They want you to shut up.

Have an opinion, post it online, and you will get blowback. Which scares most people away. Those of character ignore what is said and march on, the wimps tuck their tails and retreat.

Welcome to the twenty first century.

This affects all walks of life, all individuals. You’ve got Trump complaining and Taylor Swift writing songs about her haters. Instead, they should be congratulating themselves, THEY MADE IT!

Now for some people that is not enough. They believe that there’s a higher sanctum, heaven here on earth, and if they just work hard enough they can enter. This is untrue. We’re all human. We live and we die, can you say SHELDON ADELSON!

So now the Democrats are afraid. For the first time in four years they’re not only complaining, they’re taking action, and what they’re getting is BLOWBACK! So, too many are blinking. The right is organized, there’s only one true way according to them. Whereas contrary to the right’s screeds, Democrats are more chiaroscuro. Enough with the false equivalencies. Whenever the right is criticized, it says BUT THE LEFT DOES IT TOO! 

WRONG!

But the left has a laissez-faire attitude to the game. It only shows up infrequently, it doesn’t fight hard, whereas the right is playing the game every damn day, can you say FEDERALIST SOCIETY! Yes, pissed about the makeup of the judiciary, the Republicans organized decades ago, and the head of this society essentially dictated to Trump which judges to appoint. We don’t have concomitant infrastructure on the left.

As for the newspapers…THEY WON’T SAVE YOU!

There’s this fiction that if the news is reported, right will win. Nothing could be further from the truth, especially in this cacophonous landscape where it’s impossible to reach everybody with your message. There must be action. I’m not saying violence, but I am saying it is the people and their elected officials’ responsibility to move the ball forward, to enact change, the newspapers just report, that’s it.

So what you’ve got is a lot of namby-pamby people with an audience. Entertainers who are afraid of pissing off a potential customer. Hate to tell you, there are 300+ million people in America, and you can get away with offending many and still have a huge career. Actually, I’ll posit the more you’ve got an edge, the more successful you are!

And, if someone gets caught in the net, people and institutions abandon them. Can you say KATHY GRIFFIN! You’d think she’d plotted an assassination attempt when the truth is she’s a comedian who was doing social commentary. But the right organized, just like it did with the Brooks Brothers Riot back in 2000, and the left caved, the left was AFRAID OF DEFENDING GRIFFIN!

Yes, the left will allow you to cross lines, even touch the third rail, but forget about them reaching out and saving you. They’ve got lame excuses. Their business, their relatives, they can’t upset the apple cart.

And then you’ve got lionized nitwits like Sheryl Sandberg…who said Facebook had nothing to do with last Wednesday’s actions? She should be forced to quit after that statement. These are the words that hurt the left’s cause. That’s right, Sheryl is a Democrat, but not when it comes to business, Facebook, then she’s independent, nonpolitical, HUH?

Life is long and history is written years later. What is lauded today is excoriated tomorrow…and vice versa.

Our nation has a crisis of character. No one is concerned with doing the right thing. Why should the proletariat be honest when these elected officials and business people are not? And if you make money, you get a pass, no matter what you’ve said or done. Is that truly how we should judge entertainers, by how much money they’ve made? But you see the charts every week in the paper, the grosses, message and impact are out the window.

But some people are taking a stand. Astoundingly, Bill Belichick, who just needed to do what was right in his heart. We need more people to stand up.

And, once again, if you do, you’re going to get slings and arrows. I hate to give the other side ink, but I’m going to give you some of what is in my inbox. Once again, their goal is to shut me up. Not that I only get this about politics. They want me to be afraid of losing my customer base. But if you’re not willing to sacrifice everything, you’re worth nothing, get out of the way so those willing to lay it on the line can make headway.

________________________________________

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Your e-mail “The Insurrection” was a fine piece of writing, some of the  best I have read from you.

It appears that your moments of clarity have since disappeared, and you seem to have become unhinged as much as Nancy Pelosi.While you are gathering up any Republicans in the House to burn at the stake for not wearing masks, you might want to also gather up any Democrats who have been ignoring the masks. Might as well throw Gavin Newsom in there too.

Terry Watson

Manhattan Beach

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Why not just round up all of the Republicans and put them in concentration camps and gas them?

