Some of you may have seen me promoting a gofundme to raise advertising revenue — a few of you may have even contributed, I’m not sure. As of sometime this morning the gofundme campaign was suspended by gofundme. I have that on appeal, which they have not as yet even acknowledged.
Below is the text of the campaign as it was on gofundme. Feel free to share the shit out of it. Just bear in mind that at the moment I’m not accepting any donations.
Those of you who did donate should be aware that gofundme has indicated that they will provide refunds within the next 3-7 days. If the campaign is not reinstated and if you haven’t received your refund within that time frame then I would like to know about it.
Thanks everyone. Rest assured, this isn’t over.
I'm raising money to produce a national advertising campaign that has one single purpose - and that is:
TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE
Conservative leaders, both in the U.S. Senate and elsewhere, have a responsibility. That is to lead, to govern, and to be honest in doing so. That is what we should expect and we deserve no less.
At the time of this writing, the Worldometer coronavirus [1] website indicates 269,902 Americans have died of pandemic. This is a national disaster. Ask any medical professional who is currently engaged in the process of attempting to stem this tide of abject human misery, suffering, and death.
This is a DISASTER.
Conservative leaders throughout government service have steadfastly denied that any disaster is taking place, even though they do not dispute the fact of pandemic, nor do they dispute the numbers of body bags that pile up in parking lots outside medical facilities all across this land.
Their actions have consequences. With their own words they have disputed the science and impugned the scientists. With their behavior they have shunned even the very least of the measures that are necessary and required if we are to stem the rate of infection -
WEAR A MASK
They have with their lack of legislation undermined public safety. Public safety is their number one obligation.
I am not alone in insisting that conservatives throughout government service are undermining public safety. Robert Reich has a very good YouTube video whose title is entirely unambiguous on this point:
Mitch McConnell’s Do Nothing Republicans Are Killing You by Robert Reich [2]
Republicans are Killing you. Literally.
Involuntary Manslaughter is defined under 18 U.S. Code §1112 as acting in a lawful manner without due caution, and so causing death. There can be no question, conservative republican law makers have lawfully shunned the use of masks, impugned the science, and refused to act legislatively.
Their actions have had clear and indisputable consequence - over 269,000 Americans are now dead. More are dying every day. By Christmas we will in all probability witness the deaths of over 5,000 each day. [3] Even more incomprehensible are the reports of those dying of Covid-19 and yet insisting, even as they die, that covid is somehow a hoax.
The actions of these law makers have consequences. This is mass murder. We must hold them accountable.
And so to the purpose of this GoFundMe. Advertising in the New York Times is an expensive proposition. I intend a full page ad, with spiffy graphics and the argument to convict. I hope to generate enough funds to run the ad for at least six months, and hopefully run ads in other venues as well.
The success of this campaign depends on you.
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Ad Text - second draft
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
It should be abundantly clear to all Americans,
we face a national crisis of epic proportion.
It is precisely for moments like these
that governments have been instituted among men:
~ to preserve that right to life, and so
~ to assess the threat confronting the people;
~ to determine a course of action;
~ to marshal the resources;
~ and to direct the public response.
Yet in this moment,
when so many have already died,
when so many more lay desperately gasping for breath -
thousands every day gasping their very last;
as doctors and nurses all across this land
mount a hurculean effort to stem this tide
of death piling up all around them,
and do so at grave personal risk to themselves,
what response have we had from
the conservative wing of American government?
We have men like Ted Cruz,
men who with all the cavalier indifference
of a sociopathic pederast ensconced in the lap of luxury
would deny the science,
would sow doubt and discord
and mock [4] even the very least
of the measures that simply must be taken
if we are to preserve that inalienable right
and save American lives.
We have men like Mitch McConnell
who have publicly suggested
that in the face of this crisis
states should go bankrupt. [5]
We have women like Governor Kristi Noem
who like Ted Cruz scoffs at mask mandates
and derides the efforts of the people of the State of New York [6] -
a state that early on in this crisis
provided a measure of concrete certainty by example
of what would befall in the absence of early intervention,
and how states could prevail if given good direction.
By April 29 this national edification had already claimed
sixty-two thousand American lives. In the seven months since
that time, we have added over 200,000 more dead. [7]
We have men like Rand Paul, junior senator
from Kentucky. A man who without evidence or facts
openly casts doubt on the science,
impugns the scientists, [8] and has even gone so far as to
break quarantine while infected, and thus threaten
the lives of his colleagues throughout the U.S. Senate. [9]
An ophthalmologist by training - itself
a field of medicine - Surely he knew the risk
his behavior would pose to those around him.
Surely he knew that risk well. Does he seek that status
of senior senator that badly? Does his ambition
run to such height?
