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Fox News’ “Con” Hannity’s Promotion Of Freedom Alliance Concerts Brought In Tens Of Millions But Less Than One-Fourth Of Every Cent Collected Went To Fallen Soldiers And Their Children Despite Hannity’s Pitch To Listeners 100% Of All Collected Funds Would Be Used For This Purpose…
Okay, look — I’m well aware of the fact many conservatives out there despise Sean Hannity much in the same way they despise Ann Coulter — they’re both such jackasses, they provide a never-ending supply of fodder to make conservatives look like fools. Now, allow me to give everybody an even better reason to despise who this man is and for what he REALLY stands for.
Frankly, Debbie Schlussel has already done all of the homework for us — Hannity is a shameless scammer and far-right pitchman for one of the most shameless charities on the planet. While [ahem... "allegedly" -- remember that part] deliberately lying and crying to his vulnerable listeners to send their hard-earned money to fund the Freedom Alliance, much in the same vein as the equally shameful Jim and Tammy Faye Baker of the PTL Club, preying on the big-hearted, Con Hannity has done so while wrapping himself in the flag as a “Great American” and “patriot”. Oh, and get this — Ms. Schlussel is a CONSERVATIVE just in case you were wondering.
100 percent of all funds collected for these concerts was promised to go directly into the pockets of our war wounded and their children’s college educations, he told his talk radio show listeners. Not quite. In fact, most of those dollars went toward vague “expenses” according to the Freedom Alliance‘s own tax returns (see them at Schlussel’s site). Tens of thousands more of these dollars went toward private jet rides for Con Hannity and his cronies along with tens of thousands more of those dollars going toward putting these jerks up in the finest hotel rooms and feeding them the finest of foods and spirits.
Meanwhile, the musicians performing at Hannity’s Freedom Concerts were victimized by this scam as well. Believing their “free performances” at these shows would be funding the stated mission at the 100% rate promised by the organization, they paid for their own travel and their own room and board. Can anybody say “rat”? According to Ms. Schlussel, Con Hannity has refused to grant an interview to answer the questions, too. What’s there to say anyway? The tax forms tell the story — it’s all a lie — period.
This comes as no surprise to me. When I served in “The Desert” under our former “Commander-In-Chief”, “Surge” W. Bush, of course only right-wing talk radio shows were accessible and Con’s was one of them. One day, I was listening to his show while holding my nose but also while believing he was a patriot with different political ideas than myself, a man called in and identified himself as a Liberal troop who disagreed with the war in Iraq. No “thank you for your service” this time from the Con-ster, only a tirade accusing him of being a liar and a “Pelosi plant”. He screamed this guy down, muted him whenever he tried to speak and then went on for minutes berating “these people”. I was appalled and have had no respect for this jackass ever since.
Now, I’m just glad this “skeleton” from his closet has finally entered the public realm. And now that it has, don’t be surprised if the American Right’s “golden boy” has a bunch more of them waiting to be discovered…
Shame on you, Con man, if this turns out to be TRUE.
***
Other opinions: A spirited discussion at the Drudge Retort as always; The Raw Story is covering this scam and even offers a couple of links to other torqued off conservative bloggers; Newshounds claim this just confirms their long-held suspicions these Freedom Concerts were a scam; Media Matters For America is also keeping tabs on this story…
This is the kind of story that brings me back to the blogosphere. If true, it will end Sean Hannitty’s career. The left does not understand the intimate relationship between the talk show audience and it’s host. They are not robots. Surveys show them to be more educated and more politically involved than the average. While the fans will tolerate a lot (Rush Limbaugh’s drug addiction is a good example) this, if true, will destroy Hannity.
The key words are, of course, “If true.” Thanks for putting the word “allegedly” in your post, GTL. This story has just begun.
@Mark, Right, bro… *IF* this turns out to be true, which it’s looking pretty bad for Mr. Hannity right now (IMNSHO), this guy needs to go back to sheetrocking again — that is, *IF* somehow, some way, these acts do not somehow constitute felonious crimes against The People. But hey… that’s just MOI
“This week, false and malicious allegations about Freedom Alliance were posted on the Internet and we want to address them with you. We don’t know the motivation for these vicious smears, but we will not allow them to go unanswered.”