I’m unsubscribing to this idiocy.

I hope you come around to your senses.

Regards,
Bob Paterno

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Going to war with the right would not produce a winner. If you think they’re mobilized now… The FCC should have the overarching role here.

Britt Benston

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Bob, you don’t get it. Trump is a terrible politician and on that political stage an ass. I don’t know Trump personally, but those that have met him, even the late night talk show hosts, say, in person, that Trump is personable and a nice hang. Go figure.

Roughly half the population supports some of his policies over some of the policies of  Biden. You just can’t vilify half the population or promote what many see, on both sides of the spectrum, as a double standard or hypocrisy. Trump is out, forget about him. Talk of impeachment and speaking his name negatively just inflames his supporters. The more “unfair” treatment Trump receives the more the schism widens…and the more the right will take from the left’s playbook of this summer.

The smartest thing for Biden to do is to pardon Trump, put all this wasted energy behind us, and move forward with trying to unify the people.

Bob, don’t contribute to the negative; contribute to positive reinforcement.

Matthew Grandi

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China, Cuba, Venezuela…….The template of the “tolerant” left. Elections are now predetermined with machines being manipulated. Good luck, I’m out.

marc ellis

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Isn’t big tech censorship making a terrible (even fascist) precedent here?

Doug Van Pelt

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If this is your reaction to the events of the past week, then you have definitely become a large part of the very serious problem that we all are facing today. Such sentiments can only accelerate the death spiral. Please… take a breath, get a grip.

Mark Terry

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Shut up !

Carla Horvath

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Yes, things have gone too far, but

1. There’s absolutely no scientific evidence, using the scientific method, that masks prevent infection. None.

2. You’re advocating censorship. So, when the other party is in charge they’ll be able to censir us back. Is that smart?

3. We have laws and failed to use them to good effect. The answer isn’t to further erode our democracy by taking away more civil rights.

You’ve gone off the deep end.

Maggie Curran

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Now who’s inciting?

Bob G

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Why do you want Trump impeached and punished so severely?
I have never heard you speak out with such outrage over the criminal activities of the Clintons   or even the Bush’s

William

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Bob, you’re out of your mind.

YOU ARE TALKING JUST LIKE TRUMP, EXCEPT FROM THE DEMOCRAT VIEW. Your recent rants are coming off just as crazy and unhinged as he does.  You just can’t see it because you’re writing it.

Last I heard, this was still a free country where all the citizens have a voice.  You want to stop any and all talking-heads that cater to the half of the country that sees things a little differently than you do?  What kind of chickenshit attitude is that?

People already have the right to not watch Fox if they don’t want to.  But you want to totally remove it, or make people pay for it.  Well, what about CNN and MSNBC?  Shouldn’t they get the same treatment then?  Why should THEY get a free ride when there are just as many people in the country that think THEY are full of crap and should be silenced?  Fair is fair!

Try keeping in mind that the Right has just as many “sources” that prove the Left is crazy as the Left does about the Right. We’re apparently all crazy, and literally EVERYONE is out to destroy the country.  So what else is new?

We’d probably be better off without ANY social media. Because it gives literally everyone, including those who are off their rockers, a voice.  That’s what we gotta live with.  God help us all.

Mike

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Your Lame, you should have stuck to the music! I Don’t need your politics!

David

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Seriously Bob!?!  You want to censor Fox News and other conservative groups off the networks because you don’t like what they have to say. Explain to me how this isn’t what the Chinese do to their news outlets. How do you justify this behavior?

Being part of the media you off all people should be outraged by the censorship that is taking place. Politics aside, this is a dangerous and slippery slope. If the power shifts to the Right, should they censor you from existence because your rhetoric insights thoughts against the prevailing party?

What happened to a country that allows debate and discussion? Should this only be allowed for groups of people that have the same thoughts and ideas.

You really should be ashamed of this posting. Inclusion is not only about including only like minded people. What you are proposing is thought extermination.

Will Woolman

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Sadly you sound like the lefts version of the assholes that stormed the capitol. Lift people up, don’t shut them up or shut them down.

