GOOOH NOW!

GOOOH NOW!
GOOOH Mock Session in Houston, TX

Monday, August 29, 2011

GOOOH Video Contest - $10,000 Prize

GOOOH YouTube Video Contest
Official Rules
(as of 7/3/11)
The non-partisan group GOOOH is looking for a video to promote our web site, GOOOH.com (G, triple O, H, dot com). GO is a non-partisan plan to replace politicians in the U.S. House of Representatives with citizen legislators. We will pay $10,000.00 to the first person or group who successfully creates a YouTube video that meets the conditions outlined in these official rules by October 1st, 2011, and agrees to the following terms and conditions. If no video meets all criteria, no prize will be awarded.
In simplest terms, we will award the prize to the creator of the first video promoting GOOOH that gets one million hits by the deadline. Given the litigious society in which we live, the Official Rules are explained in the thirty or so points below. Believe me, we hate all the rules as much as you.

1) The video must receive 1,000,000 views, as calculated and reported on YouTube, by 10/1/2011.

2) The video must promote the GOOOH mission of firing politicians, ideally in a humorous, non-partisan way. Videos directed at one party or one person specifically are not eligible.

3) The submitter(s) (hereafter referred to as you) must notify GOOOH at goooh@goooh.com of the video before it receives 10,000 views. You are required to email the YouTube link, your name(s) and contact information. You must also post the link in the GOOOH Forum.


4) You must be a registered member of GOOOH before the video receives 10,000 views. Membership does not require any payment or purchase, nor does it require a commitment to purchase any item at any time. Membership does require completion of an online form that includes an email address and other common membership fields.

5) You assume complete responsibility for the video and any liability or damages resulting from the publication or posting of the video.

6) There is no “approval” process – GOOOH will merely monitor videos and award the prize to the first video that meets all criteria in these official rules. You must notify GOOOH via email when your video reaches one million views.

7) GOOOH’s Terms and Conditions, and our Privacy Policy, apply.

8) YouTube has the right to terminate any user account, including that of any entrant, at any time, and may remove any video posted to the Website, including an entry in this contest, at any time. That includes those that do not follow YouTube's DMCA procedure. You acknowledge and agree that neither GOOOH nor YouTube are liable for termination of any account or for the removal or reposting of any video. If this happens, any “views” your video may have received may not be counted.

9) The video must include this file at the start of the video for the first two seconds of the video. This file is a green banner that includes the GOOOH logo, the words Fire Congress, and the URL for our web site (www.GOOOH.com).

10) The video must include this file at the end of the video that displays for the last three seconds of the video. This file is a black background that includes the the GOOOH logo, the phrase “G, triple O, H dot com), and the URL for our web site (www.GOOOH.com).

11) The “title” displayed on the YouTube web site must include the GOOOH name – with all three O’s! For example “Fire Congress (GOOOH)” or “The Stupid Things Politicians Do (GOOOH) would be valid titles.

12) The term “GOOOH” must be included in the video tags, if tags are entered.

13) The video must not portray GOOOH negatively, as determined by GOOOH. It is acceptable to make fun of the GOOOH name (e.g. calling it gooo), and it is certainly acceptable to make
fun of politicians, but this is intended to become a promotional video for GOOOH, and must therefore refer to GOOOH positively.

14) The video must be reasonably rated, as defined by GOOOH. As a guideline, if the theatres would rate it “R”, we will probably not consider it reasonable.

15) Each submitter, regardless of whether or not their video is the contest winner, agrees to grant GOOOH full rights to use the video and messaging as it chooses, indefinitely. The intent is to use the ideas in the submissions for future promotional activity.

16) Any efforts to manipulate the YouTube counter by any person will disqualify that video.

17) You must comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations.

18) You must be lawfully able to enter into contractual relations.

19) You must be legally permitted to collect the prize and must pay all applicable taxes and fees. We will direct the funds to the person, group or account designated by the winner.

20) You must adhere to all YouTube rules and regulations. YouTube is not a sponsor of the Contest and has no responsibility or liability regarding the conduct or administration of this Contest.

21) YouTube has the right to cancel / remove our Contest at any time without cause, and if they do, the contest will be cancelled immediately and no prize will be awarded. We are at their mercy.

22) Neither YouTube nor GOOOH has any responsibility or liability for the deletion or failure to store any Entries, or for inaccurate counting. While YouTube has set no limits at this time that should affect our contest, they have the right, at their sole discretion, to do so at any time without notice. If they make changes that affect the Contest before a winner is announced, there will be no recourse.

