Confessions of a Spare-Time Activist

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For OpEdNews: RCG - Writer

If you are like most well informed decent and moral people in the United States of America: You are heartbroken by all the senseless rape, torture, death and destruction. You are upset that your government has been taken over by a ruthless and bloodthirsty crime gang. You are utterly and completely distraught at how the constitution has been almost completely neutered. You realize that the voting process is a rigged game, and, as a result of all these things - you feel virtually powerless to do much but observe this escalating tragedy/end of our democracy. And like many of you, I too have stood in protest and waved my banner; A banner, which was too easily ignored. I have also donated as much money as I could. However, waving a banner and my donating a couple hundred bucks - it just doesn't seem proportional to the grave and terrible threat that we are under.... but what else can I do? I am so busy; so busy working, struggling, and taking care of my family that I have little time for anything else.

Thus, I did about the only other things I could do. I volunteered to work for progressive candidates, when they needed me and (when I could) in between that; I spent the last (approx.) 4 1/2 years building a video library documenting the ongoing atrocities. Excited that I might finally be able to make a real and significant difference, I put these videos online. I then submitted personal emails and press releases to numerous liberal and progressive websites, blogs, and new outlets. And guess what results I received? Well, mostly I was ignored, however, I got back a few letters of support, a handful of letters telling me off, and a few posts (about me) on liberal blogs posts that were dedicated to calling me a dumb ass and a jerk for having dared to email them with my "whiny" requests. Below are some paraphrased (because I am in a rush) examples:

1. Great job! I have downloaded your video, added your link, and posted your press release."
2 How dare you send me a press reeeeeelease without making some personal contact with me first? I only read the headline and then deleted it. Don't you know how important I am? {I then offered for this webmaster and his family to come over for dinner with my family. I also told him that I hope he did not mind that we would be having "Franks & Beans". I have yet to hear back from him.}
3. My submissions must be sent using the following guidelines. Here is a link to my guidelines. (He gave me a link to guidelines that were on a hidden part of his site. This link was not on his submission page. Sheesh.)
4. Don't bother me. You have never purchased advertising on my site! {Wow, and I actually thought that this guy was doing this for a good cause. I'm still somewhat naive, I guess.}
5. You dumb ass, no one uses Bit Torrent and no one knows what a Super Video CD is. You'll never get anyone to download your stuff. I am not linking to this. You need to do this, this, this, this and that, dummy. {By the way, this guy has no clue. Bit Torrent is hugely popular "taking up a third of internet traffic, even by the most
conservative estimates" and a Google Search for SVCD pulls up 20,300,000 hits. SVCD is indeed popular as well.

Folks, I poured my Heart & Soul into this. I used every spare minute and I took a lot of time (too much time) away from my family especially my teenage children who need me and I have created a unique effort that has never been done before, not like this...Yet, my work is not even worth a brief mention on these hotshot liberal sites?

Anyhow, I apologize, for as usual, I wrote this in a rush and I have to close now because I must to go to work in just a few minutes. But, before I go, I'd like to emphasize three important points. One: In the last two weeks alone, my videos have been downloaded over 10,000 times. Now that may not seem like a lot at first but it is when you consider that the files are a whopping 597-643MB each AND this was done with Zero advertising and virtually no support from the liberal and progressive community. Two: Shame on the liberal community for not supporting and appreciating the contributions of all of us now matter how small. Three: Just imagine how many downloads I would have by now - if I had some support? It could easily, very easily, be in the hundreds of thousands (perhaps millions) of downloads. Now anyway you "cut it" - that would have had a significant impact.

Readers please visit my site and consider supporting my Three Unique Videos - Videos that were made specifically to reach out to the masses (not to preach to the choir on the internet) and for them to watch on their televisions.

Oh heck, I'm plum out of time, but I just have to add this request: "Hey, OpEdNews, if you print this opinion/rant piece, could you also please find the space/find it in your hearts to print my attached press release as well?"

Thank You,

RCG
http://www.rosecoloredglasses.org

----------------------
October 19, 2006.
For Immediate Release:

Announcing "Rose Colored Glasses"
A New & Unique Public Education Video Series

Rose Colored Glasses is a simple and straight forward video series that is the ultimate visual indictment of the Bush Administration/the Neo-Cons and the Republican Party. Nowhere will you find another series that covers so much ground and backs it up like this series does. And you don't have to believe me/take my word for it; This series has hundreds of pictures and a picture really does "speak a thousand words." It also has lots of damning video and great music as well. Watch RCG and see-for-yourself, what they have done.

This Series is Dedicated to my FORMER dentist.
- who told me, "I don't care how many Iraqi's are killed, because they're brown people."
Hiding my disgust, I asked, "What difference does their color make?". He responded,
"They're used to death. It doesn't bother them that much."
By the way, he's a devoted and locally respected "Christian"
...Of course, he's against abortion - because he values life.

Authors Forward: I had two goals when making the RCG video series. To make a permanent historical record of these dark times, AND to make these videos available as cheap and easily mass-produced Super VCD's for apathetic and uninformed people to be able to watch on their Televisions. *Accordingly, I had to make these videos as silent slide shows with select audio and video interspersed in between. It is my hope that activists might use them as tools to educate and to inspire the populace. While watching these videos, please consider what effect it would have should you give a copy to a redneck relative, your local Christian fanatic, to a right-wing co-worker...or to somebody who has been "sitting on the fence." Please grab a free torrent (our preferred method) or a direct download. And in just a few clicks you'll have a disc ready for viewing. ...best-of-all, you'll have a great video that you can give to that annoying family member or to that red-neck friend at work.

Titles:
RCG Volume 1: Title: Redneck Paradise: Historical documentary Chronicling the Iraq War, the following (and) ongoing brutal Iraq occupation, and the rapid demise of our democracy over the last few years. Runtime: 00:34 min. 11sec. SVCD format. Contains rare footage of innocent and defenseless protestors being beaten, tasered, and shot, rare Bush "drunk" footage, rare Iraq footage and more.
RCG Volume 2. Title: Banned and Censored Video Clips...and more. Runtime: 00:53min. 32 sec. Lots of informative, shocking, rare and unusual video that wouldn't fit on a CD. DVD format.
RCG Volume 3: Title: Hurricane Katrina: Alone, Abandoned, and Trapped. Runtime: 00:33:42 Note: Lots of interesting and informative video with a closing slide show and great music. SVCD format.

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rosecoloredglasses.org

About me: *I am a Christian. One who believes in the lord, but also respects science (and other peoples beliefs and non-beliefs too). ...and I have no need to add the prefix "True" before the word "Christian", because either you are telling the (more...)

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