Bill May

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Why not just send them to the gas chambers and be done with the smelly peasants? Do you even realize what you sound like? And you wonder why “they” act like they are saving democracy. This is just sick, Bob. It is persecuting people who have different beliefs than you. Next you will go after black people or selected religions. Silencing diversity of thought is communist. You have become what you rail against. Now is the time to get aggressive? Really? Than you should be fine with the Capitol debacle, you have justified it. Shame people like the witch trials? Deprive people of an existence, like McCartyism?  I’m sorry you have so much hate in your heart, so much sanctimonious intolerance. People leave the Democrat party and turn to the Republican Party because of people like you and declarations such as the ones you have made. I hope you give my feedback some thought.

Sheryl Jordon

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Your political view is sooo wrong.  You’ve been brainwashed over the years Bob and now it has really got you way off track.  That and your hatred for Trump has now made it crystal clear.
Your music related views are really interesting and entertaining.  BUT, your political views are horrible!   And now you want all Republican/conservative views taken off the radio and tv airwaves ?   Hey bob, that’s the way a true Marxist thinks.
This is America!!!!   Wake up and look at both sides of the coin   Mike Mitchell Lafayette,La

Mike Mitchell

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You’ve snapped.

tjlambert

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Bob, Bob, Bob, all you are doing with all this divisive language is riling up the opposition. Thought we were trying to find common ground. Piss off 74,000,000 citizens at your own peril.

rpeters

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I love that big tech is denying free speech and all you know is orange man bad. Just pathetic

thomas ryan

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Bob…are ALL the lies Republican lies? Do the Democrats ever misrepresent? How can you think anyone with a different perspective would listen to you when you present the issues here as Truth vs False Black and White…the world is gray and I rarely agree with your political pieces but continue to digest them to hopefully stay balanced which is what we’re totally missing in this country right now. Take a position and Force Feed it to whoever disagrees as long as you have the power. That has been the Democrat playbook for years….The Republicans haven’t been in a presidential position in quite a few of the last administrations….yet I’m pretty sure Mr Clinton (who I actually voted for in his second try cause the economy was thriving)….He lied about everything all the time!

Nuff Said From Me

Clint

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Wow

A man whose notoriety is largely due to sending out an opinion newsletter calling for censorship of views he doesn’t agree with.

Im struggling to understand how the entire left came to this conclusion after the capitol dust up.

No, it was not a coup attempt. 1% of the people were armed, at most?

Not how you overthrow the US government…

regards

Thaddeus Graham

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I’m with you – and calling out my insane right-wing family members. No more civility – I am making them tell me whether Trump is responsible.

They DON”T BELIEVE IT WAS AN INSURRECTION.

They don’t believe it was a truly dangerous and horrifying situation.

They think it was “clowns” and that Trump is only guilty of a “POOR CHOICE OF WORDS.”

My brother dismissed the words “coup” outright.

They watch Fox News and get their news from The Daily Caller and the dumb shit that their friends from high school post on Facebook. They don’t listen to The Daily and won’t watch clips that I send to them or entertain any factual corrections.

“My riot callous was formed over the summer during BLM. … I’m tired of the media always lying,” is what he said.

GAAHHHHHH!!!

Colleen Kenny LaRocque

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Thank you Bob.

I’ve spent my entire conscious political life being bullied by Republicans, and to be honest, also the centrists that placate them so as not to disturb the status quo. When I was a teen, I was “just a kid,” and anything I thought about politics was “idealist” and because “I’d never held a job and paid taxes.” Later, in my 20s and even 30s, it was that I worked in the arts. I’d never “served!” How could I possibly know the plight of real Americans or the “Troops” or the “Police” or whoever else was a toxic male that they could fold into a nameless mass to use against me?

Now I’m in my 40s, hold a great job in the arts and pay a cubic fuckton of taxes. All of my feelings are the same. Republicans are morally depraved hypocrites and progressive policies are our only hope. Isn’t that abundantly clear now? Can I jump up and down on the corner and scream, “I was right you fucking assholes!!!”

That’s what I expect of the Dems. Healing my ass. Crush those bastards. They’ve always been this way but they just seriously overplayed their hand. Steamroll them.

Glad you feel that way too.