Or is he instead so driven with passion for smaller
government that he would seek wholesale slaughter
of the members of the upper house of Congress?
Conservative individuals such as these
having actively insisted on widespread government inaction
at all levels - local, state, and federal;
having disputed the science
and impugned the scientists;
having actively denied funding
to the unemployed, to small business,
to airlines, to state governments,
all of this at the very peak of pandemic;
having actively discouraged even the simplest
of remedial efforts to mitigate the spread of transmission;
having done all of these things, and more -
having called for the liberation
and applauded attempts to overthrow
the government of states whose governors
have implemented efforts to secure the public health,
and so to preserve that most precious of rights, that of life;
efforts that have been guided by the very best of scientific advice;
having done all of this even as Americans die
by the thousands, every single day;
these champions of smaller government
are guilty of manslaughter - and worse:
they are guilty of mass murder on a grand scale.
They saw this coming. They saw it coming with a remarkable clarity.
It was evident in New York early on and even so
they have deliberately chosen a path of death
rather than that of government action.
Do not take my word for it - review the statements made
by men like the Lt. Governor of Texas,
who on March 23 proclaimed on FOX news:
grandparents in America would not be opposed to die
for the good of the nation.
Because of a depraved conservative indifference
grandparents have sacrificed
all across this nation.
They have sacrificed their own lives, the lives of their children,
and even their grandchildren to MIS-C from covid-19.[10]
This lieutenant governor reaffirmed his commitment
to mass murder through government inaction
on April 21 in the Texas Tribune.[11] On that same day
over 46,000 Americans already lay dead. [12]
These men and women
are guilty of mass murder on an epic scale.
They are guilty of mass murder of American citizens.
Mass murderers who have, with their willful disregard
for duty to the people,
produced a casualty list one hundred times longer
than that of al Qaida;
and the dying, thus far, remains far from finished.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men
that all men . . . are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life . . .
As mass murderers these individuals
call them what you will but do not call them public servants -
as mass murderers of American citizens they must be judged,
and with much more severity
than ever we judged international terrorists like al Qaida,
for these individuals live among us,
share with us this birthright of revolution;
and to these individuals we did offer our most sacred trust.
As guilty of mass murder they must be judged.
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Notice to Donors:
If this GoFundMe campaign fails to generate sufficient funding to produce the initial ad, all proceeds will be refunded in accordance with GoFundMe policy. After that time, if the campaign is successful, I intend to make this my full time occupation for the next six months, explore other venues of advocating accountability of public officials and their conduct in addressing pandemic in their official capacity, and will allot 3% of the proceeds as income.
GofFundMe already charges 2.9% and thirty cents from each contribution, so effectively that means that roughly 97% of contributions will be used to cover the first ad run and 94% of contributions thereafter will be used exclusively for the purchase of advertising to promote public accountability.
Notes:
[1] Worldometer United States Coronavirus Cases
< https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us >
[2] Mitch McConnell’s Do Nothing Republicans Are Killing You by Robert Reich
< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUpTqFlrwwY >
[3] COVID-19 Forecasts: Deaths | Updated Nov. 25, 2020 | CDC
< https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/forecasting-us.html >
[4] Ted Cruz slams fellow senator as a 'complete ass' over wearing mask | Jessie Hellmann - November 17, 2020 | the Hill
< https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/526302-ted-cruz-slams-fellow-senator-as-a-complete-ass-over-wearing-mask >
[5] McConnell Says States Should Consider Bankruptcy, Rebuffing Calls for Aid | Carl Hulse - April 22, 2020 | The New York Times
< https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/22/us/coronavirus-mcconnell-states-bankruptcy.html >
[6] This Week With George Stephanopoulos | November 8, 2020 | ABC
< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qEL0X1Tj4g >
[7] Worldometer United States Coronavirus Cases
< https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us >
[8] 'You are not listening,' Fauci tells Sen. Rand Paul during a Senate hearing on the coronavirus | Noah Higgins-Dunn - September 23 2020 | CNBC
< https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/23/you-are-not-listening-fauci-tells-rand-paul-during-senate-hearing.html >
[9] Rand Paul Has More Than a Cold | Edward-Isaac Dovere - March 23, 2020 | The Atlantic
< https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/03/rand-paul-coronavirus-test-reckless/608593/ >
[10] Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and COVID-19 | The Mayo Clinic
< https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mis-c-in-kids-covid-19/symptoms-causes/syc-20502550 >
[11] Dan Patrick says “there are more important things than living and that’s saving this country” | Alex Samuels - April 21, 2020 | Texas Tribune
< https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/21/texas-dan-patrick-economy-coronavirus/ >
[12] Worldometer United States Coronavirus Cases
< https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us >