AARP refugees. Welcome. Come on in and introduce yourself.

[Code_Name_D]

Rumor has it that there is a mass exodus from the AARP message board, and that for some reason, that the DU has been blamed for organizing the attack.

Now I can assure you this is not the case. Never the less, you are welcome to come in here and see for yourself. The DU is home to many politically disenfranchised folk, so we have a special place reserved for our elders. So come on in, tell us who you are, and your story. And make yourself right at home.

[wryter2000]

1. We attacked AARP?

For all I can tell, exactly one DUer has even looked over there today.

[Code_Name_D]

3. Freeper myth.

From what I read, the Freeps went and spammed the board, trying to pony up support for the AARP and theire GOP boot kissen. Take hart, the DU is blaimed for pot holes in Muska, Missipipy

[La_Serpiente]

2. Geezus

I see more freeper posts there than DU posts.

Just tell them to shut up. They have no proof.

[KG]

4. hoping some of the AARPers over there stop by and take a peek.

:hi:

the fact that many older folks are taking part in o/l discussions is a good thing. and many of them were seeing thru this drug 'benefit' scam.

[Upfront]

7. Well, Been Hear

So I don't need to be introduced. I dumped my AARP membership yesterday. Called all three congress people and e-mailed all my friends. The drug bill and the energy bill are bad news for Americans.

[madrchsod]

5. the freeper post

that dissed du has over 250 replys,now that`s funny. did this freeper think us old people are fu*king stupid? do the democrats that are voting for this think we are stupid? i guess they do..screw them.

[wryter2000]

6. AARP board

I checked the AARP board. I found one thread that was started by some idiot freeper claiming that we were spamming the board. None of the good people there appeared to believe it.

What they're leaving is the organization, as I would if I'd ever joined. But in any case, if any of the members found their way here, Welcome. This is a great place

:hi:

[MaineDem]

8. I've never been to their board

I am an AARP member and sent them a scathing email the other day. Other than that and calling my Senators' offices I'm innocent, I swear. :)

[welshTerrier2]

9. AARP = Another Arm of the Republican Party

I quit ... I called them, they tried to defend their moronic position, and i quit ... made them give me a refund too ... btw, they don't offer one if you don't ask ...

and then, just for fun, i cancelled my AARP credit card as well ...

and that still wasn't good enough ... I posted on their website ... there were hundreds of non-DU posts already out there ... frankly, whether DU'ers are posting on AARP's boards or not is an irrelevant argument ... i'm a DU'er .. and I was an AARP member ... what's wrong with posting my opinion there ... that's why they offered the bulletin board service in the first place ... are we just supposed to keep our mouths shut and put up with this bullshit !!

and, lest these freeper morons think otherwise, the person at AARP who took my call said they were "getting drowned" with cancellations ... hardly sounds like DU could have that large an impact even if every one of us were members and every one of us cancelled our memberships ... the whole point these freepers raised is absurd ...

i also joined the Gray Panthers ... seems like a cool organization although they are much smaller ... check them out at: www.grayPanthers.org ... I spoke to the exec. director in D.C. ... told her she needed to take advantage of the AARP exodus ...

one last thing, I got an email from MoveOn.org today ... they are getting into this issue in a big way ... here's a copy of their letter:


Dear MoveOn member,

For years, Democratic lawmakers have been working to make sure that
seniors have access to prescription drugs and reasonable healthcare.
Now, in an attempt to score political points, the Republican
Congressional leadership is pushing through a bill that appears to
offer a solution. Actually, the bill undermines the entire Medicare
program, pushing people into the very HMOs which contribute heavily to
Republican lawmakers and barring the government from negotiating for
lower drug prices.

Given the danger to seniors, one might expect that the millions-strong
American Association of Retired People (AARP) to be on the case.
But after huge contributions from pharmaceutical companies and HMOs,
and pressure from Republican lawmakers, the AARP is selling out its
membership and backing the bill.

In response, 85 members of Congress (so far) have canceled their AARP
memberships, or announced that they will never join (if they're not
yet old enough to be eligible). <1> Today, we urge you to do the
same. If the AARP won't stand up for the elderly when it comes to
health care, what good is it? You can reach the AARP at:

MA Branch: 617-720-5600
National hotline: [phone]

If you're a member, tell them you're quitting.

If you're too young to be eligible, tell them you'll never join.

You also may want to let your Representative and Senators know that
you're keeping the AARP accountable. You could also tell them
that you expect them to demand real health care reform -- not this
industry-backed bill.

You can reach your members of Congress (Massachusetts) at:

Representative James P. McGovern
DC Phone: [phone]

Senator Edward M. Kennedy
DC Phone: [phone]

Senator John F. Kerry
DC Phone: [phone]


Please let us know how you feel about this -- we're collecting
individual comments to share with the media, at:

http://moveon.org/aarp.html?id=2136-3022576-5UPttW0nGpIhhouoNSOMqQ

The AARP has endorsed a bill that would make two fundamental changes
in Medicare:

1. First, it would force people to make a stark choice: either pay
sharply increased premiums to stay in traditional Medicare, where
they can choose their doctor; or be forced out, into an HMO.

Newt Gingrich, the former House Republican leader, said in 1995
that he wanted to let Medicare to "wither on the vine." This
change would lead to that result, with cost incentives driving
people out. (Not coincidentally, AARP CEO William Novelli
recently wrote the forward to Gingrich's book. <2>)

2. Second, it offers a prescription drug benefit, but requires people
who want this coverage to buy it from private insurance plans.

This part of the bill also bars the government from doing the one
thing it could do to actually reduce the cost of these drugs --
negotiate for lower prices, using the size of the Medicare program
as leverage. Drug prices are soaring now, and unless they're
brought under control, they will eventually bankrupt Medicare.

AARP itself sells insurance and also sells prescription drugs, so
the group stands to reap huge financial gains from this change.

The bill has been opposed by a host of liberal groups <3> as well as
by major conservative groups, including the Club for Growth, The
Heritage Foundation, the American Conservative Union, The Cato
Institute, and the National Taxpayers Union. It's also been assailed
by virtually every one of the Democratic presidential candidates. <4>

In endorsing this bill, the AARP has broken faith with its members. In
a recent poll, 65% of AARP members said they're opposed to it. <5>
The group has also violated its own written principles. In July, CEO
William Novelli wrote to Congress stating the requirements for AARP's
support of a Medicare bill. <6> Yet the bill AARP has just endorsed
fails to meet nine separate requirements stated in that letter. <7>

We need to hold the AARP responsible for selling out its members. If
the organization sees sufficient backlash from its members and
prospective members, it could still change course and effect the
outcome of this legislation. Please call your local AARP branch
today.

Sincerely,
--Carrie, Eli, James, Joan, Noah, Peter, Wes, and Zack
The MoveOn.org Team
November 20th, 2003

[MuseRider]

10. Welcome AARP refugees!

We stopped our membership, wrote and told them why, then called.
Hey Code Name, I was thinking about you today, wondered where you were. Hadn't seen you in a while or maybe I was just not paying attention.

[Code_Name_D]

11. Yikes!

Who would have thought that my comment about the DU attack (untrue by the way) would garner so much wrath. For that I will oppoligise, and shall learn from my mistakes.

As for myself, I have been floating around. But not posting as much as I one was. A full blown scale of depresion has set in, and I have yet to learn of a way to fight it. My serch for a companion is more tortcher that corting, and is adding to my problems. So, its time for me to quite looking to others for my own stranth. But that still leaves me alone in an ever incresingly dark landscape. I am still here, even if I am not all incresingly there.