Best,
Bill Carbone

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if you look at history, you know what usually comes after a failed coup attempt? a successful one.

this is far from over. there is a big push by republicans on social media right now to distract. It is a tool of fascism. Distract. Play the victim because of twitter and Melania is getting bullied and other bs because a COUP attempt just happened.

Another one is on the way…

Michael Barber

Tune in today, January 12th, to Volume 106, 7 PM East, 4 PM West.

Phone #: 844-6-VOLUME, 844-686-5863

Twitter: @lefsetz or @siriusxmvolume/#lefsetzlive

Hear the episode live on SiriusXM VOLUME: siriusxm.us/HearLefsetzLive

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app: siriusxm.us/LefsetzLive

https://www.rockcampthemovie.com

I couldn’t turn it off.

Rock and roll is a religion. It’ not taken seriously, but to a certain segment of society, it’s everything.

We’re not talking about people who go to the show to hear the hits, we’re talking about people who know all the album tracks, who don’t talk during the show because they’re afraid they’ll miss something.

And today’s generation is…missing something, that is.

It’s all we had.

That’s hard to comprehend in 2021, where more stimulation, more entertainment than you could consume in multiple lifetimes, is at your fingertips. We were truly bored, we were not all connected, but the music got us through.

Now anybody successful is considered a rock star. But that’s not the way it used to be. “Rock star” was a state of mind. A decision to go down the road less taken with no safety net, no backup plan. Most people turned back. Some burned out, some died, but then…there are the icons. Not only do we know their songs, we’re convinced we know them, and if we could just get closer, we’re dying to get closer.

Our last dying wish would be dinner with a rock star. We’re loaded with questions. But most people never get the opportunity. But if you pay for Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp…you’ll get the opportunity to hang with a musician or two who’s a household name, and a bunch of supporting players, who might have portfolio, but you’re unaware of it.

Summer camp…if you haven’t been, I feel sorry for you. The rest of the world falls away, you form tight bonds and then it ends and you’re depressed, you can’t wait to go back, but another year has to pass. David Fishof has tried to recreate this experience. For those who can afford it. Which is not many. And it’s also for players, and most people can’t play, but if you’ve got the talent and the bread, if you want to participate, it could be a dream come true.

Not that the idea is not entirely ersatz.

David Fishof is a hustler. A teddy bear who knows how to make money. He repped athletes, and then he went into music, putting together Ringo’s All Starr Band tour. And that’s one of the most interesting arcs of the movie. How Fishof is a promoter, someone who makes something happen, out of nothing. People talk, but few do. Actually, few attempt. And the first camp, back in the nineties, was a financial disaster, but Fishof kept on. Very little is easy in this world, even though media tries to convince us we’re one step away from stardom. No way. You’ve got to climb mountains, you’ve got to be parched and starve, you’ve got to be broke, and you have to be able to write a song as good as “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)” and have the inspiration to put a bagpipe in the track. That’s what separates the winners from the losers, the stars from the also-rans. Writing the songs. Anybody can follow in the footsteps, but can you blaze the trail? Few do.

So making a movie about the camp. Whose idea was this? I mean isn’t it just a giant ad for the camp, quite a good one? Yes. But when they roll into the Fishof life story you start to roll your eyes, he’s not a star. But he’s the star of this movie.

Yes, about halfway through you realize…THEY’RE MAKING A REAL MOVIE! Most rock movies are not. Here the production values are a ten, and there’s a story. But do we care about the story? NOT REALLY! We just want to see the stars, get closer to the music.

So, it dawns on the viewer that the producers are taking this seriously, I’m sure in the back of their minds they thought awards were possible. They’re not. So, you’ve got an autistic kid. Sorry. But many do. How many have the money to send them to ANY KIND of camp? Very few. Which means the life stories don’t really ring true. And they’re somewhat artificial, especially when the drummer Pistol tells his story to his lined up family, it’s awkward. But ultimately his tears are real.

I mean who is out of the loop?

Maybe youngsters, maybe hip-hop fans. But for the rest of us, this music is in our DNA. But it’s fading into the past. Heroes die with barely a blip anymore. Len Barry? Gerry Marsden? Leslie West? Is it really tragic? No, it’s sad. They lived long lives. Good for them. But their songs, their songs will live on forever…1-2-3!

