It must be in the air... I hope so.

I had only one speech to go towards my ATM-S award (Advanced Toastmaster - Silver, meaning I've completed 30 speeches so far) and at my original club I've managed to lay low politically, slipping progressive notions in with the mashed potatoes, hoping folks would get it by osmosis. Today I decided to come out and deliver what was really on my mind - the mounting evidence that this administration is using all the techniques of the best propagandists, treating the American people like mushrooms (feed 'em shit and keep 'em in the dark).

I was second speaker on the agenda. In my entire TM experience I've never seen or heard of this happening. Nancy, our first speaker, chose to speak about propaganda as well. Fortunately for both of us, she focussed on graphic images from Russia in the Cold War so our speech only overlapped in intent. Mine included the Big Lie quote from Goebbels, some scary quotes from the Republicans' wordsmith, Frank Luntz, when he was on Frontline, and the quote from Bush on "catapaulting the propaganda" cited in an earlier post here. I also noted the White House's whitewashed report on global warming.

Nancy, who shares my dim view of Bush & Co, evidently decided she could no longer ignore the topic either. I hope we're the lead mushrooms of a horde who are also sick of being stuck in the stroganov.