Dear Friends of Freedom Alliance: (March 18, 2010)
This week, false and malicious allegations about Freedom Alliance were posted on the Internet and we want to address them with you. We don’t know the motivation for these vicious smears, but we will not allow them to go unanswered.
First, we want to thank you for your support and assure you that Freedom Alliance’s record of financial stewardship and programmatic achievements not only meets, but exceeds standards of program efficiency set by most charity evaluators. We are extraordinarily proud of our work at Freedom Alliance and stand by our efforts 100 percent.
False Accusations
The blog posting accuses our friend Sean Hannity of personally benefiting from Freedom Alliance. This is FALSE. Freedom Alliance has never provided planes, hotels, cars, limos, or anything else to Sean. Sean gets nothing from Freedom Alliance except our gratitude for his personal generosity and for all he has done to help the troops and our organization. We have never had to ask Sean for anything, he always generously offers his help before we have a chance to ask him. But to be clear Sean pays for all his own transportation, hotels, and all related expenses for himself and his family and friends and staff, which over the years has added up to tens of thousands of dollars. He does not use any Freedom Alliance Funds or Concert funds in any way, period.
Sean Hannity has contributed $100,000 to the Wounded Warriors Foundation, over $200,000 to the Freedom Alliance, and over tens of thousands of dollars to other military charities and individuals. We only make this information public because of the outrageous slander against him. Sean has no management or operational involvement in, or control over, Freedom Alliance. He has been a selfless patriot in his efforts to raise funds for the education of children of armed services personnel.
The blog posting accuses Freedom Alliance of spending less than 20% of money raised on program activities. This is FALSE. Listed below are the amounts that Freedom Alliance spent for each of the past three years and the categories on which they were spent. The figures are taken from our Federal Form 990 which is filed with the Internal Revenue Service and posted on our web site and audited by an independent auditor using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. This financial record not only meets, but exceeds standards of program efficiency set by most charity evaluators.
In 2008, Freedom Alliance spent a total of $6,745,717. Of that:4.
79 percent ($5,317,970) was spent on Program Activities•
14 percent ($945,950) was spent on Fundraising•
7 percent ($481,797) was spent on Management •
In 2007, Freedom Alliance spent a total of $7,461,350. Of that:
81.5 percent ($6,084,474) was spent on Program Activities•
13.5 percent ($1,011,501) was spent on Fundraising•
5 percent ($365,375) was spent on Management•
In 2006, Freedom Alliance spent a total of $7,064,839. Of that:
77 percent ($5,434,538) was spent on Program Activities•
18.5 percent ($1,308,414) was spent on Fundraising•
4.5 percent ($321,887) was spent on Management•
The blog posting accuses Freedom Alliance of spending money intended for student scholarships on 5. other expenses. This is FALSE. Freedom Alliance has distributed $3.4 million in Scholarships and created a Scholarship Trust Fund with the additional money that we have raised for that program. That fund now contains $15 million, over $10 million of which has been raised by Hannity and the concerts. Our scholarship program is managed with the understanding that it will be needed for at least the next 20 years as there are children who will ultimately receive a scholarship who are now only a few years old. As indicated on our Federal Form 990, these funds are restricted and used only for future scholarships.
Our Scholarship Fund is one of four programs operated by Freedom Alliance. Supporters may donate to a specific program or for general operating purposes.
In 2008, Freedom Alliance received $2.1 million in scholarship donations. The same year, we awarded $802,250 in scholarships and applied $1.3 million to our Scholarship Trust Fund. The funds donated by Sean Hannity directly — or through the proceeds of the Freedom Concerts — and the support of thousands of Americans are used for these purposes:
Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund• : Providing scholarships to those whose parents have been killed or severely injured in their service to our Country. There is now over $15 million in the scholarship fund for the students as they come of age.
Support our Troops• : Many events each year are planned and executed by our staff to show appreciation and provide special opportunities for those actively serving in the military.
Leadership Academy• : A program for high school students in which they are encouraged and trained to serve their country.
These programs would not be possible without the support of Mr. Hannity and many others.
