The Rationale for Umbrella Movement to Counteract the Right

By Norman Sommer

July 2, 2004

Since we are requesting you to support (join and help finance) this new MOVEMENT, it is incumbent upon me, the Founder, to provide you the rationale for yet another new political organization. Let's learn from relatively recent history, for the most compelling reason. It was 71 years ago (I was a schoolboy of 8 years of age), when, in democratic Germany, the National Socialist Party won the national election (aided by the Reichstag fire) with Adolph Hitler as its Chancellor. It immediately passed the "Enabling Act" (the Patriot Act of the time), and began the repressing and suppressing of individual civil liberties. I will not retell the most hideous history that ensued. Suffice it to say, that this was the beginning of the clouds, that in a short few years gathered into the storm clouds, that resulted in the Perfect Storm of our time, the Holocaust, and of the greatest war in history, World War 2.

Is this analogy to what is taking place now overstating or too dramatic? I think not. I encourage you to read It Can't Happen Here (circa 1935, by Sinclair Lewis), and you will marvel, as I have, how prescient the author was in his novel, warning us how Fascism comes to our beloved country. In the Germany of 1934 and in this book, a common phenomenon occurred. The people were about to be engulfed in a maelstrom that was too severe for any one individual to cope with. And yet, the citizenry was apathetic, uninformed, misinformed (by most effective propaganda machine ever conceived), too busy in their careers, and/or more interested in recreating and vacationing, to pay heed to the voices in the wilderness, warning them of the impending disaster. When they finally woke up, it was too late, fear set in, and they became pawns and slaves to their dominating masters. SO, I PLEAD WITH YOU, AND ALL AMERICA, TO WAKE UP, AND REALIZE THAT IT CAN HAPPEN HERE. NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL GOOD CITIZENS TO COME TO THE AID OF THEIR COUNTRY. "FOR EVIL TO TRIUMPH, GOOD PEOPLE MUST REMAIN SILENT." WE WILL NOT BE LEMMINGS, LED BY THE MALEVOLENT "EVIL DOERS." THE 'GOOD' PEOPLE IN THE USA ARE IN THE MAJORITY, BUT HAVE TO BE AWAKENED, ALERTED, RECRUITED, MOBILIZED, AND ORGANIZED.

Another book that is must reading is the new Blinded By The Right by David Brock. He is the self confessed co-conspirator in what Hillary Clinton (in 1998) called, 'THE VAST RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY " For this Hillary was pilloried. She was directly on the target. The only correction I make, is that it's not just the 'wing', but rather the whole foul (fowl), so I refer to this vast conspiracy as simply, the 'Right', as in the 'RIGHT IS WRONG'. The rise, dominance and power of the Right in the past 20 years, cannot be exaggerated. If allowed to continue unchecked, it will take us to a place where we don't want to go. This is why we are founding the UMBRELLA MOVEMENT TO COUNTERACT THE RIGHT, a truly grass roots movement. Because of my beliefs of the afore, I started over a year ago on a one man mission, with a "Plan of Action to Take Back Our Country", by mailing over 2,000 letter/packages to prominent Americans. This was done solely by me, the work and the cost. After my being featured in three newspaper articles, I was flattered by many readers contacting me. It convinced me that there is a groundswell for a grass roots organization to cope and compete with the Right. This evolved into the Umbrella Movement, with a small volunteer staff and only one part-time Executive Secretary.

To accomplish this objective, our PLAN 'borrows' from the Right, Blinded By The Right and the Dean campaign. David Brock described the Right's modus operandi thusly; "the Right created its own alternative intellectual and political universe, using existing mainstream institutions (or new ones) dedicated to its purpose of advancing its own agenda." With a kind of Inner Movement, consisting of a few hundred funders, senior organization leaders, lawyers, prominent media personalities (but only a handful of practicing politicians, not only Democrats), and an Outer Movement, consisting of a few thousand staff people, grunt workers, and lower level operatives of one kind or another. The adversary has its own newspapers (the Washington Times, the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal's editorial page), its own magazines (Weekly Standard, National Review, Policy Review, Commentary, and many more), its own broadcasting operations (Fox News, and an array of national and local talk radio and right wing Christian broadcast outlets), its own publishing houses (Regnery Publishing and the Free Press, among others), its own academic research institutions (the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute), and even its own Republican Party, important elements of which (the party's congressional and judicial leadership for example) the Conservative Movement has successfully commandeered. These closely linked organizations (the vanguard of the conservative revolution) compose an entire world with its own rituals, celebrations, and anniversaries. Within it, it is possible to live one's entire life. It is a world with its own elaborate system of incentives and sancta, through which energetic conformity is rewarded with honors and promotions, while deviations from the movement line, depending on their seriousness, are punished with anything from mild social disapproval to outright ex-communications. We are not suggesting complete imitation in our plan, only using elements from which we can benefit and conform to our side's considerable belief in ethics and morality.

The Rise of the Right, our body politic, and the current state of affairs didn't come about by a natural cycle and overnight, but by design over a period of time. It will require, likewise, a design or plan to reverse what has befallen us. For instance, we must reverse the concentration of the media into a few hands and minds. We must "de-Foxify", and insist on having truly "fair and balanced" reportage and editorializing, with a serious effort to afford opposing views "equal time." Whatever happened to the "fairness doctrine"? We must restore it. I've often asked, what prompts so many of our fellow citizens either to not vote, or if they do, vote against their own self interest? There is an explanation, it's called propaganda, which becomes 'brain washing.' It has been said, if a lie is repeated often enough, it becomes the truth to many people. A lie can travel half way around the world before the truth can put its socks and shoes on. Until our country adopts shortened election periods and public financed campaigns, with free television and radio time (we, the people own the airwaves) for serious candidates, our citizenry will be subjected to manipulation, cynicism, and discouragement from voting.

We encourage and urge you to join us with your support with your membership and financial sharing of our operating expenses. It takes money to even publish and mail our Movement Memo. We welcome any and all ideas, suggestions, and critiques. Please, provide us with your snail mail, and E-mail addresses, plus telephone number. Also, it will be most helpful if you can provide us as many kindred spirits (names and addresses) you may know, who will be interested in our Movement. Since we are truly a bottoms-up, grass roots, and relatively new organization, funding is our most pressing problem. We need and welcome all voluntary contributions, large or small, which will automatically make you a member of "The Umbrella Movement to Counteract the Right."

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that has.” Margaret Mead

“It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time an individual stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest wall of oppression and resistance.” Robert F. Kennedy, South Africa 1966

Movement "A series of organized activities by people working concertedly toward the same goal: often called the "movement" by those involved in it." Webster Dictionary

Must read books - the rationale for the umbrella movement to counteract the right:
1. “It Can’t Happen Here” (circa 1935) by Sinclair Lewis
2. “Blinded By The Right” by David Brock
3. “The Republican Noise Machine” by David Brock