The Freeway Blogger rocks on

Here is another example of all the great work the Freeway Blogger is doing out west - protesting what this administration is doing at home and abroad. I can never get enough of watching this stuff.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I really want to get started on doing a little bit of this stuff where I live. Now that I have some time this summer, I plan on doing it soon. I've been saving up cardboard for some time - I just need to get started. Soon enough~ and I'll share it with you when I do.

Bravo to the Freeway Blogger - visit his site for some great examples of his work, as well as some work from people who have sent him pictures of their own efforts.

Time to give the Freeway Blogger some love

It's been a while since I've written about the Freeway Blogger, so today I wanted to give his name, activities and his cause another mention.

This guy is awesome - what a way to promote free speech - as we all sit in our cars on our way to work.

Here are a few of his better signs...

Awesome - one of the best ones I've seen on his site in a very long time.

This one is right up there, too. Dubya ran how many businesses into the ground before becoming governor of Texas? I mean, like it's a shock that our economy is quickly going down the toilet. In many ways, maybe our astronomical debt is coming home to roost - the result of a tragically inept eight years of "stewardship" of our economy.

By the way, in addition to his Website, his blog is Here. Take a minute and check him out - you'll be glad you did. Better yet, take a minute or two to make a sign, and hang it. Here are some signs that people have sent in to him that he posted on his blog...

Reminding people of how judas John McSame is pandering to voters and saying anything to get elected is never, ever a bad thing.

I'd love to hear Bill O'Leilly or drug addict Limbaugh try to call the painter of this sign unpatriotic.

This is just a great collage of signs before they all found a home on freeways for hundreds of thousands of drivers to see. Not a bad one in the bunch.

When I have some time this summer, I want to do some freeway blogging in the Philly area; the biggest expense is time - the materials cost next to nothing, and best of all, it's provocative as hell.

Some day when we move to California, I've got to meet this guy.

Great Freeway Blogger Video

I love The Freeway Blogger. I've been writing about this guy since I started this blog, and I've known about him for even longer. After I linked to his site a few weeks ago, he even sent me an e-mail, but I was busy wrapping up my semester to have time to respond, but I will.

I can't wait to get started on doing some of this stuff locally. Like TFB says - "Free Speech - use it or lose it."

Freeway protest signs spreading across US

I've blogged at length about The Freeway Blogger and how I flat out love what he does. For very low cost, he's making his voice heard loud and clear all over the southwest. As he says, "Free speech: use it or lose it."

Well, he's using it, and the fever is catching. People from all over the country are doing what the freeway blogger does, and they send pictures of their work to him, and he posts them on his site.

The picture above is from Chicago, Illinois. Here's the caption that accompanied the pic:

60 feet long and only lasted about fifteen minutes, but well worth it according to the artists. Made with cheap latex paint and disposable plastic tablecloths: about ten dollars for a hundred foot roll. Brilliant.

Brilliant is right.

Many people may look at it and say, "Um, what's the point?" The point is to get people thinking about the serious issues that face all of us, adn that these issues are made each and every day in Washington.

It's one of the reasons I put bumper stickers on my car. Despite what some may think, it's not to be obnoxious - it's to make a statement, show pride in my beliefs, and also to hopefully get some people thinking about the critical issues that we face in the '08 election.

Nothing makes my day more than when I've sparked some sort of reaction. I've gotten horn honks of encouragement, waves, smiles, the middle finger, you name it. I've seen just about everything. But, whatever the reaction, I always smile, because I've made someone think about the issues, even if for just a split second.

Free speech - use it or lost it.

That's damn right.

Freeway Blogger strikes again

I love The Freeway Blogger. For those of you who haven't heard of him, visit his Blog and Website, and you'll see some pretty powerful opinions. This difference with TFWB is this guy goes out and backs it up.

Like his Website says - Free Speech - Use It Or Lose It.

I'm going to be doing some of these activities prior to the 2008 election, wherever we happen to be living - Pennsylvania, or most likely, California.

Halliburton says Dubai-Bye

Talk about rape and run. When, oh when, will we ever learn?

It seems that Halliburton, né Dick Cheney’s cash cow, is taking its $11 billion in no-bid U.S. government contracts and opening a headquarters in Dubai. Just how stupid does this company think U.S. taxpayers are? Hmm, I wonder how much corporate oversight and taxes Halliburton can avoid by having an overseas headquarters?

If you aren’t completely and totally outraged by this, drive to the nearest passport office, turn in your U.S. passport and renounce your citizenship now.

I’m not sure what’s worse – Halliburton winning about $11 billion in business from the U.S. government; the company awarding Dick Cheney $34 million in severance; or the company’s decision to pull up stakes, potentially causing the loss of many U.S. jobs. These slime balls have zero shame, and they should be made to pay for it.

I saw about 18 shades of red when I read this story. There really is no shame in the corporate pilferers who run Halliburton. However, even this late in the game of his presidency, President Bush could do the right thing, or Congress could force his hand to – and that would be to cancel each and every governmental contract on the books with Halliburton.

I got these next two paragraphs (and the title for this post) from The Freeway Blogger's Blog - a political activist who knows his stuff and who doesn't appear to go off half-cocked. Let me give you part of his take on this whole mess:

You may not remember this, but when Dick Cheney was CEO of Halliburton in 1999, he was falling all over himself for the privilege of doing business with Saddam Hussein, going around the UN embargoes via foreign subsidiaries Ingersoll-Dresser and Dresser Pump. Again, this is 1999, long after Mr. Hitler-with-a-bigger-moustache had invaded Kuwait, gassed the Kurds and filled southern Iraq with the mass-graves of 100,000 Shia. And the man who'd become Vice President was all hot n' heavy to do business with him.