So, the Fantasy Camp is basically merch, golden circle, access for the superfan. But the paid access you get at a show…is not really access, the acts punch the clock. But at the Fantasy Camp the musicians let down their hair, literally, and hang with you, you get to know them, what’s the value of that…PRICELESS! It’s kind of like baseball fantasy camps, but different. Baseball players are athletes, one-dimensional, stars, but…the musicians WROTE THESE SONGS, the message is key, and their lifestyle is one you’d like to emulate, as you pay attention to every word.

And there’s no doubt in my mind all the performers do it for the money. However, some of the performers are A+. Jeff Beck? That’s like hanging out with Albert Einstein! It doesn’t get any better than that. But, BUT, you realize as the movie unspools that not all the stars appear every year. They don’t make this obvious, but it comes clear. Yet, yet, YET, you go and have fun, memories are made, ones that a very few have access to.

So, at the beginning of the flick Alice Cooper says the guy sitting next to him on the airplane is younger than he is in age, but older in mind-set. Most people live lives of drudgery, but musicians, musicians have FUN! At least they used to. But music is a game of musical chairs. If you’re a hitmaker, the front person, the star, you can cash in your fame for mazuma for the rest of your life. But if you’re a supporting player? I mean what has Tony Franklin been living on all these years? And musicians are famously bad with money, they get it and they blow it, oftentimes with nothing to show.

And from the very first minute I was wondering who would pay to see this movie. I mean to open it in theatres would be ridiculous. What this is is a Netflix movie. And I won’t say it’s riveting at first, but if you’re a member of the congregation, you’re willing to hang in there, for the experience, isn’t that what the show is?

Not that this film will ever become a landmark. But never underestimate the power of stars and music. “Eddie and the Cruisers” was a stiff in the theatre, but on HBO it became a phenomenon!

So, the bottom line is this is a giant advertisement for Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp. But I’d be lying if watching it I didn’t want to go.

I wince when I think how far rock has fallen. Used to be every few years it would be reinvented. But grunge was the last new iteration, and those performers long in the tooth…you’d notice them in the grocery store, but you wouldn’t get hot below the waist.

But once you did.

We all want to rock all night and party every day. Well, at least those reading this screed. And we know the power of the riff. When I heard “Cold Gin”…my insides warmed, my head nodded, THIS IS IT!

Not that I’m a KISS fan, my buddy Gene Simmons is an overconfident blowhard in this flick just like he usually is, but he is humanized when he talks about teaching sixth grade. We all started somewhere, some made it everywhere. We’re dying to know how. We want to get closer to the secret. We want to figure it out. We want some of their magic to rub off on us. And it does in this movie.

The wheels of justice turn slowly. Now the Democrats are talking about delaying an impeachment trial as to not hamper Biden in his early days. To turn America around we must employ BUSINESS!

Of course we want Trump impeached and unable to run again, with his pension and protection eliminated. But what we want more is to elevate facts as we decimate falsehoods.

Yes, the big lie.

I want you to read this article:

“The Art of the Lie? The Bigger the Better – Lying as a political tool is hardly new. But a readiness, even enthusiasm, to be deceived has become a driving force in politics around the world, most recently in the United States”: https://nyti.ms/35yMoVb

If you think it’s just about getting rid of Trump, you’re sorely mistaken. I’m sure you saw that story in the news today about the FBI:

“FBI memo warns law enforcement across U.S. of possible armed protests at 50 state capitols – The FBI also says an armed group has threatened to travel to Washington and stage an uprising if Congress removes Trump from office”: https://nbcnews.to/3sfQBqh

This isn’t politics, this is WAR!

That’s right, you can arrest all of the idiots who raided the Capitol last week and there will be many more lining up to replace them. You see these people truly believe they’re saving the country, from “socialism,” from the “radical left,” from an electoral system that “deprived Trump of his due.”

It’s not like they haven’t been talking about it for decades. What do you think all this B.S. about the 2nd Amendment is all about? Meanwhile, Obama didn’t take away their guns.

