I was really excited about the coffee party until I read all their rules, requirements and the pledge to play nice. And then there was the slew of comments (including from myself) pledging good manners and our vast differing ideas of what the movement should be. Honestly it began to seem like a scene from Monty Python's The Life of Brian. Are we the Judean People's Front or the People's Front of Judea? I don't care as long as you call me Loretta.

In all due respect for the founder and the members, the coffee party's desire is to have polite dialog on policy. Has anyone been watching the news? Have we watched the healthcare debate? Have we not witnessing the lies and the fear mongering? Have we not seen the report for the ROC fundraising report.

Engage those who you disagree with reasonable discussion and debate. Okay. How do you reason with people who are convinced Obama is a terrorist Arab born in Kenya?  How do you discuss policy with someone who protests the government will take over his Medicare? You can't. Wake up, coffee drinkers.

Tactics here do not call for politely debating political ideology over a non fat decaf foam free latte. It requires a really sharp mind brought on by espresso or dare I say Turkish coffee. Here are my suggestions: 

1. Ignore republican terrorists (Bachmann, Beck, Coulter) Don't indulge their wackiness. It's like the bully on the playground. They see weakness they will continue to attack. If they get attention for being crazy, they will get crazier. Ignore them now!
2. Stick to the facts by indulging in humor a la Stephen Colbert or John Stewart. Or Funny or Die's SNL video on the CFPA, or my favorite "Get your Jesus of My Penis." Never under estimate the power of humor.
3. Use props effective props like Alan Grayson.
4. Go berserk and shock your opponents like mild mannered Anthony Wiener. 

 To quote a bumper sticker I read recently,

 "Speak your mind even if your voice shakes."

And remember America is home of the brave. Let's not only have the courage to stand up for what we believe, but the courage to see truths. We have to make sure our nice, polite and reasonable voices don’t resonate like a whisper. What good would that do?

Okay there I said it. I hate them! But unfortunately with the whole Fico system they are for the most part a necessity for modern life. How savvy of these companies to make their abusive service near mandatory for our existence. You may think my words harsh, but today most companies review your credit report before hiring you - bad credit, no job. Now, that makes sense.

So we have new legislation in place to protect consumers. Let the abuse continue! When checking my Chase statement yesterday, they raised my APR from 12% to 21% because, boo-hoo, market conditions.  Yes, that is what they told me. These greedy corporations ruined our economy and now conditions are not great for me.

How can you get around this? I can close my Chase account which could reflect poorly on my credit rating. GET IT - accept their abusive raise in rates, or a negative reflection on my credit score. Screw Chase bank! After being a customer for over ten years, I closed the account.

I honestly can care little for their rationalizations or explanation. I don't care if they need to "manage" risk. If only we, the people could do something? If only we, the people could stand up to these gluttons of Capitalism instead of being at their mercy. If only we, THE PEOPLE can take back our future from corporations.

I say anyone who received this from Chase Bank. Don't succumb to their abuse. Close your account and take your business to a smaller bank or better yet credit union. The free market entitles us to choose where we take our business. Let’s take it to the small business.

Oh woe is me! People are STILL whining about Oregon's decision to increase taxes of businesses and the wealthy. First let me remind the world, reducing taxes of businesses and the rich was the practice for nearly 30 years and it failed. Our economy nearly collapsed giving tax breaks to corporations and the rich.

Personally I find if businesses act irresponsibly, or incompetent they should not blame to government. Those business owners should perhaps pack up shop and get a real job like the rest of us. Don’t blame the government if you’re a lousy business person. But I digress…

 Last night after reading comments from a man who I thought of rational mind and intelligence I thought of Theodore Roosevelt’s quote.

 "This country will not be a permanently good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a reasonably good place for all of us to live in."

 At some point in America we forgot what it is meant to be united and civil. And my point was proven last week during "Snowmagedon"

Last week was a perfect example of our crumbling infrastructure, business irresponsibility and personal lack of civility.  Our federal government shut down for a couple feet of snow. The same amount of snow falls upon the Kremlin yearly and the Russian government never closes. Snow brought down power lines, halted transportation and collapsed buildings. Maybe if Americans cared more foe society as whole rather than material and superficial needs, perhaps many would not have been without power or gone hungry.

 I also wandered last night what would happen in the United States in the event of a real threatening emergency. We flew immediately to help those in Haiti but we'll condemn and strike our neighbor for an unshoveled walkway or stolen parking space. What would happen if we truly suffered a disaster? Are we prepared and united to help each other through tough times?

Bur we are okay and sold a nasty bill of goods that lowering taxes and cutting essential programs is good. Good for who? What will happen in the event of disaster when we have cut police and emergency crews?  Who is going to be there to help if were cutting back on those who provide us safety. If we continue to cut taxes that pay police and emergency crews, we cannot complain when they don’t respond when we need them. And finally, do you really, really, really think corporate CEO is going to care for our safety. No. when disaster strikes they will be the first to flee. They will be on their private jets away from the disaster. So, let us stop putting businessmen and CEO’s on the top of that proverbial pedestal.

