Russell King has penned a brilliant rant, and it's perfectly timed.

I was just about to embark on a treasure hunt to find the best examples of this insane journey these freaks have taken us on. As I've been tweeting lately, Batshit Crazy is The New Normal. I doubt my Rants and Primers inspired it, but I'm gonna pretend it did.  I'd like to see dozens more like it, all which will be included in my primers.

Please tweet this to everyone you've known since elementary school. It's important.

Now the advice.  You're going to have to come up with a platform that isn't built on a foundation of cowardice: fear of people with colors, religions, cultures and sex lives that differ from your own; fear of reform in banking, health care, energy; fantasy fears of America being transformed into an Islamic nation, into social/commun/fasc-ism, into a disarmed populace put in internment camps; and more.  But you have work to do even before you take on that task.

Read the Open Letter (tpmcafe)

Related

Here's your playbill for today's — and probably tonight's —historic activities (we should hope).

I will be updating it with more resources throughout the day.

 

"This is our moment." — President Barack Obama, 3/20/2010

Live Coverage

C-Span — Will be streaming the events all day, starting at 12:00 noon

Guides and Info

Activism

People to Follow on Twitter

  • @kagrox — David Waldman, from Congress Matters.  And expert on the messy sausage making of democracy
  • @karoli — As close to a citizen expert as we have on #HCR
  • @noetical — Always the purveyor of awesome.
  • @ezraklein — Washington Post blogger, who may know even more about #HCR than @Karoli (but isn't as cute).
  • @rkref  — He cuts through the clutter, and enjoys knowing where the bodies are buried.
  • @markos — Daily Kos founder. With and wisdom from the right side of the aisle (a.k.a. left side).
  • @bradbaumn — Sunlight's communication director, and an expert on District ditherings.
  • @markknoller — CBS White House Correspondent
  • @shoq —  Some chucklehead. Sometimes good for a chuckle.
  • @lizzWinstead  — because she's a lot fucking funnier than you are.
  • @nationalLampoon — It's a pretty funny feed, lately. A new editor, I hear!
  • @sanuzis — Saul Anuzis, Republican operative. Follow the #gopFail! 
  • @ewerickson — Soon to be next president of the Conservative News Network (CNN)

Backgrounders

"The Speech"

President Obama's eloquent speech on why the time for health care reform is now. No notes. No teleprompter. Just vintage Barack Obama.

"I am bound to be true."

Must see.

It has taken 50 year to get this far, and thousands of people have spent hundreds of thousands of man hours getting us this far.

Please take ONE HOUR of your time and:

  • Make calls.  They ALWAYS make a difference. Teaparty  has been inundating these representatives with NO calls.
     
  • Send Emails. See below for how to easily (and not so easily ) send emails. Remember, most click-to-send systems will only list your own reps. We want to lean on everyone's Reps.

You MUST urge them to VOTE YES on Health Care Reform

Representative Phone (D.C. Office) Phone (District) Fax November HCR Vote
Brian Baird (WA 3) 202-225-3536 360-695-6292 202-225-3478 NO
Rick Boucher (VA 9) 202-225-3861 276-628-1145 202-225-0442 NO
Jerry F. Costello (IL12) 202-225-5661 618-233-8026 202-225-0285 YES
Kathy Dahlkemper (PA 3) 202-225-5406 814-456-2038 202-225-3103 YES
Lincoln Davis (TN 4) 202-225-6831 931-490-8699 202-226-5172 NO
Joe Donnelly (IN 2) 202-225-3915 574-288-2780 202-225-6798 YES
Steve Driehaus (OHIO 1) 202-225-2216 513-684-2723 202-225-3012 YES
Marcy Kaptur (OH 9) 202-225-4146 419-255-9623 202-225-7711 YES
Daniel Lipinski (IL 3) 202-225-5701 312-886-0481 202-225-1012 YES
Jim Matheson (UT 2) 202-225-3011 801-486-1236 202-225-5638 NO
Alan B. Mollohan (WVA 1) 202-225-4172 304-623-4422 202-225-7564 YES
Glenn Nye (VA 2) 202-225-4215 757-326-6201 202-225-4218 NO
Earl Pomeroy (ND) 202-225-2611 701-224-0355 202-226-0893 YES
Bart Stupak (MI 1) 202-225-4735 989-356-0690 202-225-4744 YES
John Tanner (TN) 202-225-4714 731-423-4848 202-225-1765 NO
Joseph Cao (LA) 202-225-6636 504-483-2325 202-225-1988 Yes
Nick Rahall (WVA) 202-225-3452 304-252-5000   Yes

Please reload this page often to see changes that may come throughout the weekend.

A special thanks to @Misha44_ and @Watergatesummer for their help maintaining this list.

 

ABOUT EMAILS

We have learned that many representatives are now only accepting emails through their websites. So everyone should use plan A below, to bulk send to some, and if you have the time, plan B for sending to everyone else.

Email Plan A: Bulk email to Reps that still accept email

Click this link, to send to the Reps indicated. For others, you must use Plan2 below.

Click here to email text below to these Representatives (or their Chiefs of Staff

  • Alan B. Mollohan (WVA) Brian Baird (WA 3)   
  • Earl Pomeroy (ND) 
  • Nick Rahall (WVA)
  • Scott Schloege (Bart Stupak)
  • Bob Siggins (Earl Pomeroy)
  • Tina Mengine (Kathy Dahlkemper)
  • Beecher Fraiser (Lincoln Davis)
  • Chad Causey (Marion Berry)
  • Becky Coleman (Rick Boucher)
  • Greg Mecher (Steve Driehaus)

 

LETTER: Please Vote YES on H.R. 4872: Stop Discrimination Against the Sick.

Dear Representative:

I'm writing to tell you why I'm such a strong supporter of health reform. With 51 million uninsured and the number growing daily, we can't afford to wait any longer. Too many Americans live in dire fear of getting sick. Businesses suffer, people suffer, and people die. American competitiveness around the world is at risk. 

Holding the future of our health care hostage for raw political gain is just wrong. Failing to right this wrong for fear of jeopardizing your own political future is cowardly. Please vote for health care reform and stop the immoral discrimination against the sick. 

Vote YES on H.R. 4872: The Reconciliation Act of 2010. 


Thank you.

[VOTER NAME]

][VOTER STATE]

 

Email PlanB: Reps. only accepting mail on their websites

Find a Rep here here  Opencongress.org HR4872

Obviously, you can skip the names included in PlanA above. Paste the text from letter above into form.

THANK YOU