23) You will not infringe upon or encourage the infringement of any third party rights or the participation in any unlawful activity, including without limitation gaming or gambling. You must secure the rights to any music and photography, and the prize will NOT be awarded if any copyright has been violated.

24) You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless GOOOH, YouTube, its parent corporation, affiliates, officers, directors, employees, volunteers and agents, from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs or debt, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees) arising from: (i) your use of and access to the YouTube Services under the Terms; (ii) your violation of any term of the Terms; (iii) your violation of any third party right, including without limitation any copyright, property, or privacy right; (iv) any claim from any third party relating to or arising from the Contest; or (v) any claim that the Contest violates any law, rule or regulation. This defense and indemnification obligation does not end.

25) YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT YOUR USE OF YOUTUBE SERVICES TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CONTEST IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. YOUTUBE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, GOOOH AND YOUTUBE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM GOOOH OR YOUTUBE OR ITS AFFILIATES OR THROUGH OR FROM USE OF GOOOH OR YOUTUBE’S SERVICES SHALL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY STATED IN THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

26) IN NO EVENT SHALL GOOOH, YOUTUBE, ITS PARENT CORPORATION, AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, VOLUNTEERS OR AGENTS, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL,
PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM ANY (i) ERRORS, MISTAKES, OR INACCURACIES OF CONTENT, (ii) PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER, RESULTING FROM YOUR USE OF GOOOH OR YOUTUBE SERVICES, (iii) ANY UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR USE OF GOOOH OR YOUTUBE INFORMATION OF ANY KIND STORED THEREIN, (iv) ANY INTERRUPTION OR CESSATION OF TRANSMISSION TO OR FROM YOUTUBE, (v) ANY BUGS, VIRUSES, TROJAN HORSES, OR THE LIKE, WHICH MAY BE TRANSMITTED TO OR THROUGH THE INTERNET BY ANY THIRD PARTY, AND/OR (vi) ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN ANY CONTENT OR FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND INCURRED AS A RESULT OF YOUR USE OF ANY CONTENT POSTED, EMAILED, TRANSMITTED, OR OTHERWISE MADE AVAILABLE VIA THE WEBSITE, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND WHETHER OR NOT SUCH ENTITY OR PERSON IS ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THE FOREGOING LIMITATION OF LIABILITY SHALL APPLY TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW IN THE APPLICABLE JURISDICTION.

27) You agree that the GOOOH organization will be the final arbiter of whether or not any video has met the qualifications, and further that GOOOH may reject any entry for any reason at any time. We include this disclaimer in case someone, in the judgment of GOOOH, manipulates the contest.

28) You agree that these Official Rules may change at any time, and agree to the new rules as they are published. Changes are not expected, but lawyers sometimes think of things they forgot.

29) No video or submitter is eligible for the prize if the submitter does not agree to all terms in these Official Rules.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Yeah, What Ben Said...

On Sept 17, 1787, at around 4:00 in the afternoon, as Benjamin Franklin was leaving the building where, after four months of hard work, our Constitution had been completed and signed, a lady approached him and asked him what kind of government the Constitutional convention created. A very old, very tired, and very wise Benjamin Franklin replied; "A Republic, ma'am if you can keep it."
Notice that Mr. Franklin did not respond with “if we can keep it”. He responded to this citizen’s question with the pronoun “you”. A collective YOU I would think, and what an appropriate response to such a question that was.

In my last installment on this blog entitled “ Main Entry: blame” I attempted to explain how blame is a label we must take unto ourselves as a means of redemption and for doing what is right, and how it is also used by career politicians as a weapon or shield.

In attempt to keep blame in its right place and in its true meaning, it is MY opinion that “We the People”, we − ourselves, the citizens, the electorate, all of us − deserve a share of blame for what our government has become. We are like that lady who approached Franklin wondering what had been given to us. Maybe, probably, we − like her − did not listen to him.

I think that a lot of us with different political stripes may agree that our government has not provided an atmosphere for our businesses to be able to thrive in, and thus our citizens do not have the opportunities for employment that we, quite frankly, are accustomed to having. We live in a global economy whether we like it or not. We have to compete. I know that Americans are, in their heart and soul, the best of the best. I truly believe that.

Yet when the topics of global opportunity and employment or illegal immigration are debated, I often hear two respective narratives from us (the people). They are as follows: “I’m against American companies outsourcing our jobs overseas.” And, “there are just some jobs that some Americans won’t do.”

It seems to me that there are about 435 jobs in the U.S House of Representatives that we outsource to the “Ruling Class” every two years. There are literally hundreds of everyday people in our congressional districts that are more than capable of executing the powers of Congress than those who are walking the capitol’s halls currently.