 So during this week of random acts of kindness let’s put aside bitter differences for the common good and support those whose job is to take care of us. Let’s realize that we are very fortunate to live in such a country of abundance and pay a little bit of dues for the common good. 

The idea that there is outrage in regards to a peace prize seems to me like an oxymoron. Or maybe it is just morons who our outraged. I am purely disgusted by the some American’s outrage to President Obama winning the Nobel Peace prize. He is our president. We should be proud that he has won the attention and acclaim from the international community. A population of our citizenry is really showing bad form with their constant negativity of others. I mean seriously, what kind of person criticizes the Nobel committee.  People, this is not American Idol. We don’t have a vote and we can’t judge.

First I must claim this is sour grapes for many people.  There has been some very bi-partisan bickering for the past nine months and all of it is the Republican side. I must say the hateful rhetoric that has been spewing from the media and influencing people is shameful.  What has Rush Limbaugh accomplished out then spit, or Glen Beck tears. People who have accomplished very little in their lives are weighing on our President’s great accomplishment.

Secondly in response to the fact that President Obama hasn’t done anything…as one shallow-minded reporter Nancy Gibbs mentioned the award to be given to someone based on their actions, not their words.. But let me remind Americans and the world that words do matter. Words have the power to unite, or destroy. Words have the power to move people. Words empowered Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. to change their worlds. Lech Walesa’s words overthrew communism in Poland. And dare I say Adolf Hitler’s hateful rhetoric of prejudice and fear killed millions of innocent people? As you can see, words are very important sometimes more important that actions. Sometimes, words make a greater impact.

Let me clear the fog around some dense American brains. What this Nobel Prize represents is hope and promise for a new world. Yes, more troops may need to go to Afghanistan . Yes, there is still genocide in Darfur . But we all have to admit that since President Obama has enhanced the dialog and the tone between nations. There is a new unity between some of our past enemies, Russia , China and some countries in South America . Even Kim Jong Il has said he would negotiate with the United States. It is the promise the people around the world are willing to unite under one good cause – peace.

But yes, words are just words if no one listens. Words do not make a difference if people with the desire for ratings rant opposing viewpoints and insults. You know Jesus Christ was a preacher who preached of peace and to give to the poor. And look how many people truly adhere to his message. Perhaps the fault doesn’t lie in our president, but in ourselves. Maybe more people should heed his messages of peace and  a bit of self-sacrifice for the good of all…and perhaps we will be a better country for it.

This blog was inspired by my new favorite news “personality” Dylan Ratigan and newly coined phrase, “Corporate Communism.” A lot has been said about communism and the fear of a “socialized” government repression. But I think Dylan Ratigan is absolutely right…we are under a corporate repression and their propaganda is so brilliant that we are so blinded by our own Capitalistic consumption and superficiality.

Many filmmakers and comedians have called out this capitalistic consumption and superficiality, and we laugh at their jokes, but we continue being blissfully repressed. Banks like Citibank, tell us to live richly by using our high interest credit cards. Who benefits most - Citibank. Can we the average American ever really be rich; don’t count on it. Capital one entertains us with commercials. Yeah!  And don’t forget about the “Free Credit Report” guys, which is far from being free. Read the fine print. Cosmetic companies promote superficial images if beauty, while pharmaceutical companies sell diet pills to make sure we’re thin. I read an advertisement that actually said, “In order to find love, you cannot have belly fat.”  Is superficial beauty and rock hard abs really a quality for love, or is it increased profits for corporations? We are entertained with “reality” shows that we are beyond anyone’s reality it is ridiculous. I could go on, but I guess you get the picture.

We are far from being automatons in a dreary, old Communist Russian factory, but we are blissfully, superficial automatons designed specifically to increase corporate profits.  We, Americans are merely a tool in the corporate cog geared to make CEOs’ richer. Yet as Michael Moore pointed out, that proverbial carrot is consistently dangled before our eyes. You see if we, Americans are too busy, admiring ourselves in the mirror, tiring ourselves out to achieve a perfect body, starving ourselves to achieve zero percent body fat, LOL while texting to our BFF while driving on the freeways, (and that automobile crash you passed was not Grand Theft Auto) or watching Jon & Kate Plus 8 on our big screen televisions we will be too totally self-absorbed to know that corporations are taking advantage of us. They are doing this, merely by praying on our fears, ego and vanity.

It was a year ago when our economy nearly crashed. Our government gave trillions (I lost count) of American tax payer dollars to these banks. Now, this money is gone. No one knows where it is, what the banks did with it, and if the American people will ever see it again. What these banks did was give bonuses to their managers, and used it against their bottom line to show they are making a profit. And the American people went back to looking in the mirror and watching Dancing with the Stars, while people are still losing their jobs, being evicted from their homes and dying in hospital beds because they cannot afford the insurance.  Hooray.

Our nation is becoming a blonde joke. “How many American’s does it take to change a light bulb?” The punch-line “Did the light bulb go out?”  Yes, the bottom nearly fell out and we’re going on blissfully as if nothing happened….to is continued. The question is how will history look back on us? Americans, at least they were good-looking.