treat the symptoms later, never the disease. In the case of AIDS, that becomes literally true: don't adjust your behavior, agitate for cures to the disease because the behaviors can't be changed.
Which isn't even to say that homosexual behavior must be changed. But if homosexual partners were monogamous and faithful, there would be a next to zero chance to catch AIDS.
One's sexuality is at the core of their identity, and yet so unthought of, so taken for granted. Homosexuals say that and mean that one should 'question' it and eventually become homosexual. I mean that in the sense that stability and order exists because most of us don't question it, and probably shouldn't. So many questions have unfirm answers, and the process of asking a question can lead to doubt. For instance: if you trust someone 100%, and someone asks if you've heard that they've stolen from someone, even though you may still trust them, your trust was never the same. Simply the act of asking the question has changed your opinion. Such is the affect of suggestion, something this group has mastered.
I sat for 90 minutes as they talked about increasing the number of gay-straight alliance groups in high schools, middle schools, and further 'improving' the curriculum in elementary schools. The power of suggestion to tell 11 year old kids that perhaps they're "different" because they're gay.
No, I have nothing in common with these people. And after realizing and appreciating what was going on, it became quite easy to retain my resolve.
Labels: activism, homosexuals, massachusetts, sex
Actions to end abortion
I was somewhat remiss in feeling that I was detached or removed from the effort to reduce the number of abortions in the country, and so it was with some joy that I stumbled across the always wonderful
Fr. Frank Pavone's fine list at Priests for Life of what individuals can do to end the abortion horror.
Labels: abortion, activism, culture, society
Article: Stages of Radicalization
I've written
an article about my thoughts in radicalizing individual leaders and activists. This is part of my CounterMedia project, which has been slow-going for some time.
Labels: activism, leadership, movement, organizing, strategy, theory
Pro-life courage in Canada
A priest in Canada has
renounced his "Order of Canada" award because this year it is being given to a noted abortionist. This priest did so knowing that some past, frivolous, criminal charges would come up against him. Here is a man of courage, a man unmoved by consequence to do what is right. Canada has no shortage of courageous men willing to challenge the slaughter of the innocents,
David Little has declared that his tax-paying days are over as long as the government finances the death of little ones. Rarely does one note Canadian activism, much less pro-life activism, but here are two strong examples of truth and justice over lies. The left has infected major institutions and managed to wreck everything virtuous and true, and these men are willing to stand up. May they be an inspiration to more people, myself included.
Labels: abortion, activism, Canada, pro-life