We are proud of our work and numerous accomplishments. We are grateful to our supporters whose voluntary contributions make it possible and we thank you. While it is discouraging to have our record misrepresented in such a malicious way, our work is important and, with your support, it will continue.
Respectfully,
Thomas P. Kilgannon, President
Oliver L. North, Founder & Honorary Chairman
Freedom Alliance v 22570 Markey Court, Suite 240 v Dulles, Virginia 20166 v (703) 444-7940
http://www.freedomalliance.org/images/pdf_and_largepics/freedom_alliance_response.pdf
Shame on you, Con man, if this turns out to be TRUE.
Huh?
Let me start by saying Im not much of a fan of Sean Hannity and in fact much of what he says embarrasses me. But he gets rich doing it so hes certainly not going to change his tune in the LAND OF OPPORTUNITY.
I am really disappointed in you GTL. Its obvious that this woman has a huge HARD ON for Sean Hannity. She spent her entire time bashing the charity and trying to link everything the charity did to Sean Hannity.
Sean Hannity makes appearances FOR the charity. Is paid for those appearances because his name and presence brings in lots of donations. HE does not as I understand have ANY say over the day to day operation of this charity.
Now if I am wrong. Please let me know, other wise I think you could find easier ways to bash Hannity then taking the surmised reporting of ONE blogger and turning it into facts.
Secondly because she says it…..IT MUST BE TRUE??
Is that what America has devolved into now?
@Doomed,
Doomed — I just did another search for updates and even right-wingers are pissed (not just Debbie Schlussel either) about this. As for the accuracy of the allegations, nobody seems to be impressed with the “official response” from the charity (see akw’s post above). Obviously, the explanations of the allotted expenses are quite vague; every bit as vague as the tax forms themselves if you happened to read them.
As for Hannity, he does indeed have some accountability in all of this if the allegations are true — he’s been their number one pitchman for years and if only four cents on the dollar goes to the vets and their families, he doesn’t need to be promising everybody the entire dollar goes there.
Again, even though NOBODY seems to know the WHOLE truth yet, there is a lot of smoke in the way and that in itself is a bit “suspect” to say the least.
Last but not least, do you not believe I would go after Senator Al Franken (for example) if it were he in question? C’mon, bro… you KNOW I would — in a heartbeat. There might be a “Left” and “Right” but there’s (more importantly) a “Right” and a “Wrong” and thankfully, most of the right-wing bloggers out there who are on this case see it the same way I do.
@The GTL™, I don’t know Bro. Sean Hannity could drop off the planet and the right would probably be better off. So this is not about defending him but I have been reading her blog and then reading the numbers posted on the tax forms and they aint jiving.
When I see someone posting something so full of hate that she is positing towards Hannity and this charity then I stop…..take a breath and look around.
If that were the case then this would be making more news then Hannity……………
The health care bill that is on the verge of passage is striking fear into hearts of several states that they will be left on the hook for the cost of expanding Medicaid.
Half of the 32 million Americans who would gain coverage under President Obama’s sweeping health care reform would be pushed into Medicaid, the federal insurance program for the poor and disabled that is barely able to serve the nearly 60 million people already using it.
Why go after Hannity in the midst of this being voted on the day before the vote? Questionable deflection??
It looks like the rebuttal from akw says just about everything that needs to be said.
The left wingers continue their attacks and attempts to smear upstanding citizens like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and others with outright lies and fabrications.
More from the playbook of the amoral Saul Alinksy – attack your opponents using whatever means necessary, even if it means lying. And if you repeat a lie enough times, it becomes the truth.
The left continues to amaze with its total willingness to stoop to new lows almost on a daily basis to achieve their Socialist agenda, and silence any opposition.
Seventy five percent of We The People OPPOSE the abomination know as “Obamacare”, yet the democrat “leadership” and the President will do anything and everything they have to do to push it through Congress.
They don’t care what We The People want, they’ll decide what you need.
And that is what you’ll get – no more, no less.
@Fandb, F&B, my old friend — forget Saul Alinski for a moment (if you can) and you’ll realize there are still PLENTY of your fellow “Right Wingers” out there who are still searching for and demanding to know the Truth behind these Freedom Concerts and Hannity’s True involvement in them. Don’t you want to know the Truth, my friend? I sure do
@The GTL™, Of course I want to know the truth. Truth just isn’t what I hear coming from the left lately.
