If you will notice the faces and the remarks by the random protestors that are showing up at the organized rallies against the President's health reform agenda, it is quite obvious they are not a very sophisticated group. Ignorance has always been manipulated by special interests, going back to Salem. The crowds have been turned against some of the great minds in history by people with their own agenda; Plato, da Vinci, Gandhi, and of course Jesus.

Phrases heard so often like, "take our country back, government takeover, communism, fascism, liberal agenda", all play well with the people that show up for tea parties and the like. Look behind these gatherings and you will find the "money boys"--along with the true believers--and of course the politicians with their own agendas. There is no doubt that a lot of anger exists with these people, partly because they have been left behind due to the economy, as well as their lack of marketable skills. What they don't seem to understand is that the very people who are urging them on, are the same people that have manipulated this economy. In other words, they are assisting the thief that stole their wallet.

After they have "shown up" for the cameras and mailed in their $25 to join some group, they are used and discarded. Does anyone really believe that Joe the Plummer will ever be admitted to the inner circle of the Republican Party? Joe was used, probably much like Palin, with the exception Palin went farther than anyone ever expected, and most surprised were the McCain handlers. I predicted Palin would not last half as long as she did, but she is slowly fading. The Joes and Sarah's are used over and over like a new kitchen product on late night TV and when it's over, they disappear. When is the last time you heard anything about Ken Starr? Starr actually had credibility. But when the GOP got what they could from him, he was history.

Of course the Democrats do the same, but they are amateurs when compared with the other Party. Republicans cannot have a real conversation about health care because they have nothing to offer. You hear them agree that something must be done but when ANYTHING is offered they are against it. There are some very genuine issues when it comes to "how is it to be paid for" but when JFK told the nation we were going to the moon, we found the money. When we entered WWII the country was broke and the idea of waging a world war on two real fronts was certainly intimidating but we found the money. If it takes raising taxes then we need to raise taxes. Most of the hollering and screaming about higher taxes comes from people that have little or no real tax burden but they are fired up by the people that simply do not want to let go another penny. They are the few, but they have great power to influence the ignorant.

There are several television shows dedicated to asking people simple questions about geography and politics and it is amazing the answers people give or have no answer at all. These are the same people that are quick to show up at rallies, and the same that burned people up in Salem. It reminds me of the slogan of the United Negro College Fund, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste" and we seem to have an ample supply of minds to waste.