Mercy For Animals proudly presents a special Columbus premiere screening of Fowl Play, an award-winning documentary that exposes the plight of factory-farmed egg-laying hens through interviews with people who are fighting to save them. Fowl Play leaves viewers with a ground-breaking message of personal change and community outreach.

From FowlPlayMovie.com: National surveys show that the majority of Americans are opposed to the inhumane treatment of farm animals. In fact, Americans are in opposition to the very treatment animals face every day on factory farms. This disconnect that people have between the food they buy and the industries they support is exactly what agribusiness counts on to maintain its bottom line.

However, a growing movement of people are opposed to factory farming and the commodification of animals. They are organizing, documenting the living nightmare that animals face, and speaking out against animal agriculture.

Fowl Play illuminates the plight of factory-farmed laying hens through interviews with people who are fighting diligently to save them. A story of hope emerges as footage recorded inside battery cage and other facilities is balanced with personal accounts of the individuals working to protect the often-forgotten victims of the egg industry.

The film also introduces us to animals who survive the system: Hope, a hen left to die in a garbage can but then rescued by activists; and Consuela, a hen gassed on a farm when she was no longer useful but who survives to be rescued at a landfill.

The suffering that animals face on factory farms won’t end until enough people are motivated to change it. Fowl Play connects the dots between consumers and the practices they support, and leaves viewers with a groundbreaking message of personal change and community outreach.

(Can’t see the video? Click here.)

Date: Sunday, November 8, 2009
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Studio 35 Cinema, 3055 Indianola Ave., Columbus
Tickets: $2

Screening to be followed by a Q & A session with several of the filmmakers and individuals featured in the film, including MFA’s Executive Director, Nathan Runkle.

For more information, please visit FowlPlayMovie.com.

Some noteworthy news articles:

• NO on Issue 2 – Toledo Blade, 10/28/09
  

  “Regardless of how anyone feels about the treatment of farm animals, Issue 2 is poor public policy, and it should be defeated.

  The Ohio Constitution should never be used to promote the interests of specific individuals, businesses, or industries. The reasonable approach to balancing the needs of Ohio’s farming industry and the concerns of animal-rights groups would have been to follow Michigan’s example and work out a compromise in state law that would protect both farmers and farm animals.”

• Livestock care is key in Issue 2 debate – Columbus Dispatch, 10/25/09
  

  In case there’s any doubt about this being big business, consider Ohio’s 2008 agriculture numbers:

  • 4 million pigs were raised on 4,000 farms. Another 170,000 sows were used for breeding.
  • 27 million hens laid 7.1 billion eggs. There were 57.5 million chickens and 6 million turkeys raised for meat.
  • 1.2 million beef cattle came from 15,000 farms. Another 700,000 calves were marketed for veal.

• Controversial proposal is battle over who regulates agriculture industry – Dayton Daily News, 10/25/09
  

  While the Ohio Constitution authorizes a state board of education, boards typically aren’t prescribed in that document, said Charles Hallinan, a University of Dayton law professor and constitutional scholar.

  “It’s an oddity,” Hallinan said of Issue 2. “It is unusual enough that it would give me pause to include it in the constitution.”

• Issue 2 Spending – Columbus Dispatch, 10/23/09
  

  Backers of state Issue 2, the proposed constitutional amendment to create the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board, gave more than $4 million to that cause.

  “Contributions to Issue 2 are about much more than just supporting a ballot measure,” said Jack Fisher, executive vice president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and treasurer of Ohioans for Livestock Care Political Action Committee.

  “They are really an investment in educating all Ohioans on farmers’ commitment to excellent animal care and to providing safe, affordable, locally grown food for our consumers.”

  Issue 2 supporters said about $3 million of the total came from Ohio family farmers and groups representing farm organizations.

  Records show about $1.2 million came via more than 100 donations from out-of-state organizations, ranging from the Delaware Farm Bureau to the Arizona Pork Council to the Texas Turkey Federation to the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council. Eli Lily Co. of Indianapolis added $25,000.

  The drive to pass state Issue 2 was led by a dozen six-figure donations. The Ohio Farm Bureau chipped in about $535,000 overall, although the largest single contribution, $200,000, came from United Egg Producers in Alpharetta, Ga.

• Justice calls State Issue 2 misuse of constitution – Columbus Dispatch, 10/20/09
  

  O’Connor said the state constitution is a “much bigger document” that should not be amended to include policy decisions, such as livestock care, that are best left to lawmakers.

