{"id":8914,"date":"2014-08-25T06:30:28","date_gmt":"2014-08-25T13:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bensettle.com\/blog\/?p=8914"},"modified":"2014-08-25T06:30:28","modified_gmt":"2014-08-25T13:30:28","slug":"putting-the-smack-down-on-the-dark-forces-undermining-your-communities-and-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bensettle.com\/blog\/putting-the-smack-down-on-the-dark-forces-undermining-your-communities-and-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Putting The Smack Down On The Dark Forces Undermining Your Communities And Country"},"content":{"rendered":"

“The world is changed with a checkbook” <\/strong>
\n– Paul Hartunian<\/strong><\/p>\n

The above is one of my favorite quotes. And, like it or lump it,\u00a0it’s 100% true — the world really is changed with a checkbook.<\/p>\n

Not hashtags.<\/p>\n

Or handwritten signs on tumblr.<\/p>\n

Or good thoughts.<\/p>\n

Or positive thinking.<\/p>\n

Or the law of attraction.<\/p>\n

Or electing “your” politicians.<\/p>\n

Or Facebook “likes.”<\/p>\n

Or soaking the middle class and rich in more taxes.<\/p>\n

Or social media images with the guy who played Willy Wonka\u00a0espousing someone’s political or ideological propaganda.<\/p>\n

Or Obama.<\/p>\n

Or corrupt bureaucrats.<\/p>\n

Or the United Nations.<\/p>\n

Or… or… any of that nonsense.<\/p>\n

No my little droogie, it comes from a checkbook.<\/p>\n

And oftentimes, several checkbooks.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

One of the organizations I support (with my checkbook, not by\u00a0holding some dorky little sign up or simply retweeting them with a\u00a0hashtag) is called “The Innocence Project”.<\/p>\n

You know what they do?<\/p>\n

They help get innocent people out of prison.<\/p>\n

And, they do it with DNA testing, re-examining peoples’ cases,\u00a0uncovering fraud and corruption in the legal process, etc.<\/p>\n

They’ve helped exonerate over 300 people so far.<\/p>\n

That’s 300 people who were (on average) in prison for 13 years\u00a0(including 18 who were on death row) enduring all the usual fun\u00a0times prison has to offer:<\/p>\n