Reach out and Bush someone

January 19, 2005 7:27 AM

TellBush.orgCall 1.800.734.1463 To Leave A Voice Message For Bush. Your Voice Message Will Appear On TellBush.org And Get Itself Emailed To Bush At The Whitehouse. As messages are recorded, a flag gradually builds on the website.
posted by Hands of Manos (41 comments total)

And yes, I think this is really odd...especially that first message left.
posted by Hands of Manos at 7:28 AM on January 19, 2005

They're really bringing out the quality protest tactics this year...
posted by PenDevil at 7:33 AM on January 19, 2005

And as your message is saved and displayed, your folder gradually builds at the FBI.
posted by davelog at 7:36 AM on January 19, 2005

You can just as easily send email to /dev/null or not even bother, either of which will have the same effect.
posted by substrate at 7:37 AM on January 19, 2005

This reminds me of a "protest" over rising tuition at the University of Western Ontario back in 1996 where one could sign an online petition that was then emailed to the university president daily...thereby CLOGGING UP HIS EMAIL!!! Nowhere on the "electronic sit-in" page was the possibility that the president would just, you know, get a new email address brought up.

Protests like this one are worse than no protest at all, because they make the protestors, no matter how virtuous their cause, look stupid and ineffectual.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:41 AM on January 19, 2005

But since Bush has a listening-to-what-anyone-else-has-to-say deficit, I doubt that this will do much good..

Also, what davelog said re. FBI.
posted by Balisong at 7:42 AM on January 19, 2005

"Bush, you're smelly, you don't take showers, you send innocent people to a far away land to get killed so that you and your friends can make money"

See, point two is interesting but is sadly rendered null and void by point one. When will people learn to rehearse these things first?
posted by ciderwoman at 7:51 AM on January 19, 2005

Have you ever been like 30 or 40 seconds into a detailed explanation of something and looked up and realized that the person you were talking to is not paying attention at all?

I'm going to save my energy for running away from explosions.
posted by Divine_Wino at 7:51 AM on January 19, 2005

Jesus H! Nothing is worse than non-protest-protest. If you really want to change the country, go blow something up like a real man.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:54 AM on January 19, 2005

He wasn't phased by his first inaugural parade--a protest-ruined disaster, of sorts--so a little flag with many voices won't be terribly effective. A very . . . unique project. How'd you stumble on it?
posted by ThePrawn at 7:54 AM on January 19, 2005

This kind of event needs way more than voicemail. How about a poetry slam? Where are the paper machie heads?
posted by thedevildancedlightly at 7:55 AM on January 19, 2005

shouldn't that page be "/both_entries.jsp?"

sorry, as much as I abhor what's going on in Washington, this is an utterly Quixotic exercise in futility.
posted by Devils Rancher at 8:03 AM on January 19, 2005

"Protests like this one are worse than no protest at all, because they make the protestors, no matter how virtuous their cause, look stupid and ineffectual."

No, they don't look stupid and ineffectualy, they ARE stupid an ineffectual.
posted by 1016 at 8:03 AM on January 19, 2005

I recorded my strong dislike of Bush whilst wearing stilts and a crotchless Uncle Sam suit.* I think it added a tint of theatre and a sense of play that is sure to undermine these greedy bloodswilling oligarchs faster than any kind of rational presentation of the facts.**





*Props to my man Barry Crimmins.
** Disclaimer: Protest is awesome and patriotic as all git out, 'owever hippies, in my humble O have caused more trouble then they've ever helped. Also it's not like rational presentation of the facts will actually cause Bush to rethink anything, sigh, all this so I can imagine how the cool breeze would feel blowing across my parts as I stilted around Times Square next to a unwashed dude with a nose flute and a
grannie banging on a bongo and buggin on carob pot brownies.
posted by Divine_Wino at 8:06 AM on January 19, 2005

These people are totally going to smash the state.
posted by xmutex at 8:07 AM on January 19, 2005

[this is lame]
posted by mosch at 8:07 AM on January 19, 2005

I can't believe you guys! I mean, this is dynamite stuff. You're beginning to give me doubts about my own plan to deliver Dubya a message he won't forget in the form of this biting satirical mime I had gotten all worked out ...
posted by kcds at 8:10 AM on January 19, 2005

'owever hippies, in my humble O have caused more trouble then they've ever helped.

Hippies are squares with long hair
And they don't wear no underwear...

or

So you tried to save the whales
You found a tree to kiss
You gave a crippled child
His dying wish

You're waiting for an answer
A message from above
You've always been a sucker
Another fool in love
posted by jonmc at 8:14 AM on January 19, 2005

What's it all about
Pussy and money
I ain't tryin to be cute
I ain't tryin to be funny
Everybody lies about
Pussy and money.
posted by Divine_Wino at 8:39 AM on January 19, 2005

*high fives Divine Wino*

Handsome Dick Manitoba For President!
posted by jonmc at 8:47 AM on January 19, 2005

Is the A-Team theme song a 'for' or an 'against'?
posted by jimmythefish at 8:48 AM on January 19, 2005

I'm sure there are people who tell him what we say about him here. That's good enough for me.
posted by rushmc at 8:51 AM on January 19, 2005

I sang a song on my banjo, but I think it confused a long note I hit with the pound tone, so I don't know what happened. My song went like this: "Dear George Bush, please stop blowing up the people..."
posted by buriednexttoyou at 8:51 AM on January 19, 2005

Dude, I don't even have time to leave voicemail for Bush with all the back-turning and damn dimes I won't be spending this year!

