astroturfing

[Thomas Pain]

Astroturfing campaigns – namely well funded campaigns by industry lobbyists to appear as if they are grassroots efforts -- have turned town hall meetings into increasingly high-pitched battlegrounds. Egged on by groups with ties to insurance industry lobbyists, the “disruption” of town hall meetings continues to get more explosive by the day.

The strategy has been not to argue any counterpoint, but rather to drown out any other expression at all, and to ironically dismiss any criticism other than to bolster arguments that their First Amendment protections are being eroded. Fear mongers continue to propagate lies designed to play on the fears of those already scared, and who have yet to reconcile that a black man was elected President of the United Sates. Their America!

link

[Arachno-capitalist]

I called 911 to report some crimes on Jan. 17 and was awakened from a peaceful nap by sheriff's deputies early that afternoon, cuffed and taken to Eastern State Hospital for an involuntary psychiatric incarceration.

While at Eastern State, I noticed that the shower heads and sink faucets leaked a lot of water. During my 12 hours in admissions, I saw a sign that said "patients" are charged hundreds of dollars a day for a stay at this public house of bedlam. I cannot afford it. If those leaks would be fixed, the commonwealth would save taxpayers much more in just one month than the $16,000-plus I "owe" for my stay.

I have had leaky faucets, and a minor leak costs a lot of money. I guarantee that huge amounts of fresh water and thousands of dollars a month are going down the drain.

[bluemoon72]

Uhhhh...

Ummmm....

Hmm.  There seems to be a significant chunk of story that got skipped.

[AugustWest]

I called 911 to report some crimes on Jan. 17 and was awakened from a peaceful nap by sheriff's deputies early that afternoon, cuffed and taken to Eastern State Hospital for an involuntary psychiatric incarceration.

While at Eastern State, I noticed that the shower heads and sink faucets leaked a lot of water. During my 12 hours in admissions, I saw a sign that said "patients" are charged hundreds of dollars a day for a stay at this public house of bedlam. I cannot afford it. If those leaks would be fixed, the commonwealth would save taxpayers much more in just one month than the $16,000-plus I "owe" for my stay.

I have had leaky faucets, and a minor leak costs a lot of money. I guarantee that huge amounts of fresh water and thousands of dollars a month are going down the drain.

Eastern State's in Lexington.  Western State's in Hopkinsville.  Central State's in Louisville.

[Arachno-capitalist]

Eastern State's in Lexington.  Western State's in Hopkinsville.  Central State's in Louisville.

Yeah other than that I think I made myself perfectly clear.

[AugustWest]

Yeah other than that I think I made myself perfectly clear.

So you were in Lexington and you didn't call.  I'm hurt.

[Thomas Pain]

Uhhhh...

Ummmm....

Hmm.  There seems to be a significant chunk of story that got skipped.

heh.  yeah I too pictured it as being an excerpt, from some anti-govt screed -- but I googled it just now and it actually is a bona fide how is babby formed letter to the editor by one Mark G. Miller, as published by some rag in KY.  The paper titled it "Leaks Costly".  Talk about your dead pan humor...  : - ! 

I guess some local papers feel that the 'letters to the editor' feature should be kinda like a public access channel on cable where they exercise only minimal editorial control, meaning I guess they only refuse to print a letter if it's slanderous or illegal or indecent.  That might not be such a bad policy, except that there generally isn't much in the rest of the paper which counter-balances the madness of the letters... indeed, much of the rest of the paper is madness also... like you got twerps like George Will with syndicated columns.  (I'm no psychic but when I picture a paper in KY I have difficulty imaging it not running George Will's column.)

[Arachno-capitalist]

Mark Miller is a known paranoid schizophrenic in Kentucky with a prolific blog of crazy. Its not dead pan humor.
http://markgerardmiller.wordpress.com/

[Thomas Pain]

wow.

No his writing isn't deadpan, I mean the paper layout guy is deadpan when he titles the letter "leaks costly" as if that's the main point (intentionally or not) of the letter.  That's like titling the video of Regan's taking a bullet "shaky camera work."

Hmm.  It raises all sorts of ethical and moral questions about the mentally ill.  I guess if a guy has schitzophrenia (however the fnck you spell that) that shouldn't preclude him from participating in the whole democratic process of writing letters to papers.  I dunno, though.  I'm not sure our society is ready for that.  This society isn't ready for two sane people to get married except under particular circumstances, so how can we integrate crazies into the fold?

Woah.. I just had a great idea.  You find all the crazies... and you subscribe them to your paper for free...  They would generate so much awesome content for you....  It would be like The Onion, only with more bite...

[Toaster]

Mark Millar is a known sociopath in Scotland with a prolific comic book ouvre of crazy. Its not dead pan humor.
http://www.topcow.com/wanted/

Sorry, couldn't help myself.

[AugustWest]

wow.

Wow is right.  Poor guy. Although I couldn't help but laugh at the contrast between the picture and the headline on this post.

[wombat]

See, and I thought that was a perfectly plausible thing to have happened to A-Cap.

[Arachno-capitalist]

See, and I thought that was a perfectly plausible thing to have happened to A-Cap.

Thanks wombles.

Wow is right.  Poor guy. Although I couldn't help but laugh at the contrast between the picture and the headline on this post.

He is exactly the perfect kind of crazy. His delusions follow a semi-coherent theme that one can follow while still venturing into the absurd. Did you catch the part where he claims to have been burned to death by Jay Bilderberg? And his chat logs with nude webcam strippers where he tries to save them from Bilderberg torture prisons?
He also warned his readers of Henry Kissinger's torture prisons in Mclean, VA on a day when I was in the area, so I was very careful to avoid Henry Kissinger.

[jaydub]

He also warned his readers of Henry Kissinger's torture prisons in Mclean, VA on a day when I was in the area, so I was very careful to avoid Henry Kissinger.

Why, does he wander around the streets unsupervised?  Perhaps in an unmarked white van with large sliding doors and tinted windows?  Kissinger that is, not Miller.  Although he is pretty hearty for an 86 year-old.  He might be able to get a bag over your head and gas you before you can struggle.

[AugustWest]

Why, does he wander around the streets unsupervised?  Perhaps in an unmarked white van with large sliding doors and tinted windows?  Kissinger that is, not Miller.  Although he is pretty hearty for an 86 year-old.  He might be able to get a bag over your head and gas you before you can struggle.

Wouldn't he be more likely to bomb you?  Or douse you with Agent Orange?