  O’Connor, who plans to run for chief justice next year, said backers of Issue 2 understand that once something is added to the constitution, it will take “an arm and a leg” to overturn it, the paper reported.

The most recent list of groups who officially oppose Issue 2 (I’m sure I’m missing some):

Finally, I’d like to draw attention to an analysis of contributions to the Ohioans for Livestock Care PAC conducted by Ohio ACT.

They’ve published the findings as a PDF, but for greater accessibility I’m posting the info here as well. The numbers clearly show what Issue 2 opponents have been saying all along, Issue 2 is NOT about protecting small farms, this is about protecting the abusive and immoral practices of FACTORY farms.

Ohio ACT Analysis of Contributions and In-Kind Donations to Ohioans for Livestock Care PAC

Large Contributors/Donors ($20,000 or More) Represent Two-Thirds of the Contributions to Ohioans for Livestock Care (Pro-Issue 2):
Fifty donors, all large institutions, that gave $20,000 or more to the Ohioans for Livestock Care PAC were 2 percent of the contributors but two-thirds (66 percent) of the financing. More than one thousand donors (1,046 contributors) donated less than $100, but these small donors made up only 1 percent of the PAC’s contributions.

Dozen Largest Contributions/In-Kind Donations Made Up More than One Third of Contributions:
The twelve largest contributors (all agribusiness interests) contributed at least $100,000 gave a total of $1.4 million, 35 percent of all funds contributed to Ohioans for Livestock Care. The statewide Ohio Farm Bureau Federation gave $505,186 (in four separate donations) that constituted 12 percent of the funding for the PAC. Three out-of- state interests contributed a total of $413,000, or 10 percent of all contributions to the PAC (United Egg Producers (Georgia), National Pork Producers Council (Iowa), and Pioneer Hi-Bred (Iowa-based seed and agrochemical firm).

Non-Individual Contributors Provided Nearly All (94 Percent) of the Financing:
About half the contributors (49 percent) were “non-individual” contributors, but they contributed $.3.8 million (94 percent) to the PAC. These non-individual donors were primarily agribusiness trade associations, livestock operations, agricultural service companies and farms.

Farm Bureau Chapters and Livestock Operations and Associations Among Largest Donors:
State and local Farm Bureau chapters made 451 contributions totaling $995,719 to the pro-Issue 2 PAC – 18 percent of the contributors and 25 percent of the financing. This includes 13 non-Ohio-based Farm Bureau chapters that gave $60,000. Hog trade associations and operations contributed $624,106 (15 percent); egg trade associations and operations contributed $477,298 (12 percent); poultry associations and operations contributed $271,695 (7 percent). Beef, dairy and other livestock interest contributed $257,944 (6 percent) combined.

Contributors from Outside Ohio Provided More than One Fourth Contributions:
More than one hundred (106) out of state contributors donated $1,196,080 to Ohioans for Livestock Care, only 4 percent of the contributors but 30 percent of the financing. Ten Iowa contributors gave $498,300 (12 percent), 3 Georgia contributors gave $211,000 (5 percent), 3 Minnesota contributors gave $115,000 (3 percent), 26 Indiana donors gave $97,075 (2 percent), 3 Kentucky contributors gave $58,000 (1 percent), 5 Missouri donors gave $56,000 (1 percent), and 3 North Carolina contributors gave $50,000 (1 percent).

Methodology: Ohio ACT examined the Coalition for Livestock Care PAC contributions and in kind donation data that was released October 22nd and coded the non-individual contributors that gave $5,000 or more based on agricultural sector. Trade associations and companies that provided a livestock-specific service (pork packing, poultry packaging or cage manufacturing, or hog business consulting software, for example) was coded with the appropriate livestock industry. Livestock services that were not livestock type specific (veterinary services, cattle genetics) were coded as agricultural services). Feed and seed elevators that provide a range of agricultural services but appear to be primarily elevators are coded as feed/grain/oilseed.

Of course, this is not an all-inclusive update, there is so much being said about this issue I can’t possibly cover it all. PLEASE do your research, and don’t believe the feel-good commercials the Farm Bureau is putting out, they’re anything but honest.

If you’re in Columbus, Cleveland, or Cincinnati: Ohio ACT really needs volunteers to help with phonebanking and passing out door hangers.

Spread the word: VOTE NO ON ISSUE 2!

(Can’t see the video? Click here.)