Are there some jobs that Americans just won’t do? Yes, I think that is so. But rather than there being some jobs that seem beneath most Americans’ willingness to earn an honest living, there also seems to be a group of jobs that seem to be too elevated for us common folk to aspire too. These are the jobs that the two major Parties currently dominate, if not monopolize, and fail at with regularity. Why is that? Our EMPLOYEES in Congress have demonstrated that they cannot be trusted with the reigns of government in a Republic. Yet we consistently outsource our responsibilities to greedy partisan hacks, and we don’t want to take on the job of maintaining our own representative government. It is time to look into our mirrors, and accept our blame of apathy and irresponsibility. Going to the polls every two years is the very least we can do.

I hear your rebuttals:
“But, what can I do to change things?”
”I have my own life to worry about.”
“I don’t understand politics and its boring.”
“That’s what we elect them to do”
… etc…

Are you prepared to keep making excuses while this One Nation Under God declines? How will you respond to the diminishing chances for your children’s and grandchildren’s prospects for safety, prosperity, and freedom? That is what is happening right before your eyes.

Allow me to remind you of Mr. Franklin’s answer to the inquiring citizen, "A Republic, ma'am if you can keep it." It’s up to you and me to engage the political process if we are to remain free. Our inaction in our civic duty will be our own downfall.

We can govern ourselves! GOOOH is providing a process to change our government in a very profound way. Through a very deliberate process, you and I can sit face to face with those who may be our future representatives. We can take an active role in choosing the members of the Congress, and thus establishing true representation for ourselves while bypassing parties and special interests.

Edmund Burke once said “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”
Will you do nothing in this moment of our nation’s life? We can keep our republic if we are willing to do a little more than just the very least of our civic duty.

Get involved by joining GOOOH @ www.goooh.com

Friday, August 12, 2011

Clean Out Congress: Broadening Appeal

I am terrified for my country now. And yet, I am excited.

I am excited about some of the change in attitude evidenced among the concerned citizens I know and see every day, and indeed what I can see in reaction from people across the country, that Americans by and large, Democrat, Republican or indifferent, have arrived at the point of recognizing that there is no way that effective decision making can be done in Washington. Given the current influences and constraints that D.C.'s corrupted environments contain, our legislative branch was proved inept by the recent unsatisfactory debt deal and the reduction of America's credit rating. When your elected officials in government spend 15 trillion dollars that we don't have, and fail to reign it in to any meaningful degree, consequences are inevitable.

Just within the past week, even CNN has admitted that it is time to quit playing politics and clean out congress.

Talk show host and political commentator Dennis Miller has stated his enthusiasm about the GOOOH movement, joined because he loved the foreward-thinking spirit of Tim Cox and appreciating that GOOOH is not a political party but an effort to remove the corruption that has infested our country's two-party system. Hear the interview of Tim Cox with Dennis Miller here:

With continuing economic set backs in America, maintained in great part by a newly-elected congress, it is becoming increasingly obvious even in the more lofty halls of the news media elite that the problem is not one of putting different names and faces into our existing political system. New blood will not will fix our ills, because new people soon get corrupted (or eviscerated) in the system as it is currently operating. Yes, it is the political system itself that has become corrupt and needs to be repaired. The current system supports too much influence of money through lobbyists, unions, and agencies that are completely foreign to the system that the Founding Fathers intended. The notion of taking a turn at serving the People as a politician has turned into the notion of the continuing advancement of a political career, and the ultimate growth of a political ruling class. And their work is a never ending string of compromises. The compromises they make on a daily basis are destroying the future of this country.

It reminds me of a joke I heard recently. Hunter and Bear meet in the woods. Hunter complains he just wants a fur coat. Bear complains he just wants to have lunch. They sit down and talk about it and compromise. Bear is seen walking out of the forest alone. Bear got his lunch, and Hunter is wrapped inside a fur coat. The compromise did not work out so well for Hunter. And here we wallow in a Bear market with no jobs growth and 15 trillion debt and an embarrassing reduction in our country's credit rating. Thanks, congress, for your bill passed by compromise.

With the downgrade of America's credit rating, it appears that more and more are waking up from their state of denial to see that our crisis is real.

I encourage you to find areas in your life to start getting evangelistic about sharing your concerns for our country with your friends and neighbors. Find ways where you can get involved. Start by Clicking the JOIN THIS SITE link at the top right of this page. Follow through Networked Blogs, also available at the right column of this page.  Go to GOOOH.com and learn more about the GOOOH movement and how it works.

