I have coined a name for those partiotic individuals in our country who see how information is manipulated, twisted or hidden altogether in today's partisan political world.  These people stand for what is just and right, they love this nation with every fibre of their being and are undaunted in their quest to spread the truth.  These people are known simply as: Grassroots Troopers.

Are you a Grassroots Trooper?  Well if you notice lies and deception being spread by operatives in the media or our government and it makes your pulse quicken, your blood pressure rise or your nostrils begin to flare, I suspect you just might be one!  Of course, to know if something runs the risk of being untrue, you must have a good knowledge base to start with and be continuously expanding it.  This takes hard work and a true commitment to being the most informed person on the block.  Many people are content with only knowing enough to get by or living in their own little "bubble" which eliminates the need to know anything of substance.  Sitting in their own little comfort zones, they probably don't realize how their lack of involvement is not only unpatriotic but how it threatens the sanctity of our representative republic.

The Founding Fathers wrote in detail about the need for an informed electorate in making democracy work properly over the long-term.  An ignorant or misled populace would be duped into electing demagogues (like Obama) or other individuals who did not have the best interests of the republic at heart.  The result?  Ineffective or even dishonest government which slowly takes the nation in a direction that was never intended by the Founding Fathers.  As we look around at the spectre of runaway taxation needed to support broken entitlement programs and socialized medicine in our near future, this is certainly where we find ourselves today.

I alluded to this "Information War" in a previous column entitled "Harry Reid needs a BEATING" and I encourage you to read it after you finish this one.  How's that for a shameless plug?  The debacle last week on the floor of the U.S. Senate is a textbook example of what is going on in America today.  People who are perceived as a threat to someone's agenda, such as Rush Limbaugh are literally watched on a 24/7 basis.  Every word they say on the air is examined and parsed to see if it can be manipulated into a smear.  Once birth has been given to the smear, it is sent out from one group to another for dissemination.  We have subversive left-wing journalists, many of whom loathe talk radio because it destroyed their monopolisitic stranglehold on information, grabbing onto these smears and disguising them as objective news reporting!  When asked about their "story line", they doggedly stick to their story and claim that the person posing the question is misinformed! Round and round this goes like a dog chasing its tail with everyone in attendance getting dizzy.  These journalists are masters at twisting the truth in such a way so that in the event they are charged with libel, the burden of proof cannot be met in a court of law.  Hence, its all good, no fuss...no muss for our media.

If you are sick of this (as I am) you may be exhibiting the automatic physiological responses I referred to earlier in this column.  Lies and smears spread about any individual are unjust, shameful and need to be denounced!  That is why you must decide if you are a Grassroots Trooper, mobilize and join the fight for truth in today's divided, partisan America.  Start with the "Meat and Potatoes Blog" and work your way to other objective news reporting but never, ever rely on a single, solitary source for news information.  Once you know the truth, then comes the really hard part.  When you hear dunderheaded fools shooting their mouths off, spouting half-truths or outright lies, it is time to speak up!  Turn to them and ask the source of their claim, however outlandish or nonsensical it may be.  They will stumble around for an answer and may even make up a source to avoid appearing stupid.  Their dodging stupidity will be short-lived however, as you dig deeper into their statements, provide factual, historical rebuttal and clamp on like a pit-bull after the mailman! 

This may get you off the company popularity list or drive you away from the water cooler party but it will earn you the respect of those who deep down detest lies and wish they had the gumption to speak up themselves.  Over time, your efforts will bring people "into the fold", so to speak and they too will become Grassroots Troopers.  "Information Wars" can be won but only if each patriotic American realizes that we all have a stake in the fight.  When a media becomes as corrupted as the one we have in this country, the American way of life becomes threatened.  For this reason and this reason alone, I fight the "war" each and every day.  It is what fuels me, what drives me and what makes me wake-up to serve another day!