I have that feeling in my throat, the one that says “you’re gonna wake up tomorrow and be SICK, this is your only hint, do something about it NOW.”

I work in an office with enough people that there’s at least one person sick at any given time. Not to mention a few have kids or friends who have contracted H1N1. It’s that time of year, the flu is definitely spreading through Ohio, so it’s entirely possible I’ve been exposed. That’s life, not much you can do about it besides take care of yourself as best as possible.

(graphic from latest Rhiza Labs FluTracker data)

I don’t need a doctor to tell me it’s one of four things:

1. cold
2. flu
3. H1N1
4. nothing.

For the sake of transparency, since I’m such an advocate of natural health (NO vaccines!), I’m going to document the process of practicing what I preach.

I’ll admit, I’m not always kind to my immune system, I can’t claim sainthood. I have occasional insomnia which means only 4 hours of sleep a couple nights a week, and I don’t exercise as much as I should. Aside from that that I take pretty good care of myself — I don’t eat fast food (duh, none of it’s vegan), I eat healthy organic meals, and I take high quality vitamins every day (omega 3, b-complex, and D2.) I feel very confident in my immune system’s ability to fight off sickness, especially with my special plan of attack. (The only kind of attacking I condone. :-)

Day 1, symptoms so far:

• dry throat, feels swollen when I swallow
• slight nausea
• minor headache
• physically worn down

[Natural] plan of attack:

• liquid chlorophyll (2 tablespoons a day at least)
• colloidal silver (spray from Whole Foods)
• neti pot / sinus wash (twice a day)
• double dose of vitamin D2
• herbal tea (horehound, mullein, nettles, echinacea, etc.)
• Thieves oil (couple drops on the bottom of my feet)
• lots of water!

If it gets really bad, I have natural anti-virals ready (Virattack Compound and Lomatium Root), but right now I’m far from needing them.

To be continued…

*** Next Day Update:

Woke up feeling good as ever! All symptoms gone. Meanwhile, half of my department is out sick, some of whom got a flu shot.

Behold the power of a healthy immune system.

War — what is it good for? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

(Can’t see the video? Click here.)

General Smedley Butler was absolutely right, “War is a Racket.”

“A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small “inside” group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes.”

Written by a retired U.S. Marine General in the 1930s about WWI, this book is still 100% applicable to what’s happening today. It’s never been about “defending our freedoms” or “spreading democracy” it’s ALWAYS been about making money.

I could rant for hours about why we have no business bombing the hell out of Afghanistan, how our Founding Fathers and Mothers advocated in a non-interventionist foreign policy with no entangling alliances, but this book says it all. Please read it.

I’m ashamed of what this government is doing in the name of the United States of America. To the people of Afghanistan, I’m sorry.

“TO HELL WITH WAR!”
- General Smedley Butler

I’ve been meaning to write about Issue 2, a sneaky little campaign (backed by factory farms and Big Ag) that would create the “Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board.” Since this op-ed letter I just wrote to Outlook News pretty much summarizes where I stand, I’ll go ahead and copy it here.

For more information on this issue, please check out OhioACT.org (Ohioans Against Constitutional Takeover) and the Facebook group I’ve created: Ohioans Against Issue 2. On both sites you can download flyers, view recent news articles about the issue, and more.

To: hayes@outlookmedia.com, mdaniels@outlookmedia.com
Subject: Issue 2 endorsement

Dear Mr. Daniels,

I was highly disappointed to find an endorsement of Issue 2 in the latest issue of Outlook. Disappointed for many reasons.

The first reason is the obvious lack of research on the issue. Did you take your summary of the issue straight off the Farm Bureau’s website? Did you read ANY opposing arguments? Did you look at the list of groups who oppose it? This list includes the Capital Area Humane Society, Ohio League of Women Voters, Organic Consumers Association, Ohio Sierra Club, Ohio Farmers Union, Food & Water Watch… the list goes on.

Do you know how quickly the ballot measure was pushed through the Ohio legislature, passing through the House and Senate in just 6 days? Talk about suspicious. Issue 2 came about as a knee-jerk reaction to the idea of dealing with the Humane Society’s potential focus on expanding animal welfare laws in the state of Ohio. Rather than leave the decision up to voters who may decide farm animals deserve better treatment (as was recently the case in Michigan and California), the Farm Bureau decided to take matters into their own hands and shrug off the democratic process completely, saying they will regulate themselves. The fox wants to guard the henhouse, literally.