So, we start with messaging, which Trump and the right do so well. This story must be in the news EVERY DAMN DAY! We cannot let it go, it must be the Benghazi of the left. Yes, something that goes on forever, although in this case there is a true cause underneath, never mind that the five people dead on Wednesday exceeds the four at Benghazi!

Look forward, not back. Yes, we have to analyze what happened, but even more we need to empower ourselves and take action.

Trump has to pay, as do Cruz and Hawley. As for those insane Republican Representatives who refused to wear masks in seclusion on Wednesday, even when asked? They must be outed by name and shamed. This is how far the insanity has gone, even elected officials believe this nonsense. And then you get nitwits like Lauren Boebert who say the House must hear her anti-election result nonsense because she’s got constituents outside protesting? What next, criminals asking for consideration of their co-conspirators at trial? This may sound crazy, but it HAPPENED! https://bit.ly/3i3zWSh

So, we must start with the disinformers. Credit Cumulus today with forcing their talkers to stop spewing nonsense about election fraud: https://wapo.st/2LnTogG Next, Premiere Networks must be jawboned into tempering the message of Rush Limbaugh. For far too long, these corporations have gotten away with heinous activity by saying it’s just business, that money trumps everything. Well, that ship has to be turned around. And if Premiere doesn’t blink, the stations that air Rush must be challenged to kick him off.

But even more, WE MUST KICK FOX NEWS OFF OF DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS!

That’s right, it’s complicated, but…

Some cable companies were granted monopolies. But DirectTV and Dish certainly weren’t, never mind Sling, etc. They need to kick off Fox just like Parler was decimated by Google, Apple and Amazon. As for those systems where Fox remains…operators must give customers the option to OPT OUT! Cable channels like Fox survive on carriage fees. You’re paying for Fox even if you don’t watch it. But no, these cable companies must be shamed into making Fox optional, you either have to pay for it or you get a refund/reduction in your bill if you don’t want it. This will bring Fox to its knees. Or at least hobble it significantly. This is a no-brainer, do we really need to finance the outlet that spews all this crap that gets people believing falsehoods? And OAN and Newsmax too!

And lawsuits… Just like Smartmatic.

“Newsmax, Fox News backtrack on election fraud claims – After Newsmax, Fox News, and One America News received legal notices from voting technology company Smartmatic, Newsmax and Fox News backtracked baseless election fraud claims.”: https://cnn.it/3oFkKgD

We need a team of lawyers combing all this right wing nonsense for possible violations of the law.

As for social media…YOU CAN’T START A FACEBOOK GROUP WITHOUT APPROVAL!

Come on, it’s easy to do, Apple scrutinizes every app in the App Store. Facebook can do it, just like Google ended up eliminating so many links to infringing uses of music. They just have to be pushed into it!

And there has to be a website, maybe even from the GOVERNMENT, that all people can go to to check facts. With explanations and stats re vaccines and so much more. We’ve got to fight with the truth, and the government must take action to distribute it!

Furthermore, NO KUMBAYA, NO PLAYING NICELY, NO COMING TOGETHER! The Republicans never do it, why should the Democrats? Now the Dems have power, stop listening to the do-nothing Republicans and run away with the ball. Ignore their new talk of deficits, stop trying to placate them, now is the opportunity, GO FOR IT!

And Chuck Schumer has to turn into Mitch McConnell. He’s got to get all his troops on the same page, to not only insure passage of legislation, but to hold on to Congress in two years. If there’s too much infighting, it will not be good. As for “taxing and spending”…why can’t the Democrats have a publicity campaign showing the benefits of their efforts, hammered again and again again!

As for the Democratic party, just like the Oscar and Grammy organizations, they must open their doors to youngsters and people of color. Inject new blood or you die.

I want to hear about the insanity of the Republicans EVERY DAMN DAY! To motivate those on the left and to put those on the right on their heels.

Now is the time to get aggressive. I’m not saying to break the law, I’m not advocating violence, I’m agitating for the use of business and left wing power to not only wrest control of institutions, but to point out the bad behavior of the right.

This is the fight of our lifetimes. And either we address it now, or we address it later. But later just might be too late, like with the environment.

I want you FIRED UP! I want you to believe you can MAKE A DIFFERENCE! I want you to TAKE ACTION! The future starts NOW!