The current regime is betraying virtually every principle that made this country great. Obama and his minions are pushing an agenda that has failed every time it has been attempted, they’re just too arrogant and ignorant to realize it.
Tonight they will accomplish socializing one sixth of the U.S. economy, and they will do so AGAINST the will of the American People.
But the left-wingers are more concerned about Hannity?
Glad you posted the reply, Doom. Based on the original blog’s analysis of the tax returns, its weak though. There’s a lot more to come on this one.
G, did you see the IMAO post on the fake racebaiting? You can find the link over at LJiC. Video does tell all, doesn’t it?
Rush Limbaugh has plead guilty to financing a drug ring, that was illegally selling millions of dollars of prescription drugs on the street.
This isn’t an alleged crime. He was convicted. He was also convicted of buying over $600,000 / year in illegal drugs for personal use.
Fandb defines rush Limbaugh as an upstanding citizen.
When your bar is set so low that drug dealers are your upstanding citizens and you feel a need to defend convicted felons, then that says a lot about your principles.
Fandb, you clearly have a lot of respect for America’s rich felons and drug dealers, but if I were you, i wouldn’t be bragging about it, unless you’re just engaged in some sort of sarcasm.
Was it sarcasm?
@Weaseldog, Isnt it “special” that when a liberal icon or Hollywood clown has a “disease” called addiction, it OK, he or she just needs our help. Let a conservative admitt a substance abuse problem, and he or she is a complete scumbag. Every heard of your liberal legend Edward Kennedy? Hmmm, a raging alchoholic, and praised last night during the take over of health care…Need I go on “Dog”….
@Weaseldog, By your standard everyone who has used any type of illegal drug, or purchased legal drugs from illegal sources. That would make about 80% of the people in this country drug dealers – according to your definition. (BTW, I’m sure that 80% would include 80% of the readers and posters on this site
) So, no, no sarcasm here, at least not this time.
But thank you for so vividly illustrating my point about the left using outright lies and fabrications to try to smear conservatives.
I tend to try not to define people by the isolated indiscretions that they may have participated in, but rather by the overall impact their lives have had on improving society in some way.
@Weaseldog,
Rush Limbaugh has plead guilty to financing a drug ring, that was illegally selling millions of dollars of prescription drugs on the street.
This isn’t an alleged crime. He was convicted. He was also convicted of buying over $600,000 / year in illegal drugs for personal use.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is an outright lie. Good grief.
@akw, Yea, and your point is? Obama lied from day one, Cspan, right. NO 51 vote deal, right. No new taxes, right. He lied to get elected, and I would take Rush over the community organizer any day. Pelosi, my God, what drugs is she on, illegal or not. Blind liberalism has destroyed this country, not Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, or prescription drugs…Maybe you need to get off yours Dog…
You think 80% of the readers here are drug dealers? And 80% of the population in the US finances drug rings doing $millions in business?
Rush Limbaugh thoroughly obfuscated his condition. He made it sound like he was taking a couple of Oxycontin a day. We found out later that he was in much deeper than that.
Like I said, low standards…
So when Rush did finally come clean on a bit more of this and admitted more involvement, he was lying?
Sure, whatever on it’s all the fault of liberals. Republicans are angels and Jesus worships them.
It’s fun though, being a member of neither party. Both Republicans and Democrats laugh and point at the other, saying you’ve got a turd on your face. Then they sling turds at each other.
@Weaseldog, That sir, I will agree with. I am neither a Dem(obviously) or a fan of the GOP. I am a supply side fiscal conservative. I simply disdain those that blame repubs when Dems are just as bad(or worse in my opinion). He who is without sin, go ahead and chuck that stone….Liberals bashing Bush or the GOP is a complete joke…
@cld,
I can tell you’re a Republican because you’re without sin and throwing stones.
Conservatives bashing Obama or the Democrats is a complete joke…
Remember when Rush Limbaugh was telling us that as a result of taking Oxycontin, he suffered nerve damage and that caused his slurred speech, stuttering and memory loss.
