Operation Coffee Cup 2009

Let me preface all of this this by saying that I was never a big fan of President Reagan when he was in office (I was only eight when he was sworn into office in 1980). I know that he was human and imperfect (we all are). That said, after reading this post you might also believe (like myself), that this man was a great oracle.

In the late 50's and early 60's, the American Medical Association conducted a campaign in opposition to Congressional Democrats plan to extend Social Security to include socialized medicine for the elderly (later known as Medicare). It became known as Operation Coffee Cup because part of the plan involved doctor's wives organizing coffee meetings in order to convince their acquaintances to write Congress opposing the program. In 1961, Reagan recorded the LP "Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine" for the AMA. The organizers of the coffee meetings would use this record as part of their presentation.

I have included the video of this speech. I know it is long, but it is entirely relevant, and worth the listen.




There are many parts of this speech that are noteworthy, but the one that stands out for me is not even from Ronald Reagan. It is this:

"The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But under the name of 'liberalism' they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day America will be a Socialist nation, without knowing how it happened." - Norman Thomas (1884-1968) six-time U.S. Presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America.

Scared yet? You should be. But you can still have your say. Can't make it to a Town Hall meeting? Is your Representative or Senator too scared to even hold one? Then write to them. Don't e-mail them. I know it's very un-green, and sooo not planet friendly, but pull out some paper and let them know what you think. E-mail is easy to overlook (they just won't turn on their computer until after the vote), but a mountain of letters from their constituents? Kinda hard to overlook that. Time is short, so pull out your pen, and get ready for Carpal Tunnel to set in (just make sure you see your doctor soon to treat it).

I am including a link to a site that will give you the addresses for those that represent you. When you get there, click on your state. You will need to click on the names of your Senators and Representatives to get to the page that shows their snail mail address.

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/index.html

Thanks for reading.... now turn off the computer and get to writing.


<