Issue 2 would amend the Ohio Constitution, an action that should NEVER be taken lightly.  Creating a Livestock Care Standards Board takes away power from the voters, as all future animal-welfare decisions would be decided upon and handed down by this unelected 13-member group. Did Outlook investigate the would-be members of this board? To put it simply: they’re not looking out for animals or food safety, they’re pawns for Big Agribusiness. Not to mention the cost of creating this new board. Can Ohio really afford this right now? Expanding government always means expanding the budget.

Also worth mentioning is the effect it will have on Ohio’s small farmers, who would have even more regulation to deal with if Issue 2 passes. That does not mean safer food, historically this has resulted in increased costs for small farmers who end up going out of business, then factory farms and Big Ag gladly take over. Factory farms certainly do not provide safer food, and absolutely do not provide better care for animals.

This is not “Ohioans taking care of Ohioans” — this is Big Agribusiness taking care of themselves. I can’t believe Outlook News fell victim to the Farm Bureau’s campaign. You’ve done a disservice to your readers by taking the lazy road to arrive at your endorsement decision, and it will be Ohio’s small farms and animals that suffer.

It’s convenient that Outlook is now a monthly publication, since even if this letter made it to print, it would be too late for anyone to see. Nevertheless, I feel obligated to speak out against this ignorant endorsement.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as if as soon as one problem was solved a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen.

The mother filled three pots with water.

In the first, she placed carrots.
In the second she placed eggs.
And the last she placed ground coffee beans.

She let them sit and boil without saying a word. About twenty minutes later, she turned off the burners.

She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she said, “Tell me what you see.”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.

She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did, and noted that they felt soft.

She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg inside.

Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked, “So, what’s the point, mother?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity — boiling water — but each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid center. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its insides had become hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

It’s so easy to become numb when you’re surrounded by bad news all the time. Or spiritually broken down by the moral weight on your shoulders and the inevitable disappointment that comes with never seeing your ideal become reality.

The trick is to be the coffee and stay strong!

I’m back!

A couple months ago I got to a point where anxiety and insomnia were taking over my life and all I saw was bad news coming in on every side. So, at the suggestion of someone very important to me, I took a while off to “defrag” and regain my mental balance. Defragging, for me, came to mean disconnecting from the 24/7 constant connectedness we feel compelled to maintain. Status updates, overflowing Inbox, 1000+ unread Google Reader updates, text messages at all hours of the day — it can really drain a person, and is it worth it?

Think about that feeling you get when you turn your cell phone off. I mean really off, not just the ringer. You feel kinda twitchy right?  We are ADDICTED to being ON all the time. What’s most ironic is that with all our means of “connecting” these days, I’ve never felt more disconnected from people. It occurred to me a few weeks ago when I first started this process, that I have over 600 followers on Twitter and over 200 Facebook friends, but how many of them would be able to find my house and visit me if I were sick? How many of them know when my birthday is without Facebook reminding them? How many would have a clue if I had moved to another country and didn’t mention it in a status update? Clearly this connectedness is not real. In fact, it’s more dangerous than no computer at all because it provides an illusion of connectedness, a false sense of community. It’s also an illusion of living.

We get so busy staring at these crazy glowing rectangles, we forget how to really live and we don’t make real connections with people anymore.

So — acknowledging this imbalance in my life, I logged out of Twitter and deactivated my Facebook account. I supplemented computer time with things that were REAL and satisfied my SOUL rather than my anxiety: family, delicious food, good books, animal hugs, great music, movies, camping, coffee, bike riding, fresh air, guitar playing, meditation, conversations with neighbors… the list goes on.

Of course I still love technology, it has its place and I’ll always be a geek. I love being a few clicks away from saying hi to my friends in New York and California, getting news updates in real-time on Twitter, finding out what the mainstream media isn’t covering by reading one of my dozens of RSS feeds, and posting stories for my friends on Facebook. But, as with everything, moderation is absolutely necessary — it’s so easy to overdose on information and bad news and forget to live your life.

What’s most important is to have real life experiences and cultivate real community, something no amount of clicks or pixels can bring.

I’m back now, but re-balanced. I’ll still update and post stories (I could never stay silent on the crimes of our government and cruelties against animals) but I will live life at the same time. I will no longer be a prisoner to pessimism and worry. If the plug ever gets pulled on the Internet, I’ll still have a life and a community around me, and we’ll all be just fine.

