It's been a long time since I've submitted an article to OpEdNews. Why? Because nobody read them; nobody gave a damn what a little 5'3" 145 pound 64 year old man from Antioch, California had to say. Everyone was too busy hoping that what they said would be read by everyone. This is what the so called "left" in The Formerly United States of America has become, while the so called "right" is tight, following their leaders as they spew nonsense. However, they do follow their leaders. The "left" have no leaders.
For years, I listened to Thom Hartmann, Rachel Maddow, Stephanie Miller, Amy Goodman and others on the radio. Then I started watching them, along with Keith Oblermann, who was way too interested in how much money he was making, on television. I watched Bill Maher and Jon Stewart. They reported how ridiculous the opinions and actions of the so called "right" were. I guess they wanted people like me, a 64 year old, 5'3" 145 pound unknown old man to "do something about it". In the beginning, I sent letters and emails and made calls to the offices of Diane Feinstein, Barbara Boxer and former representative Ellen Tauscher, as I was instructed to do. I received form letters saying that these politicians were as concerned as I was about the different issues facing our nation and the anti populous direction in which the nation was heading. Yet, these people voted to go to Iraq. These people didn't fight hard enough to do away with the senate filibuster.
Meanwhile, Glen Beck drew thousands of his insane followers to Washington and stoked them up. He validated their racist and anti government sentiments; their love for killing machines like guns and war; their hate towards implementing a health care system that would help those who need it; their so called protection of "states rights". People cheered and went crazy. Maybe Fox whatever the hell it is dropped him because they even thought he was over the top, but he got it done, didn't he?
What do the left leaning people I mentioned above do? They sit on their asses either five days a week or once a week, depending upon to whom one is referring, and tell us, little old unknown men and women, to write to our members of Congress and tell them to do away with the filibuster; to sign petitions supporting gun control; to protest voter suppression efforts. As I mentioned, I did write to my members of congress when I first started to listen to these proselytizers and, again, I received sympathetic form letters, no doubt written by interns and other assistants. I know that Barbara Boxer, Diane Feinstein and former Representative Tauscher have no idea who Michael Bonanno, one of their constituents, is. I dare say that even the flunkies who actually sent me the form letters don't even know who I am. Likewise, for you who have taken the advice of Hartmann and others to contact your representatives or senators and have gotten the same response, those politicians don't know you, either. Nor do they care who you are.
Why is this? Because we little people don't have a following. We argue with our "conservative uncle" at the Thanksgiving dinner table once a year and, as we get to hate one another even more than when we started the argument, we walk away steeped in our opinions, left or right. No one has been converted and nothing has changed.
And, speaking of change, nothing has changed since I started listening to the above mentioned people. These proselytizers sit on their asses, exhorting us unknowns to change the world. I have a solution to the problems which these people, like Chris Hayes, Maddow, Hartmann and others say we have -- and they're right. The book by Ralph Nader entitled ONLY THE SUPERRICH CAN HELP US NOW has inspired me to make this suggestion. I will speak directly to the flapping jaws and talking heads.
As mentioned, I don't have a following. Neither do many of the people who make fools of themselves writing to their members of Congress, all of whom are on the take, Democrat and Republican. However, you who sit on your asses day after day or week after week, whining about how the right is ruining this country and/or writing books warning us that we're in for a 1930s type depression or telling us of the evils of meritocracy, have followings. Maybe Hartmann and Goodman don't have the following that the corporate sponsored "lefties" have, but, added together, I suspect there would be a tremendous following. You all say that this country is a "center-left" leaning country, in contrast to what the right says, which is that this nation is a "center-right" leaning country. I am challenging you to meet; Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann, Amy Goodman, Chris Hayes, Rachel Maddow, Bill Maher and other so called left leaning talking heads, aka, whiners. There are many, many more of you. You all have followings. Meet and plan a rally in Washington and then promote it on your shows, stations and networks. Call it the "Jump Start Congress" rally or some such thing. Have Bernie Sanders as a major speaker.
I promise that I will show up, but I can't speak for anyone else. We saw how many people showed up for Beck's ridiculous rally. Hey, if three other people and I show up, then the right is correct, isn't it? We are a "center-right" leaning country, aren't we?
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