Time To Watch The Watchers

The right-wing Grassfire.org, which, has been a pro-Bush, anti-Kerry online group that has attacked Gore with a petition to “stop climate alarmism,” is now asking Obama-haters to “join the resistance” with another online petition.  Calling it a “Patriotic, Resilient, Conservative Resistance,” they lay out their manifesto:

First, we will maintain our patriotism. This is our nation. We love and cherish our country. Many of us bleed “red, white and blue.” We will not act like our opponents who heaped personal attack after personal attack on President George W. Bush and demonized the man. In fact, we will strive to show respect to President-Elect Obama and focus our criticisms and resistance on issues that impact our nation.

Similarly, we will not, like our opponents, reject Barack Obama’s Presidency and dismiss it as somehow unjust, immoral or illegitimate. It is disgraceful that many of our opponents would never accept Bush as a legitimate President. It is despicable that the person who lost the 2000 election could still be heard, in 2008, questioning the legitimacy of that election. Conservatives have too much respect for the Office of the Presidency. Conservatives are not rebellious – we understand authority. This will be a patriotic resistance – a struggle of ideas that will stay with our American “family”.

Funny how they brag about their “patriotic” tactics while falsely claiming that Gore is questioning the legitimacy of the 2000 election and calling him “despicable.”  The go to say how, from day one, they will be “watching every move, monitoring every action.”

In a recent Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article, reporter Dimitri Vassilaros, recounts his efforts to get some answers about this “grassroots” organization.  Vissilaros suggests it might be nice for this group to start practicing what it preaches.

The telephone interview with Grassfire.org President Steve Elliott (l) this week did not go well. It was going to be your basic who, what, when, where, why and how type of “phoner.” But after responding to a few basic questions about Grassfire.org (since I never heard of it until its news release hit my desk), Mr. Elliott said that he would speak with me only about his petition drive and that any background questions should be handled by spokesman Ron De Jong.

Elliott then hung up.

[…]

When asked a few times about the organization’s finances, Mr. De Jong first said he didn’t know the size of the organization that he speaks for. He also said he “could ask around” about that 990 form. When I offered to ask the bookkeeper for him, De Jong said, “She will call, dude. Relax. I’ll take care of it for you. I am a man of my word.”

As of Thursday noon, no one had called this dude.

Meg White at Buzzflash shows how this group mischaracterizes Obama’s agenda in an attempt to “build an army that is ready” to take it on.  Their website paints Obama as a socialist,  warns of Obama’s “brave new world of collectivism”, and warns that we’ll be faced with “the end of marriage.”

It’s time to be on guard, alright, on guard against the so-called guardians of our liberties. Time to watch the watchers.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.