Thanks to my Dad for prompting me to unplug, and to TinyBuddha for motivating me to post this — I’d been meaning to for a couple weeks, but their latest Do Happy email update pushed me to finally do it.

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”

- Dalai Lama

January 20th, 2009 is not a day I want to commemorate with a collector’s plate, it was a very depressing day for me.

I watched on the TV at work as millions of people went hysterical over the new President. Hanging on his every teleprompted word, it was obvious that this man would be able to do whatever he wanted and most Americans would eat it up and not question a thing. After all our efforts to get the word out about Ron Paul and the complete falsity of the Left/Right paradigm, it was nothing but salt in my wounds. How could people fall for such obvious empty rhetoric and lies?

I could question the thought processes of these people forever, but it doesn’t matter, it’s too late. Here it is more than 100 days later and nothing has changed (for the better.) The millions who passionately voted for a new leader (who would be soooo different than Bush) are silent about the fact that we STILL have both wars (plus a new one on the horizon), way more debt/spending, way more taxes, way more unemployment, the same people in charge, and the exact same foreign policy. They will never, ever admit he’s the same as Bush. And McCain. The complete and utter denial means no demand to change direction. They insist we HAVE changed direction. Man, is that Kool Aid strong. The hypocrisy infuriates me to no end. Some of my friends are still arguing “he’s better than McCain” and “that’s Bush’s fault, give him more time” and I’ll admit, I have a hard time not resenting them. I really thought they were smarter than that. I don’t give a s–t if his skin is dark, that’s not an excuse to throw accountability and the Constitution out the window. Everything that was bad when Bush did it is magically okay and excusable because it’s a Democrat doing it now?! The power of political parties is astonishing.

Reality check. Give him all the time you want, but Obama’s not going to fix ANYTHING, and we as a country CAN’T go on this way forever. We can’t spend ourselves out of these problems and empty rhetoric doesn’t feed anyone or stop the bombing.

People, especially my generation, are so dependent on Government, they expect it to solve all their problems (I used to expect it too.) They want the Government to educate their children, pay their mortgage, control their food, control their medicine, regulate their sports, cover their mouths when they sneeze, read the fine print of their credit card contracts, save the environment, provide health care, take care of them in their old age, etc… the list goes on for miles. Too few recognize that “a government big enough to give you everything is big enough to take everything you have” (Thomas Jefferson.)

As I conveyed in my Fifth Stage post, I’m still mad as hell, but I’ve resigned myself to the fact that people will remain ignorant no matter what. Government is going to get bigger and more evil. The s–t will hit the fan. I’ve tried, but I can’t change those things. But I’ve learned that I CAN do things to take myself and my family out of the equation. All hell may still break loose at any time, the market could nosedive tomorrow, but I won’t be a part of the freaked out mob that’s storming Wal-Mart for food and relying on FEMA after a couple days.

I credit that achievement to a show called The Survival Podcast, by Jack Spirko, which was introduced to me by a good friend shortly after the inauguration.

It’s a daily podcast about modern day survivalism. The phrase sounds a bit dramatic perhaps, but it’s really just learning how to cultivate independence — and doesn’t that fit well with libertarianism? Independence on every scale possible: financial, energy, food, every system you can think of. When you remove your dependence on these systems, you automatically improve your life and experience true liberty. You create a life that the Government can’t touch. It’s no surprise the idea is catching on in the libertarian community, even Lew Rockwell is posting articles about it.

Because of this show, in a few months I’ve been able to make plans and take actions that will insure me and my loved one’s survival for at least a few months if something goes wrong, hopefully even longer. It is SO reassuring to know I do NOT have to rely on local, state, or federal gov’t. for food, water, or safety in the event of martial law, flu outbreak, etc. It’s a satisfying middle finger to The System. Finally! I can feel productive in the midst of this depressing and helpless time.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

- Lao Tzu

I’d like to point out: when I first jumped into this, it was VERY intimidating. Maybe it’s just my personality, but I was overwhelmed by all the things some survivalists have done, my little steps felt stupid in comparison. The key is to know yourself, your needs, and your abilities, then adapt your plans accordingly. Anything is better than nothing. Just start small. Plant an organic garden. Start storing food and water. Save up some cash, ditch the credit cards. There are a ton of online resources and plenty of books on this subject, start reading.

