Last Friday, my wife and I attended the counter-protest in support of Whole Foods in Austin. The night before we learned of the planned boycott and that Austin was one of three major cities on this list. The boycott from leftists nutroots is directly related to CEO John Mackey’s audacity to disagree with Obama on health care reform. There is a strange twist to the story, though.

You see, John Mackey pays for his employees’ health insurance premiums – 100% of it to be exact. He is a proponent of organic foods, and a great philanthropist. While I don’t agree with Mr. Mackey on many issues, I feel he has the right, like any American, to voice his opinion. In 2006 Mr. Mackey wrote a letter to his staff announcing that he would reduce his own salary to $1 a year, donate his stock portfolio to charity and set up a $100,000 emergency fund for staff facing personal problems. He wrote: “I am now 53 years old and I have reached a place in my life where I no longer want to work for money, but simply for the joy of the work itself and to better answer the call to service that I feel so clearly in my own heart.”

While CEO of Whole Foods Market in 2008, he earned a total compensation of just $33,831, which included a base salary of $1, and a cash bonus of $33,830. He has instituted caps on executive pay at the company. Sounds like a really bad guy to me.

With only 12 hours notice, we equaled the number of protesters and stood in the stifling heat of Texas for over 1 1/2 hours – some on our side stayed longer. The protest started at noon and at the stroke of 1:00, all of the 18-25 year olds who made up the entire opposition all but disappeared. Hmm, I wonder how much they were paid?

At one point, some half-wit leaned out his car window and flipped us the bird. My wife yelled out “No, you’re number one”. We all joined the chant, relishing the look of consternation on the young man’s face and noting how disarmed he was by our response, especially since most of us were flashing the piece sign in response.

Shoppers stopped by to give us drinks, and Whole Food employees of the store came out in the 105 degree heat and offered both sides some water. I don’t know how many times others approached us, thanked us, and mentioned they never shopped at Whole Foods before, but intended to stop by whenever possible. The average spent was, by my calculation, about $100.00 per person. Whole Foods was busier than usual. How’s that boycott working out for ya? Oh, and thanks for going nuts all over Glen Beck – he is now stronger and more popular than ever. We could not have done it with you. You can’t buy that type of publicity, so I offer my deepest and sincerest thanks to every lefty working to move forward the cause of conservatism, fiscal responsibility, and making Obama and the liberal left look nuttier by the day. Thanks a bunch guys and keep up the good work.

By the way, how does it feel to be your own worse enemy?

It was then that Judy Holloway introduced herself. Judy runs the organization Texas Tea Party Patriots, and she was so impressed by my wife’s handling of the bird flipper, we soon found ourselves asked to attend an invitation only town hall inside the Austin capital building the following day, August 22nd. The speaker, C.L. Gray, M.D., is founder of Physicians for Reform. Democrats and Republican’s were invited and told to leave their signs at home. This was to be a cordial and informative town hall.

I taped most of the first hour, which dealt mostly with the philosophy of healthcare from Plato, through Hippocrates, onward to Frederick Nietzsche, the Nazis, and ending with modern day eugenics and some contemporary players in this movement – including the White House health czar Ezekiel Immanuel. It was chilling to say the least. Dr. Gray went out of his way to assure us he was not comparing anyone to the Nazis. Sorry Nancy Pelosi, but we have it on tape. He was a quite, well-spoken presenter and moderator.

I am still attempting to pull the first hour together in a video to upload to YouTube. It is a must see. The second hour centered on solutions to our healthcare problems – real solutions – with a subsequent Q&A session. I did not catch most of the second hour on video. However, I strongly recommend the following two links:

The History: Schools of Thought – Hippocrates vs. Plato and the main site.

Here you can check out solutions which include insurance reform, tax reform, tort reform, and secondary reforms. It is a real eye opener.

In other news and opinion:

“Let’s keep turning people out for these!”

So much for the Greatest Transition in World History

Culture of corruption: Daschle edition

Rasmussen: Obama passion index at -12. Hopeless and changeless.

Congresswoman says some senators ‘Neanderthals’. Did the Congresswoman read the bill? I think not. And let’s not forget Maxine at her best, intentions laid bare. If a Neanderthal is against Socialism, an ideology Maxine passionately identifies with as evidenced in the linked video, then count me in.

I am John Galt. I am a Neanderthal.