The reason you may not remember this story when it broke was that it was all but entirely eclipsed by the firestorm erupting over Al Gore having consulted with someone who advised him to wear earth tones. And that, my friends, is how we got to where we are today.

We should confiscate the passports of Halliburton's senior leadership team, and their families, before they flee the country & before investigations into the company's royal screwing of the American taxpayer are complete.

The Justice Department and SEC are both interested in Halliburton's business practices in Iraq, Kuwait and Nigeria. Its involvement in Iran prior to 2003 should also be investigated, as well as all the lucrative contracts, including wars in the Persian Gulf and Balkans, Hurricane Katrina, Iraq reconstruction and U.S. troop support, and Department of Homeland Security facility construction. That's one long laundry list - one much too long for a company pulling up stakes and high-tailing it to the Middle East.

I’m not holding my breath, but I urge you to write all of your Congressional representatives and President Bush on this important issue as well.

Below is a sample letter that I sent to Senator Robert Casey. As usual, feel free to copy/paste my text to write a letter of your own. If you don't know your Congressional legislators, use the Website on the right side of my blog to find them quickly and easily (Under the title "Get Active!" about 1/3 of the way down the right side).

###

R.J.C.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania


March 16, 2007


Senator Bob Casey Jr.
B40C Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-3804

Dear Senator Casey:
I recently saw on the news that Halliburton is moving its world headquarters from Houston, Texas to Dubai, which could cost hundreds, if not thousands of Americans their jobs. For a company whose contracts with the U.S. government run into the billions of dollars (many of them no-bid contracts), our government can and should take a stand against this type of irresponsible corporate behavior. In essence, Halliburton is thumbing its nose at one of its largest and most lucrative customers – the American taxpayer.

I realize that companies are free to set up operations where they wish, but our government is also free to take its business wherever and to whomever it wants. In short, contracts that Halliburton has with the U.S. government should become confetti vis-à-vis Enron's financial statements.

Halliburton is openly flouting its disregard for the American taxpayer and the U.S. government (unless you consider a $34 million severance package to Dick Cheney being considerate to our government).

Congress should take swift and immediate action against Halliburton by canceling each and every contract it has with Halliburton. This would send a message to Halliburton and other corporations - if they want to do business with the U.S. government, the least these companies could do is to employ a good number of Americans, as well as maintaining a significant presence in the United States.

In short, I would like to know what you plan to do about Halliburton’s show of gratitude toward America for billions of dollars in contracts. I’ve also written Senator Specter, my House Representative, Robert A. Brady, the leadership of both Houses of Congress and President Bush.

Thanks very much for your time and attention in this important matter, Senator Casey. I look forward to hearing from you.

Warm regards,

RJ

cc:
file
President George W. Bush
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer
House Minority Leader John Boehner
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
Senator Arlen Specter
U.S. Representative Robert A. Brady

###

I will let all of you know any responses I get from anyone I write to about this issue.

Photo from The Freeway Blogger

Freeway Blogger - a true American patriot

I believe it's been a while since I've talked about The Freeway Blogger, but he's worth reminding you about every so often.

In short, this guy is amazing. He's made it nearly his profession (and at the very least, his obsession) to spread the word about this administration, the War in Iraq, and its perpetrators to the American people. And he's doing it the hard way. Hard in that its pretty labor intensive, and I can't imagine how much gas this guy's burning driving all over Southern California. However much time and money he's spending though, it's all worth it, in my humble opinion.

The picture above is just one of the hundreds you will find on the Freeway Blogger's Website, as well as his blog, Tales of the Freeway Blogger.

Some would say its obnoxious, but it won't surprise you to think that I don't share that view. (After all, the back of my car looks like a rolling billboard with all its bumper stickers.)

Why does the Freeway Blogger do it, you ask? According to him:

Why do I do this?

1) It's my right. Free Speech by individuals, particularly of a political nature, is what keeps democracy alive. I have just as much a right to put my signs on the freeway as Clear Channel does to build billboards. It's not Free Speech if you have to pay for it.

2) It's my responsibility. As a citizen of the United States of America, it's my duty to defend my country against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I do this because I love my country and the principles of freedom, fairness and equality it was founded on. I do this because I support our troops and do not want to see their lives wasted in a war built on lies. I do this, simply put, because I am all those things that the Limbaughs, Coulters, Hannitys and O'Reillys in this world say that I'm not: a Patriotic American.

3) It's my pleasure. Don't let the simplicity of the concept fool you: Freewayblogging is a lot more than just randomly sticking signs on the freeway. Pursued to its maximum effect, freewayblogging combines the arts and sciences of rhetoric, painting, engineering, psychology, physics and sneakiness. I encourage everyone, whatever their political bent, to try it. Unless, of course, you have nothing to say.

##

Pretty well said.

I would also assume that he does it for the same reason that I put bumper stickers on my car (and also why I have a blog), and that's to stimulate thought, provoke conversation and make people think.

Nothing give me more pleasure than when someone drives by me with a smile and a thumbs up after reading my provocative bumper. I have to confess though, that I get just as big of a kick out of the random conservative ne'er-do-well who drives by with a middle finger in the air.

Anyway, the Freeway Blogger's two Websites not only contain his freeway work, but pictures of submissions as well. Here's a sample of some of my favorites from his sites...

I'm sure this one angered more than a few right wingers. Too bad.

Talk about saying a lot in one sentence.

Keep on keepin' on, Freeway Blogger. When we move to California, I've got to meet this guy.