These are signs of brain damage. This brain damage was the result of serious drug abuse. Court documents that were released at the time stated that Rush Limbaugh was spending $600,000 / year on illegal oxycontin. What got him on the radar is that he kept making $9,000 cash withdrawals to avoid the reporting that occurs at $10,000. Evidently, doing this a lot, looks suspicious.
Rush never came clean on the radio. He made it sound like his habit was a few pills a day. He also made it clear that he was buying all these pills legally, by prescription.
The last time I listened to him, he went on and on about how torture is good and wholesome.
You admonish me to cherish and respect people who are brain damaged drug addicts that love torture.
I’m sorry, I can’t do it. If the fact that I find these things to be amoral and abhorrent, makes me a liberal, I’m good with that. Jesus was after all a liberal.
Here’s some quotes from liberals in the New Testament.
“Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth: where the rust, and moth consume, and where thieves break through, and steal. But lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven: where neither the rust nor moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break through, nor steal.” – St. Matthew 6:19-20
“Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (verses 23, 24).
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” – Matthew 19:21
Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. -Luke 12:33
You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
—Matthew 5:38-42
But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
—Luke 6:27-31.
As you can see, these are principles that are constantly denigrated by Hannity, Rush, Beck and many devout Republicans on the internet. These passages couldn’t be more liberal.
My first problem with Bush is that he constantly broke the law and violated the US Constitution very often.
I’m told though by Republicans that the Constitution is a dead document and the law is meaningless.
If i were a criminal, a traitor to the US Constitution, had some brain damage due to excessive illegal drug use, laundered money and worked in a drug cartel, I’d fit right in with the Republican Party.
But this doesn’t describe me at all, so I’m a liberal. Ronald Reagan was against these things, that makes him a liberal too.
@Weaseldog, Such hypocrites on the left. Your own quote proves you’re wrong; “…Love your enemies…” You liberals trying to hide behind independents clothing are just like the rest of your progressive brethren, you hate all that disagree with you. Just look at your tirade against Rush Limbaugh, all the while trying to pretend that you are tolerant of others. Again, we see vivid demonstration that the left is The Party of Hate.
@F&B,
I’m not the one that pretends to be a Christian here. You’re the poser that is spouting anti-christian speech, then trying to hide behind the Bible.
Rush Limbaugh is a criminal that is well respected in the conservative base. He represents the conservatives better than Jesus does.
Doomed brought up his name as a well respected icon.
You don’t seemed to be very bright. I’m not a Democrat. I’m a fiscal conservative that believes that polticians should obey the law. You folk don’t believe in the law or the teachings of Christ. Yet you want the benefits of pretending that you do.
@Weaseldog, “You don’t seemed to be very bright.”
How ironic. Bet you’d like to take that one back, eh?
You don’t seemeded too bee very brite either Weaseldog…
HA HA HA
@F&B,
Making fun of typos is the only thing left in your ammo box?
@Weaseldog, I don’t even use my ammo box when I’m just talking to you Weaseldog.
@F&B,
Hypocrites to the left of me, hypocrites to the right, here I am stuck in the middle with you…
Weren’t you recently standing in judgment of homosexuals and their desire to be married in the eyes of the law?
You yourself clearly violate the teachings of Christ when it suits you. And you a hypocrite, call me a hypocrite?
I’m not making a tirade against Rush Limbaugh. He was listed as a role model for Republicans, a fine upstanding citizen.
Because he is a Republican role model and has the widespread support of the Republican Party, he is in fact a public face of the party.
He is well supported by the party because what he does and what he says is the image the party wishes to project.
i bring up his criminal record, history of drug abuse, hypocrisy and admitted brain damage, because when people promote him as a fine upstanding citizen, they are turning these flaws into virtues.
He represents you and Doomed. When I imagine what you are in life, I look at your role model and know that I can know you by knowing Rush Limbaugh.
@Weaseldog, Tsk, tsk, so judgemental.
One of the things I made sure my children learned is to stand up for what you believe in, even if you stand alone.
They learned it well, and all are becoming fine, upstanding young citizens. I believe everyone should stand up for what they believe in.