I don't agree with Newt very often these days, but I did agree with him in his closing statements at the debates last night. We have to do something NOW. We do not have time to sit back and wait until the next election to make our influence felt. It is time to GOOOH NOW! Please come GOOOH with me!

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Main Entry: blame

Part of Speech: noun
Definition: responsibility
Synonyms: accountability, answerability, burden, culpability, fault, guilt, incrimination, liability, onus, rap


Surely you have been paying some attention to our most recent national “crisis”. Our country’s credit card has reached its limit, and our elected officials in both parties have just paved the way to another $2.4 trillion increase on that limit regardless of whether we can afford the bill. Isn’t that the kind of budgeting that has gotten many of us in trouble these last few years?

The career politicians seem to have the narrative down pat. They fill our ears with an array of indistinguishable plans and scenarios of cutting this expense or allowing that tax increase while employing triggers, contingencies and bipartisan “super committees”. They unashamedly throw numbers around that end with 9 to 18 zeros like they’re poker chips at a game night with the boys. Those chips are our tax dollars, our lives, our savings, and our futures… our hard earned money, NOT THEIRS! Yet it seems, for them, that the money and the amounts are not the real important issue, but are a means to an end. No, there is something else that is paramount to their agreements and/or disagreements.

In our media today there is an almost never-ending supply of opinions and commentary to behold and not a lot of fact based news, and lately my attention has been drawn to an increasingly repetitive defense from both Democrats and Republicans, and that is their refusal to take any of the blame for “letting our country default on its debts”. While most of you may focus on the misleading term “default”, the word that gets my attention is “blame”. Now, in my little world the word blame is attached to a deed that is considered to be wrong.

In our broken political system, there is nothing that is by definition “wrong” in the classical sense …just inconvenient. Their fear of blame is not founded on the fact they may be hurting our republic. To them, blame is not attributed to ones own fault per se, instead it is a tool or weapon to be used against a foe. It’s interesting to see how blame can be used to the career politician’s advantage when it is aimed across the aisle, or in The President’s case, behind him towards his predecessor. Blame allows them to avoid accountability. Again, blaming your opponents doesn’t have anything to do with whether or not the charge is true. Of course they are betting on you and me not being smart, or attentive enough to know what the truth is. Avoiding accountability to their constituents is one of the core reasons that the system is broken.

Their end game is protecting their prospects for reelection, and keeping their power.


At some point we must ask ourselves a few questions:

How do I govern myself and my own behavior?

Should I expect my representatives to govern the nation and themselves in a like manner?

Is what we have now true representative government?

If I am one who is concerned about my own household finances, in that I do not overspend, pay my bills, and manage to save for a rainy day, then representation for me would be someone who is committed to governing in that same manner. Yet, what do I get when a party picks, and lobbyist pays for the candidate from my district? I would probably get a congressman that represents them, and doesn’t reflect his constituents (me). He is more concerned about balancing our national budget with accounting tricks in an attempt to compromise with other career politicians, and avoid blame, than he is for the long term health of the country. They are only concerned for my opinion when election season comes near, and with the prospect that I might “blame” them.

It seems simple enough for a representative to avoid blame:

Campaign on a set of stated positions and govern that way when after arriving in Washington D.C. If he want to change his mind and thus his vote, then ask me (the constituent) what I think about it first. GOOOH candidates pledge to contact their district before changing a documented position.

Do you think it would be easier for him to vote on the difficult issues if he didn’t have to worry about blame, because he wouldn’t have to worry about reelection? If there is one plank that exists in the platform on which any GOOOH candidate will have to run on, it is term limits.

Do you think it would be easier for him to break from traditional party ranks and be accountable to his constituents if he didn’t take any campaign funds from the major parties, or special interest groups? GOOOH candidates are forbidden to take money from any party or lobbyists.

Do you think that he would better represent your district if he were chosen as a candidate by the people, like you and me, who actually live and work in the district, and he was chosen out of a process that allowed one on one discussion with us about the issues that he might be voting on? GOOOH candidates are chosen through a systematic process that allows everyday people to choose their candidate and bypasses the party system.

This would be the kind of representation that we could expect by electing GOOOH candidates to the House of Representatives. Please check GOOOH out, and join for free @ www.goooh.com and find a GOOOH chapter for your congressional district or one near you.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

A GOOOH Fireside Chat



Americans need to fire them all, especially after this last fiasco with the debt. Tea parties need to wake up and realize that the Republicans are no better and will not stand up and do what is right for the American people. Tell all you know to join the movement to FIRE CONGRESS as it currently exists, and begin anew with TRUE CITIZEN REPRESENTATIVES.