Listen to episode 165 on threat probability and threat impacts and you’ll learn the importance of thinking logically when you make plans and take action. For example, it’s more likely that something is going to impact your life on a personal/local scale (job loss, etc.) rather than global nuclear annihilation, so make plans for that before you invest in an underground bomb shelter. Remembering that helps me maintain perspective and not feel overwhelmed.

It’s all about simplification, adaptation, and gradually opting out of the various systems on which you’re dependent. Once you start the learning process, it’s amazing how much you find you’re reliant on others. Do you know how to grow your own food? Get yourself clean water to drink? Start a fire without a lighter? We’ve become so used to consuming services and products (thank you China!), we’ve lost many of these important skills. It’s time to reclaim them, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

If my post isn’t motivating enough, here are a couple good articles highlighting the importance and benefits of becoming a modern day survivalist:

• Getting Off the Grid – Lila Rajiva
• Modern Survivalists are Ready for Layoffs, or War – Dallas Star Telegram
• Economic crisis spurs spike in ’suburban survivalists’ – Associated Press

If you decide to start taking steps to cultivate your independence, congratulations! You should feel proud.  Or— if you’d prefer to ignore all of this and come knocking on my door when the s–t hits the fan, that’s fine — I’ll be glad to direct you to the nearest FEMA facility.

The two I’m sharing below were created by Mark Middleton, an artist, web developer, and animal advocate who’s posted them for public use at his website: AnimalVisuals.org.

The first makes use of statistics from the USDA NASS Livestock Slaughter 2008 Summary, showing how many animals were killed PER SECOND in the United States last year:

The second visualization is a “Virtual Battery Cage” which gives you the perspective of a “layer” hen (the ones who supply with cheap eggs for omelets and McMuffins) in a factory farm. Press play and you’ll become one of those chickens, crammed in a wire cage with no space to open your wings, no room or material on which to comfortably lay down, no windows, no natural light, sick and/or dead chickens next to you, and the deafening noise of suffering is all you can hear.

There is NOTHING natural about the way these chickens live, it’s pretty much hell:

Thank you to Mark for creating these visualizations, I hope other activists find and use them on their own websites and outreach projects.

* Thanks to @veggietweets and @liberationbc on Twitter for directing me to this.

I’ve decided I’ll check out the Columbus Tea Party after work to see the turnout for myself. This will be my first time attending a rally that’s NOT comprised mostly of Democrats. In fact, I’ll probably be surrounded by some of the same people who glared angrily at my signs during previous protests I’ve attended the past 6 years.

I’m keeping my expectations pretty low because it looks as though the Tea Party trend has been hijacked by right-wing Neo-Cons who are bitter that it’s a Democrat doing all the spending and bombing and not another Republican. Where were they when Bush had the credit card? In the same cave the anti-war activists are now hiding in, on the Island of Hypocrisy I presume.

For the record, 9/11 Truthers brought back the Tea Party protest idea in 2006, and the Ron Paul Revolution did it a year later. I’m honored to have been a part of both. So I’ll admit, I was excited about the Tax Day Tea Parties at first, but now the media is paying attention (so you know something’s up), the Neo-Cons are on board, Democrats are waging counter-attacks — the point is GONE, the focus is already lost.

It was never supposed to be about Left vs Right, Liberal vs Conservative, Democrat vs Republican, or any divisive label vs another divisive label. It was supposed to be about LIBERTY and FREEDOM. The right to live your life on whichever side of the aisle feels right to you, free from government intervention and mob rule.

It’s not about Sin Tax or Fair Tax or Carbon Tax , it’s about NO tax. It’s not about money for food stamps and abortions instead of bankers and war, it’s about NONE of them getting federal funding. It’s not about Obama’s budget or Obama’s deficit, it’s about ALL budgets and ALL deficits. Yes, I can’t f#@$ng stand Obama’s doublespeak rhetoric or his mindless sheep that excuse every hypocritical move he makes. But I couldn’t stand Bush’s doublespeak either. Taxes, debt, socialism, fascism, communism, Big Government, war, tyranny — those things are NEVER OKAY, whether it’s Bush or Obama sitting in the White House.

In this game of protesting and partisan outrage we keep rotating teams every 4-8 years instead of crying foul and storming the field TOGETHER. Well I’m done playing! Time to demolish the stadium and cure the disease altogether. We must declare ourselves FREE agents, not owned by any team.

WE — Americans — must step outside of this pathetic paradigm of controlled opposition and see what is happening off the field while we’re busy chasing each other around the bases. That, dear Comrades, would be a true Revolution.