Be Careful Who You Help

As many of you know, I am a proud member of KERA, the Sierra Club, Audubon Dallas, and the National Parks. Unfortunately, I have now been pegged as someone who cares about stuff, and my name and address have been sold to people who target people who care about stuff in order to solicit money to help them with stuff they care about. It's not unusual for me to get two or three mailings a week from the tree people, or the ocean people, or the sick children people, etc. Today, when I arrived home and looked at my mail, I found I had received solicitations from PETA, Robert Redford, and the Democratic National Headquarters. They all want my signature, opinions, and most of all my money.

PETA sent me a nickel, which is supposed to somehow remind me of animal cruelty. I am now either supposed to keep the nickel and be reminded, or return the nickel with my hot animal cruelty opinions and some more money. This is a ridiculous tactic which I think is supposed to make me feel guilty. I love animals, but I think the PETA people are a little over the top. I am keeping the nickel, and I am throwing away the free address labels, as I don't think I want to be associated with this organization. I hope they don't try to teach me a lesson by putting a dead cat on my lawn or something. I wonder how many dollars worth of nickels they spent in this campaign.

How the Democrats got my name, I have no idea. I am not a Democrat, nor am I a Republican. But somehow, the Dems think I am on board and so they sent me a survey about my thoughts on the State of the Union. First, they stated their mission:
" ...We must hold the line against the radical, mean-spirited agenda of George W. Bush and forcefully assert positive policies to improve the lives of all Americans..."

Then, the survey questions are so ridiculous and one-sided. Example: How important is the support of people like you to the efforts of Democrats in Congress to block Bush's radical agenda? Do you support the Republican-led Congress giving President Bush the authority to increase America's debt levels and run us further into the red? Do you believe President Bush should be stopped from taking over the world with his evil plans?

OK, so I made up that last one, but that was the feeling I got from the survey. Then they asked for money. It made me mad. Now, I disagree with the current administration on SEVERAL issues, but I don't think it is a good sign for possible compromises in congress when the opposing party is calling the president mean-spirited in official printed materials. I hate politics. The right is too far right, and the left is too far left. So the creepy Nancy Pelosi's attempt to get my money is failed too.

That leaves Robert Redford, spokesperson for the Natural Resources Defence Council. Mr. Redford has asked me to please help the Polar Bears, and Caribou, and various birds and so forth by signing a petition and sending money to assist in the effort to stop a policy that would allow oil drilling on Alaska's north coast. I have been reading up on this issue, and it is very important to me. So I have decided to send in a few dollars plus PETA's freaky nickel in an effort to help. The thing is, I have been looking for a way to help this cause anyway. So they were getting my help with or without the mailing.

I don't really know what my point is. I mean, I like getting mail. And I like helping stuff I care about. But I don't like the gigantic guilt-trips and the fact that my name has made it around the bleeding heart circuit and now everybody wants a piece. Ugh. I am more and more disappointed in humans every day.