Word of the Day: Astroturfing

I learned a new word today and then DH used it in conversation tonight at dinner. I was able to go "AH HA, I know what that means!" Love it when that happens. What I don't love, however, is what the word means and the fact that a word is needed to describe something so despicable. The word is "astroturfing". Astroturfing is defined quite well by Wikipedia so I'll wait while you click on the word and read the definition.

See? Crap like that is why I can NEVER, ever, not in a billion years, ever be a libertarian. They either don't know, out of naivete, or don't care, out of greed to profit from it, that stuff like that happens, and want to deregulate so corporations can do MORE of it! It's basically lying, and I'm sorry, but free speech to me doesn't mean the freedom to lie.

Did you see the acceptance speech at the Oscars for the best full length documentary? Did you hear the guy say that NOT ONE person has gone to jail for the meltdown of the financial industry? Not one. I don't know how many people have lost their homes and livelihoods over the greed that led to that meltdown, and yet no one is held accountable. So, what, no laws were broken? You have to ask yourself why it was that no laws were broken, if that indeed was the case. Doesn't that mean the laws, which are supposed to protect us, were flawed? And who made the laws? Our government. Our government that is made up of people who are all too often in the pockets of big business. When is the general public going to wake up and realize what's going on? Sometimes I wish I could just shake people and say "WAKE UP"!

And then there's the Wisconsin thing going on now. The governor has it out for the unions, trying to prevent collective bargaining. The Tea Party backed governor. Um hmm. Now what does that tell you about the Tea Party? They are anti-union. So Libertarians are against unions? I wasn't aware of that, but it seems to be that way now. Or maybe the Tea Party isn't as Libertarian as I thought? Oh, yeah, they are for the evil corporations while only TRYING to look like they are "for the people". Phhht. The veneer is cracking. Do you think there's any way Wisconsin will stay Republican in the future? I'm predicting a HUGE Democratic landslide in that state for the next elections.

So there you have it, my first post in a couple of weeks, a rant about politics. Maybe my writer's block is better now.