Margie Robben

Last year on August 13, 2009 I wrote a political essay suggesting that the violent anti-government; anti-Obama mob movement had a three tier structure.  The top were the “rich and powerful” the middle, the “communicators”, and the bottom, the “action heroes”.  Holding fast to the imagery of my theory, I am reporting a SUDDEN CHANGE in the mob’s tactics.  From a fear-hateful and lying rhetoric, there is a switch to words of honor, morality, and love, espousing the values and sentiments of our great leaders, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jesus.

The “communicators”, Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin, who are on the Rupert Murdoch political Fox TV enterprises payroll, stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. yesterday, with prayers, speeches and religious music, showing reasonableness, love, compassion, and faith in the words and deeds of holy men. How can anyone fault that? But……. is the sudden change of heart a change of mob sinners repenting or is it the calculated politics of polling, knowing evil will not succeed in getting votes in November?

Holy is good. Holy is very good. But when Beck and Palin turn from fear mongering and lying rhetoric to “holy”, one is suspect. After saying Obama is a Muslim, he is an illegal President, not born in America; that his health care program sets up “death panels”, Obama is a racist, he hates white Americans, “don’t retreat, reload”, I am not convinced of a change to holiness.

Are the polls showing the American people don’t want a politics of violence, negativity and “just saying no” to everything?  Has the mob decided to change their message from one of evil to one of holy? I dare say “yes”. I dare say “dangerous”. I dare say “manipulation”. Manipulation of “holy” may get the mob in big trouble.

A new addition to my theory comes from the good work of historian Kim Phillips-Fein who discovered the identity of the tycoons who are funneling money into the mob’s pockets to pay for the communicating and the resulting demonstrating by the action heroes in the streets.

Another addition is Jane Mayer of The New Yorker who published an article last week pointing to the unknown side of the Koch Brothers. The philanthropists and boys of culture were discovered to be the founders of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation who have closely worked from the beginning of the Tea Party.  One of the Foundations award-winning bloggers called President Obama the “cokehead in chief.” These guys give money to cancer foundations while at the same time they lobby Congress to keep cancer causing substances in the environment so that they can make more money.

Frank Rich of The New York Times also got on board today with more discovery (8/29/10) in pointing out that Dick Armey’s FreedomWorks, a promoter of events at Tea Party rallies received $12 million from Koch family foundations. The list goes on and on.

The producers of the Tea Party Lincoln Memorial event of yesterday said Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin wanted to “reclaim the civil rights movement” yet Glenn Beck said it was a coincidence that he chose August 28, 2010 to stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial – the very same day Mr. King stood on to make his famous “dream” speech. Did civil rights also have to be reclaimed?

I believe America never lost its HONOR and America never lost its civil rights.  Why regain these things when you never lost them in the first place? It’s like searching for your lost baby when you were holding him in your arms all the time you were looking.

I believe individual people like Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin may lose their honor or believe they are losing their civil rights. Maybe yesterday’s display was very personal for them. Glenn Beck looked teary about four times during his speech. But it was when Mr. Beck talked about the necessity of “tithing” and how happy he was that so many people contributed money to HIS day that he reminded me a little of the fraudulent, self-promoting recipient of great wealth through tithing, Reverend Jimmy Swaggart when he made his notorious, cry- baby TV speech before he was defrocked by the Assembly of God and sent to jail. But let’s not go there.

Let’s hope there will be a true change of heart and not a change in strategy in the mob’s rich and powerful, communicators, and action heroes. It will not be good for America if the change is just another attempt to manipulate America’s emotions to get their vote in November.

(written August 29, 2010)

Recently there was a controversial argument about where to put terrorists on trial - in the United States District Courts or in the Military Court? The following words are the words of one United States District Court Judge, William Young, after the shoe bomber’s trial was finished. All Americans should be proud of their country to have such an outstanding judge in the United States. His words are inspiring.

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American politics is like a puzzle with many little pieces. It is confusing at first look. Each party has its own way of getting things done and not getting things done. Politicians use hidden tricks in their campaign and in the Congress and it is impossible for a regular hard-working American to know where the truth lies. The result of the political process is that the average American goes to the voting poll with no knowledge of which candidate will really help them and the Country.  The politicians know how busy the average American is and they take advantage of this ignorance.

Politicians use tricks of communication in campaigns and in Congress. They say something one day, and by days’ end they are saying something totally contradictory. Several special internet web sites have popped up because of the contradictions and lies and they help Americans sort out the truth from the lies.

Politicians are gifted people. They are the peoples’ people.  Most of them start their career in politics motivated by wanting to give something back to America and making the country a better place. Others like the power, prestige and the money that goes with the job. Some of the good politicians will lose sight of what they should be doing and become corrupted. It is a challenge for a politician to end a career with the same ideals he went into it with. Like the Hollywood people, there are too many seductions thrown their way.

An election is coming up this November. Most Americans will not vote. They don’t think it is important. They think that because it is not a vote for President and Vice President, they will stay home. This could be a catastrophe for the present Administration! They need the support from other like-minded politicians so they can continue the work they started on reform.

REFORM is the main issue at the polls this year. The politician who acknowledges the need to reform America against the greed that has brought America to its economic knees should get the vote. We all have been made aware that greed is rampant in all areas of American life. Because of greed, the middle class is disappearing.  Each day, more and more people in the middle class are losing their job, their health insurance, their ability to go to college, and their home. The middle class is shutting down and becoming poor. The rich have exploited the middle class.  Without a middle class, the rich will have no one to make money off.

The issue at the polls must be to vote for continuing progress toward Reform. The vote must not be for the politician fighting against reform and who is trying to scare you into thinking reform will destroy you, and who wants the Country to go back to how it was; to the ideas that got America into the mess in the first place. The vote must be for the politician who will join with the present Administration working slowly and steadily toward a better America.

Reform means that a lot of wealthy people and wealthy corporations and banks will be angry that they have to tell the truth, maybe make a little less money, and become more transparent. They will fight with everything they can muster. They might have to start hiring again instead of holding onto the billions of dollars they made during the recession. Manufacturers will have to start hiring again too instead of holding onto their cash and their practice of sending everything off-shore in order to make an obscenely higher profit. Reform means the health insurance companies will not refuse you insurance if you get sick.

If there is a philosophical bent to the political process it is this… In spite of the anger and fight of those opposing reform, Reform will be good for all; the rich, the middle class and the poor.  If no reform occurs, the middle class will disappear, moving toward a larger poorer class and we will be left with two classes in America; the rich and the poor.  The rich will be unable to sell worthless paper and goods to their previous victims. They will become stagnant, unproductive, and bored and unable to enjoy the fruits of their labor.  The middle class will disappear.  The increasingly larger poorer class, will grow impatient, weary, angry, and rebellious. America, as we know it will disappear. No one will like that to happen.

A lot is at stake this November. Every citizen must make an effort to vote. It is the least we can do while our brothers and sisters are fighting to protect our right to vote. We must go to the polls. And when we get there the decision we must make is to vote for the politicians who will support the present Administration’s effort toward healthy reform and a more perfect union.