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[Rebecca Lewinski <rebas_own AT hotmail.com>]

Marie writes:
> The ads were effective in one respect. Threats against the Obamas
> increased as the ads got more vitriolic. Maybe now that the ads are
> off the air, people will calm down.

One can hope, but I'm not hopeful... "Impeach Obama!" groups were in place on 
the social networking sites on election night, and then you've got groups 
like Grassfire placing ads around the net in an attempt to fire up the fear 
that's out there and drum up membership.  Grassfire is particularly 
interesting in its choice of phrasing,  exhorting people to "Join the 
Resistance".  The language used in their website and in describing their 
talking points almost sounds like it was lifted from a Left Behind novel.  

I like to check on the backgrounds of groups and blogs I'm encouraged to 
read.  I check on 'em so I can calculate the amount of "spin" and which 
direction the spin is going on the information presented.  Keeping in mind 
that most people are open-minded about ideas they already agree with, one 
should still be careful about the source of even agreeable ideas.  Grassfire 
(my rant for today, as I had to deal with one of their converts at the 
counter yesterday) is a good example of why a person should see who's behind 
the curtain pulling the strings.  It took a little digging, but it isn't the 
"grassroots movement" from Iowa it styles itself as.  The Iowa office reports 
to a head office in Bethesda MD, which is closely affiliated with SBPA, an ad 
agency that's conducted several scathing conservative ad campaigns over the 
years.  Grassfire also manages a number of conservative online petition 
movements on subjects people tend to get hot and bothered about, like 
traditional marriage, the Pledge of Allegiance, etc--you know, things that 
aren't about good governance, but are more societal and cultural in nature.  
Makes me wonder what entity is footing the bill for all this and what the 
entity hopes to gain from it.

Carry on, folks. 
-Rebecca in the great Northwest
(by the way, I found that spiced crabapple sauce is wayyyyy better than 
regular apple sauce! The crabapple butter was good, but the crabapple sauce 
was heaven in a spoon.  Thanks to the folks who suggested making sauce and 
butter with my bounty of crabapples.  Vinegar is next--if I don't use them 
all in sauce...).




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