Letter From A Friend

I received the following email from a friend the other day and had to think about it for a bit before knowing how I wanted to respond to his concerns that Obama was not performing as advertised. (Links added to flesh out the conversation.)

Hey, Emily!

Sorry I haven't written earlier. And it looks like it takes an emergency to make me do so: I am greatly afraid--especially since I now dwell in anti-Obama land--that the President is getting defeated at every turn, and I lay part of the blame for that on the fact that (as far as I know) he just isn't aware of the information that George Lakoff talks about.

The far-right religious and political nuts (like the ones who are my Texas relatives) have stolen the day, and O. has no clue as to how to frame his programs. Is there ANY WAY that someone can get L.'s concepts thru to the President? I am so fearful that he is giving up his Presidency in less than a year's time and just caving in to doing what so many of the centrists consider what is "sensible".

Since I have moved to Texas, my SS and Medicare payments have actually gone DOWN! :-( Do you have any assurance for a former Bay Area guy who longs to return? Not assurance of returning any time soon--just assurance that the country can be salvaged.

My response:

Thanks for keeping in touch from the vacuum that is Texas! I'm not very focused on politics for now, trying to recover from the years of activism and right now I'm working on this year's ArtCar Fest which is in two weeks.

I still support Obama because he's got it in him to do the job he was elected for and he's only been at it for 9 months now. I want to give him a full, fair chance to fix the absolute destruction to our National government and infrastructure wrought by the GOP in the past decade. I'm being realistic that he, as smart and as dedicated as he is, cannot reverse the damage in such a short time...or even perhaps in one or two terms. The squealing and vicious attacks by the unfortunately, regularly televised, right wingnuts is making a nearly impossible job even more difficult. (The Top 5 Lies About Obama's Health Care Reform.)

It's a shame that what is being shown on Faux News and in these staged so-called "tea party protests" at Congressional Town Hall meetings, and elsewhere around the country, have come to be considered acceptable political discourse. They're NOT!

I hope you can make it back here at the least for a visit. Always keep the Bay Area in your heart and try to spread some of it's unique way of thinking wherever you are! Be well, blessed be.

Here's something special from another friend:

The Obama Experiment.

From MoveOn.org and R.E.M.

Please share this around!!!

A Day in the Life of Joe Republican

I ran this article (and added images to it) almost exactly 3 years ago. We've replaced the President and taken back the U.S. Congress, with intelligent human beings (thank the goddess) and yet from the safety of their media enclaves the radical right wing minority continues to spew disinformation about basic human rights. The current issue under attack is of course (again) health care in America. Please read this and share it around. It really explains why some things in our culture are best done by government rather than for profit by enormous corporations who could give a shit about you and me:

A Day in the Life of Joe Middle-Class Republican

by John Gray
(From Michael Moore)

Joe gets up at 6:00am to prepare his morning coffee. He fills his pot full of good clean drinking water because some liberal fought for minimum water quality standards.















Photo Source: Reservoir

He takes his daily medication with his first swallow of coffee. His medications are safe to take because some liberal fought to insure their safety and work as advertised. All but $10.00 of his medications are paid for by his employers medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance, now Joe gets it too.



















Photo Source: Safe Medications


He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs this day. Joe’s bacon is safe to eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.






















Photo Source: Safe Meat

Joe takes his morning shower reaching for his shampoo; His bottle is properly labeled with every ingredient and the amount of its contents because some liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained.






















Photo Source: Shampoo

Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some tree hugging liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air.














Photo Source: Smokestacks

He walks to the subway station for his government subsidized ride to work; it saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees. You see, some liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.
















Photo Source: Subway

Joe begins his work day; he has a good job with excellent pay, medicals benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe’s employer pays these standards because Joe’s employer doesn’t want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed he’ll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some liberal didn’t think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.
















Photo Source: Union Workers

Its noon time, Joe needs to make a Bank Deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe’s deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some liberal wanted to protect Joe’s money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the depression. Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae underwritten Mortgage and his below market federal student loan because some stupid liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his life-time.

















Photo Source: Bank

Joe is home from work, he plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive to dads; his car is among the safest in the world because some liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home.
















Photo Source: Crash Test

He was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers Home Administration because bankers didn’t want to make rural loans. The house didn’t have electric until some big government liberal stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and demanded rural electrification. (Those rural Republican’s would still be sitting in the dark)

















Photo Source: Rural Power

He is happy to see his dad who is now retired. His dad lives on Social Security and his union pension because some liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn’t have to. After his visit with dad he gets back in his car for the ride home.














Photo Source: Social Security

He turns on a radio talk show, the host’s keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. (He doesn’t tell Joe that his beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day) Joe agrees, “We don’t need those big government liberals ruining our lives; after all, I’m a self made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have”.

















Photo Source: Right Wing Radio

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