Meetup.com

If you are an American expat living in London and have joined www.meetup.com  the odds of you knowing who Wilber Webb is IS very high...  After some ridiculous emails that he has sent out such as trying to raise money for the wikileaks guy... trying to get the embassy to take down the new Ronald Regan statue and replace it with Elvis Presley...etc... you get my point... 

I did some research and first of all... he MAY not even be an American... His name is not Wilber Webb it's Anthony...  He also likes to rsvp with a "+99" so his numbers are always high for those who don't take the time to look for those sorts of things...  He also likes to overcharge people for events... 

I've since deleted him/his group from my meetup.com account and thought I'd just give you guys and gals a heads up about what kind of person you may/could be dealing with...


Below is a copy of an email he recently sent out...

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Wilber Webb
To: american-11-announce@meetup.com
Sent: Sunday, July 17, 2011 5:28 PM
Subject: [american-11] Ronald Reagan Statue: A PETITION
Ronald Reagan Statue: A PETITION
The votes are in~ American expats want ELVIS as the new statue on the Plynth! http://www.meetup.com/americansabroad/events/24582441/ http://www.meetup.com/americansabroad/messages/boards/thread/13236521#48601811
A statue of Ronald Reagan has been unveiled in London THIS WEEK at the US Embassy, at US taxpayer and US expats expense.

As the 30 year political project which began under the Reagan administration went down in flames over the Iraq war taking his party, nearly the country itself and whole global economy down with it it seems an odd choice.

There are hundreds, if not dare I say millions of Americans who might have better fit the bill for eulogising. Walt Whitman, Martin Luther King Jr, Thomas Paine, Thurgood Marshall are some names that spring quickly to mind~ People who contributions are genuinely respected globally and in in our host country, People who genuinely embody the best of America.

I've asked 5,000 expat Americans who they would like representing them (more consultation than the actual Embassy itself did! x) and I got some interesting replies; Some sugested placing a bronze Bonzo next to Mr Reagans effagy, others suggested a pulling down party ala Saddam's statue. Some said Mickey Mouse or a Jeff Koons statue, some suggested famous football, baseball, basketball and soccar stars; Like Michael Jordan, or Landon Donovan.

But the top votes by number went to the man himself~ The "King" of Rock and Roll himself Elvis! If there has to be a plynth (and who say's there does!) I can think of few people from American late 20th Century history so universally admired over here; except of course for Sinatra.

This a bit jokey, but there is a valid point.

The United States is the world Superpower when It comes to Human Rights; Though you might not know it by how policy has been carried out over the last few decades. We need to come to grips with the reality of where our politics has led us and make changes. Building a monument to the very ideology that has taken us down this wrong road, in light of one of the biggest global meltdowns in nearly one hundred years of Economics is taking the bisquit.

This is an image for the dustbin of history, and quite rightly so. It's a statement by a small group of ideologues, at our expense, who are now at the losing end of history. It's time we tell them what we think of this statue and fortress embassy USA. It's time we said no.

There was no consultation on this : they just sprang it on us. This small gang does not have our consent: This image does not represent Americans in London.

Please tell us who you would rather have memorialised as a statue in front of our embassy? Let's get a better image of America in front of our embassy~ Our country deserves that much!

Vote; Who would you rather have on THE PLYNTH! http://www.meetup.com/americansabroad/events/24582441/http://www.meetup.com/americansabroad/messages/boards/thread/13236521#48601811