...to make me buy into the Global Good Neighbor Initiative.

And not enough sedatives to make me stop laughing at this video, either. Who knew that the only reason we have any concerns in the world was G.W.B. and his Meanie Machine? The IRC Global Good Neighbor initiative, that's who!

I'm not really sure what the rest of the video is getting at, but I'm thinking it has something to do with their getaway plan for the when some terrorist - or Ahmedinejad - nukes us after we've become complete wusses under the Good Neighbor plan (which is looking like it'll be sometime around next January or so). Hooray! We'll just fly away on clouds of hope...

You can download their talking points - and nominate a Good or Bad Neighbor, or at least you could, if their site wasn't rife with dead links. Damn Meanie Machine.

But just who is the IRC? Well, according to them (comments in black italics are mine):

We are proud of our history. --if not of the loser "bad neighbor" who is responsible for all of those dead links -- The IRC was founded in 1979 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The plight of undocumented Mexican workers -- oh, you mean illegal aliens...Undocumented workers to me means some dude at the Tasty Freeze who forgot his wallet on Tuesday -- and the impact of energy development on indigenous communities in the Southwest were the focus of the IRC's early work.

OK, this is NOT sounding good. Let's read more, shall we?

Through our work on U.S. policy toward Mexico, we developed projects on cross-border organizing and the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, including our U.S.-Mexico Project and our Border Information & Outreach Service (BIOS). The work carried out under both of these projects is now consolidated into our Americas Program. Cross-border organizing? Is that some sort of 'good neighborly' way of saying aiding and abetting? This is starting to sound suspiciously familiar...

The acceleration of the globalization process during the 1990s prompted us to establish our Global Affairs Program and its flagship project, Foreign Policy In Focus project (FPIF). A collaborative effort between the IRC and the Institute for Policy Studies, FPIF offers policy critiques and prescription aimed at making the U.S. a more responsible member of the global community. -- Because the billions of dollars we spend helping out other nations - including those who hate our guts - just isn't cutting it.

Over the course of the past two decades, the IRC has confronted the ever-changing landscape of U.S. foreign policy to ensure that alternative information and analysis -- a.k.a. blatant b.s. and anti-war rhetoric -- are available to those committed to social change, -- a.k.a. socialism -- winning recognition for our ability to bridge the gap between academic research and popular education and between the policy community and activists.

From its early days of planning around the kitchen table and late-night envelope-stuffing sessions to its current use of PDF files, -- none of which work -- dedicated internet connections, -- woo hoo, we have internet -- and conference calls, -- and they're probably trading in the carbon machine for a 'photocopier' next week -- the IRC has creatively adapted to political and technological changes -- except for that linking thing -- in order to more effectively feed the progressive agenda --ah, there we go -- into policymaking circles and provide activists with crucial analytical tools -- well, except the afore-mentioned PDFs -- to make informed decisions, influence public policy, and be instruments of social change. -- a.k.a. Moonbats

Yep. "Social Change" and "progressive agenda." 'Nuff said. Wait, though, maybe I should give them a chance. They do have a bunch of nice new ads. Like this one:

The Golden Rule
Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Simple. Very simple. Mutual respect and understanding. Should those Golden Rule values guide our foreign policy? If you think that the United States can be a global good neighbor once again, then let's work together to make that happen. Go to www.globalgoodneighbor.org. -- and pay no attention to the hordes of illegal immigrants crossing the border

OK, that didn't work. Let's try another one:

Fear Itself
Are you afraid? Very afraid—of terrorism, -- with ya so far-- global warming, Um....no. Not afraid of werewolves either. Wanna know why? NEITHER EXIST -- rising energy costs, the forces of globalization? -- Dun Dun DUNNNNN -- But the politics of fear only make us more afraid. -- No.....Ahmedinejad with his finger on the button makes me afraid -- President Franklin Roosevelt rejected the politics of fear. -- in favor of "democratic socialism" -- He changed the course of foreign policy by launching the good neighbor policy of mutual respect among nations. -- except for those Japanese internment camps. Then again, he did have the unique advantage of the undivided attention of the rest of the world, seeing as how we were kicking half of its butt. Funny how he abandoned that 'good neighbor' thing once Japan proved to be a really 'bad neighbor', ain't it? -- He rallied the country with his vision of a world free of fear, want, and tyranny. -- and the Japanese -- If you believe the United States should once again be a global good neighbor, if you believe mutual respect and freedom from fear should once again guide U.S. foreign policy, then let's work together. Go to www.globalgoodneighbor.org.

You can hear all the ads here. Well, at least you could, if the Meanie Machine hadn't nuked those, too. You can still read the text.

Whatta bunch of fruitcakes.

So before you sell all your stuff and climb on the Peace Train after hearing those catchy new radio ads, just remember that when it all boils down to it, the Good Neighbor Initiative is just one more desperate attempt by the Socialists to feed you bullpucky and call it filet mignon.

Labels: communism, progressives, socialism