A little Gingbird told us "just say no" to energy tax increase

Darwin's Starlings on Otmoor, a few miles East of Oxford: "Individuals, but moving in a single entity. And the reason for this behavior? Well, thousands of eyes looking for predators on the roost site. Nothing could escape their gaze, no raptor could surprise this soaring mass of bird flesh … The birds are also maneuvering for position, social position." "Totally awesome must-watch video here. More on how flocks of birds "wheel and swoop in unison," not unlike twitterers and other social network denizens.

"Everyone should call their [sic] congressman this morning and demand a no vote on the unread energy tax increase. The vote is very close," twittered Newt to his 527,564 followers this morning. We'd been meaning to but hadn't gotten around to it. That little Gingbird in our ear did the trick. First we retwittered Mr. Gingrich's message for the benefit of our own exclusive flock of 288 followers, then googled up our Massachusetts 8th District Rep, Michael E. Capuano's DC phone number and gave him — and his energy specialist, Steve Carlson — a call. The woman who answered the phone couldn't have been lovelier. Fat (=well paid) and happy in her job or not too many calls? The Anchoress had a similar experience — "MOST POLITE cong. staff I've ever dealt with" — and is telling her 1182 followers she's "thinking fewer calls coming in." Lori Byrd makes it even easier for her 565 followers with her tweet:

Follow this link, put in ur zip-code, call your Rep, and say "vote no on H.R. 2454", the Cap&Trade leg.

If all of our followers and their followers retweet and make the call, we've got a smart mob self-organizing to pursue a shared goal. Meanwhile, Al Gore twitters his 1,090,925 followers with urgency:

The most important environmental vote of this generation.

Isn't everything he ever thinks, says or does "the most important" in its category? From his website:

According to news reports, the full House of Representatives will vote on the global warming and energy bill on Friday. Make no mistake, this is the most important environmental vote of this generation. If passed this legislation will put us on the road to actually solving the climate crisis, in addition to building a green economy.

Call your Representative: 877-9-REPOWER (877-9-737-6937) and make sure they vote yes.

Mr. Gore is forever saying the debate is over, but the twitterers on this side of the debate have got news for him. As Emily Zanotti twitters:

Watching these Cap & Trade/global warming debates makes one thing very clear: it ain't only the creationists who willingly ignore science.

And as The Anchoress tweets in return:

Boondoggle begets boondoggle. Global Warming a flim-flam begets this flim-flam legislation. Too much power 4 1 party.

And too many words in congressional bills that go unread by power hoarders who vote as they're told, and damn the [unintended?] consequences! Insult to injury from twitterer DarkKnight3565:

Rep. Waxman adds a 300 page amendment to cap-and-trade amendment morning of its signing. Congress now completely broken.

Pass it on.

Update: OneFineJay retweets us with apt comment:

RT @SissyWillis Update: Cap-and-Trade Vote Count: 210-210, 14 Undecided Vote out 210 congressmen in 2010!

We tried calling our rep, Michael Capuano for second time this afta:

@OneFineJay You go, boy!!! Good news?: Got thru easily to my Blue-state MA congressman Capuano this a.m. Now busy signal.

Give 'em hell!

Comments

[goomp]

Good work. Let us hope tweeting can organize those who would save America.

[Teresa]

Well, if tweeting would get us someone to run against the Congress critter we have, I would surely vote for him/her. Unfortunately in the last election (my first in this state) I was - for the first time ever - not presented with a choice... there was one name on the ballot (Democrat) and no one else.

*sigh*