In other news: this is so dumb as to be depressing. Presenting vague messages about US foreign policy (or none at all) mixed with the preening, dopey "activism" of this ilk contributes to a larger alienation of certain folks across this country, which in turn, causes them to think of Bush as a more rational man—and vote for him—which is what got us in this mess in the first place. There, I said it.
posted by dhoyt at 9:16 AM on January 19, 2005

jonmc,
I'd surely vote for him, but I'd like to see how he did as secretary of state first, Handsome Dick's confirmation hearings would be some call in sick and watch while drinking Ballantine ale and smoking dust shit.
posted by Divine_Wino at 9:18 AM on January 19, 2005

jonmc,
I'd surely vote for him, but I'd like to see how he did as secretary of state first, Handsome Dick's confirmation hearings would be some call in sick and watch while drinking Ballantine ale and smoking dust shit.

with a sack of White Castles on hand, for tradition.


Perhaps Wayne/Jayne County could testify on his behalf, now that they've buried the hatchet?

I'd prefer Wayne Kramer as Sec Of State, and perhaps Eddie Spaghetti as Attorney General, and Lisa Kekaula as Secretary of Defense.
posted by jonmc at 9:22 AM on January 19, 2005

two things occur to me:

1. this is some sort of social engineering scheme
2. if it is not malicious, it is only interesting for letting participants hear each other's messages. the messages could end up remixed into all sorts of other media. and voicemail adds something that a message board lacks. (namely inflection without the use of CAPS.) debating whether bush will get the message is silly like macaroni.
posted by nequalsone at 9:33 AM on January 19, 2005

jon
Buy yourself a waterglass full of makers mark on me, I'm listening to the Dictators for the rest of the day.

And I'm totally having White Castles for dinner.

Speaking of White Castles, have you ever seen the White Castle business office in Jackson Heights? It's all "White Castle Corporate Headquarters." Everytime I drive past it I get all teary-eyed and think of all the important fucking decisions that are getting made there. As long as we're putting surface to air missiles on important buildings...

As a matter of fact, I'm just going to leave Bush a voicemail with the sound of me chewing down about 50 of those fuckers, that's the ultimate mindfuck, A PROTESTOR EATING MEAT, bwaaaahhh gaaahhhhh headexplode!!!
posted by Divine_Wino at 9:38 AM on January 19, 2005

Speaking of White Castles, have you ever seen the White Castle business office in Jackson Heights?

No but I'll be sure to swing by and salaam from the sidewalk.
posted by jonmc at 9:46 AM on January 19, 2005

Is the A-Team theme song a 'for' or an 'against'?

I pity dafool who vote for bush!
posted by Hands of Manos at 10:01 AM on January 19, 2005

There IS an actual number at the White House for people to call and register their thoughts, you know. Might as well go right to the source.

It's 202-456-1111
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 10:01 AM on January 19, 2005

I'm going to write "Bush Sux" on a piece of paper, fold it into an airplane, and throw it towards Washington.
posted by jefbla at 10:37 AM on January 19, 2005

There IS an actual number at the White House for people to call and register their thoughts, you know

I think you're missing the point, man. This website, you see, displays a flag as people leave voice messages. An American flag! That's called sticking it to the Man, man, and that's what makes this country great! Take that, George W. Bush!
posted by uncleozzy at 10:43 AM on January 19, 2005

Reminds me of Patton Oswalt's comments on hippie protests:

"We're gonna take a mouse, and put on the world's tiniest pair of hemp pants! And then we're gonna hide it in one of 12 cabinets! Which one is it in? They'll be so busy figuring it out they won't be able to start the war, man!
posted by abcde at 12:32 PM on January 19, 2005

#11 is just someone playing the 'A-Team' theme song in to their phone!

That made my day!
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 12:33 PM on January 19, 2005

hmmm....looks like this site fell onto republican ears as it's filled up with Republican sympathy now. My favorite quote is "you won it fair and square..."
posted by Hands of Manos at 1:19 PM on January 19, 2005

whoops...this one 3385 # 25 is even better. He says "most strongest president since...mmm....Ronald Reagan"
posted by Hands of Manos at 1:23 PM on January 19, 2005

I don't know why the Republicans are bothering. Isn't their policy just to pray and let God whisper their prayers to Bush?
posted by aeschenkarnos at 5:30 PM on January 19, 2005

Yes the site certainly seems to have back fired. On the plus side most of the Republican messages are just as dumb as the Democrats messages. I'd like to point out to the one caller that these people are not "liberal pinheads". They are probably Democrats, and I would rather not see people continue to associate the good name of liberals with the Dems.
posted by MrBobaFett at 6:16 PM on January 19, 2005

Yes the site certainly seems to have back fired.

Back fired? Where does it say only tell Bush that you dislike him?
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 10:34 PM on January 19, 2005

I just loaded the link in Opera and apparently all the messages began playing automatically. It was beautiful. Like Revolution #9 on steroids.

"Georrrrge [just wanted to] Bush, [so proud you are] you arrrrrrre [president for] my maaaaaiinn [here in long island, new] maaannnn"
posted by sandmonk at 9:55 AM on January 20, 2005