Can You Shame an ALEC Liar - REALLY????

The motto of the American Legislative Exchange Council:

“Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies.”

― Oliver Goldsmith

Ask a member of the American Legislative Exchange council if they are a member and they will probably and historically have, said no.

Ask a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council if they have or are using “model legislation” produced by ALEC and they will probably and historically said no.

Most ALEC members do not acknowledge their ALEC membership in their bios on state and political webpages.

ALEC members will tell you that ALEC is harmless.

ALEC members will tell you the ALEC is like NCSL (which it is NOT)

ALEC members have NOT come forward on their own – we have had to research every single on of the members and the legislation they introduce.

NPR called ALEC a secretive group (which ALEC soundly rebuffed) but it is true and with secrecy and lies comes mistrust.

Simply put, lying is making an untrue statement with the intention to deceive. This definition tells us two things.  (1) Lying involves doing – the act of ‘telling’.

Making and untrue statement with the intention to deceive.

Based on that definition – do you really think that it is possible to shame a liar?

A liar is a deceiver.

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John Nichols is suggesting that we shame ALEC legislators in his article that was released on The Nation today.  I really think his target audience was other members of the press – because I question if the general public can shame an ALEC member.

Or maybe his audience is their ALEC peers – the ones who have left the cult and moved on or were in the ALEC cult before it became the KOCH cult of, by and for the corporations.  Maybe if those old members of ALEC (when it was a reasonably decent organization? Yuck!) can shame the current members because of their despicable ALEC behavior.

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If you believe John Nichols hypothesis - that ALEC members can be shamed - Minnesota residents go for it - give it your best shot.  Maybe you can talk an old member into shaming the new members.  Maybe you can get a liberal or progressive legislator to shame them.  Maybe you can get the press to shame them.  Maybe you, yourself, can shame them.

And I would like people in the following districts to ask

Carrie Ruud about her 2005 scholarship to the ALEC meeting.

And ask these three about trips they took about the time of the 2010 ALEC States and Nation Summit, held in Washington DC

Joe McDonald about his “airfare to DC for training”

Mary Franson on her trip to Washington DC on 12/1
Andrea Keiffer on her "educational summit" attendance and parking

Personally – I don’t think liars can feel shame.

Personally I don’t think that we as constituents of ALEC members can shame them.

A hypocrite despises those whom he deceives, but has no respect for himself. He would make a dupe of himself too, if he could. - William Hazlitt.

Personally – I believe that ALEC members feel disdain for their constituents and the only people they revere and respect (and the only ones who can shame them) are the corporate representatives that they sit “as equals” at the ALEC table with and other legislators.

ALEC legislative members are the "dupes" to the ALEC corporate profit sector members.  They have no respect for themselves - they have sold themselves to the highest bidder - in the truest form of the ALEC philosophy of the "free market".

Which creates the conundrum – because historically the ALEC corporate representatives will kiss their a$$ long enough to get pro-business legislation passed and historically, other legislators have just stood by and watch this ALEC destruction of democracy of, by and for the people occur.

Another reason lying can be wrong is that it violates the principle of respect.

When an ALEC member lies to the public about anything – they are showing disrespect for the very people who pay them.  They are showing disrespect for the very people that trusted them to be a representative of a government by, for and of the people.

Yes, ALEC members are liars, ALEC members are hypocrites and ALEC members are “dupes” to the ALEC corporate profit sector members.

When a member of our legislatures made the conscious decision to join ALEC and to consciously and with purpose, bring ALEC pro-business legislation into our states – they broke the trust with the American people.  And because of that they must not be re-elected into public office. 

Do you really think we can shame them? 
ALEC members have no respect for us and their ALEC lies and ALEC hypocrisy behind everything they do are the story that supports that assumption.

And ALEC members – don’t give damn about what you and I think or feel.
ALEC members think we are the dupes - for voting them into office over and over and over again.

“If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”

― Adolf Hitler

“I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche

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ALEC members and those affiliated with ALEC in any manner
MUST NOT BE RE-ELECTED or receive our support in any means or manner!

Without state and federal legislators ALEC will cease to exist and it will implode.

For more information on ALEC –
Please read this or this or this
or this series of six articles.

This is what ALEC is About  - An Interview with Mark Pocan about the ALEC Annual Meeting.

A Minnesota specific report about ALEC by Common Cause.

And watch this news video  from North Carolina on how other ALEC "model legislation" is going to screw the citizens of North Carolina - legislation introduced by ALEC legislators.

Do your own "act of education".
Distribute these materials about ALEC to your friends and family.
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