It is easy to be critical of everyone and everything when you offer no solutions yourself. Stand in the middle and don’t stand for anything, don’t believe in anything, it’s much easier than actually taking a risk and committing to something other than rhetoric, innuendo, and distortions of the truth (aka lies). Being afraid of standing up for your beliefs, even in the face of adversity and criticism, will lead to a lonely, cold, and bitter life.
Re: homosexuals, No, you misinterpreted my comments. I was addressing the semantics of the issue, I didn’t judge anyone.
Like GTL, I do not deny being hypocritical at times. We all are.
I am no big fan of Rush Limbaugh, but your characterizations of him are distortions of the truth (aka lies). And it appears from the mass of your other comments, that you do so mainly because he is a successful conservative.
Unlike progressive liberals, I don’t hate people who disagree with me. I see differences of opinion as a healthy by-product of a free society. I find discussions with most liberals to be sometimes educational, more often educatable, and almost always stimulating.
@F&B,
I want to thank you for being dishonest about my position again. Your continued dishonesty gives me a benchmark by which to give credence to your remarks.
I made it clear that I believe that our public officials should uphold the law, and be held accountable to it. In fact this should be true for all members of society.
I’ve also made it clear that I believe that the US Constitution should remain the framework document for our laws and no one should pass laws that violate it’s amendments and principles.
I don’t see how this is standing for nothing.
But really, where you come in saying I stand for nothing comes form the fact that you and I disagree and place no value in what I do stand for.
I don’t hate Rush Limbaugh. But when I read that he had been arrested, and I read the charges and then learned that he plead guilty and cut a plea, I thought, look at that, rush Limbaugh did those things.
Say someone raped and killed someone you cared about. The police arrested that person and that person was tried and convicted. Would you pretend they didn’t do it, and defend them against people who say they did it, in order to avoid being judgmental or being accused of hating them? i doubt that you would.
Is it really that wrong of me to refuse to see Rush Limbaugh as a role model, because I feel that his choices in life, should not be mine? Is that hate?
Ironically, Rush said recently that if this health bill passed, he’d go to Costa Rica for his medical needs. Costa Rica has universal health care, and is ranked above the US in medical care quality.
@Weaseldog, “I made it clear that I believe that our public officials should uphold the law, and be held accountable to it. In fact this should be true for all members of society.
I’ve also made it clear that I believe that the US Constitution should remain the framework document for our laws and no one should pass laws that violate it’s amendments and principles.
I don’t see how this is standing for nothing. ”
Everyone believes, or thinks they believe, those things… it isn’t standing up for anything.
You spew hate all over Rush then deny you hate him. Own up to it. Admit that you hate him and move on.
It’s like the difference between not believing in God and believing there is no God. One act is passive, the other takes ownership.
@Weaseldog, Why in Gods name are you ranting about a radio talk show host, annnoited the “leader of the conservative base” by your own liberal media, when the “leader” of the free world is turning this country into a Slow France….ahhh, I get it, look, look over here guys, Rush, Rush is a drug addict, as we lose freedoms on a daily basis. Diversionary tactics by the left, good work Dog and your commrades in the state controlled media….get a life dude
@CLD,
Rush Limbaugh was brought up as an example of fine upstanding citizen. A counter weight to the corruption in the Democratic Party.
Rush is part of the ‘State Controlled Media.’ He is a big cog in the MSM.
Diversionary? What the heck do think the two party circus is? It’s entertainment to keep you occupied while our country is destroyed by the corporatists that run both parties.
And don’t worry, the Republicans will take back the White House in the next election, and you can go back to sleep.
@Weaseldog,It’s entertainment to keep you occupied while our country is destroyed by the corporatists that run both parties.
LaFollette’s words from the first issue of the publication:
In the course of every attempt to establish or develop free government, a struggle between Special Privilege and Equal Rights is inevitable. Our great industrial organizations [are] in control of politics, government, and natural resources. They manage conventions, make platforms, dictate legislation. They rule through the very men elected to represent them.
LaFollette then went on to say that the “battle” against corporate takeover of government “will be the longest and hardest ever fought for Democracy.” That was 100 years ago. Progressives today are still fighting that battle.