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Moms Demand Action: Shannon Watts, The Plastic Gardener.

ByMiguel.GFZ

Jun 5, 2013

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is the new astroturf “grassroots” gun control movement out there. Yes, one tends to be a tad cynic about these things because of what we have seen in the past.

So where does MDAGSA (MDA for short) comes from. According to their own website, their initial name was “One Million Moms for Gun Control” and “formed within 24 hours of the Connecticut elementary school shooting” by Shannon Watts. So who is this person? According to the Huffington Post:

Shannon Watts is a 42-year-old mother of five children (two step-daughters, 23 and 19; two daughters, 17 and 16; and a 12-year-old son). For the past five years, Ms. Watts has been a stay-at-home mom in Zionsville, a suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. Prior to that, she had a 15-year career as a communications executive for both public relations agencies and Fortune 500 corporations.

Well hell, she is Suzy Homemaker re-incarnated! You noticed that I highlighted (embolden) a section of the Huff Po profile where it mentions that she is a Stay Home mom because it contradicts what her Linkedin profile says:

President

VoxPop Public Relations

VoxPop Public Relations is a strategic public relations agency that helps individuals, companies and organizations accelerate their growth, profitability, reputation and market presence through media relations, product launches, new media, events and promotions, messaging and media training, and issues management.

So the claim that she was basically doing nothing but staying put at home, baking cookies, attending PTA meetings and chasing the neighbor’s dog out of her flower patch suddenly takes a hit by her own words. But things start to get funky. Doing a bit of Google-Fu, the name Shannon Watts does not come associated with VoxPop but the name Shannon Troughton does.  In fact, for the rest of the list of institutions where Ms. Watts says she worked, all come back associated with the name Shannon Troughton. Now, she may have had good reasons to change her name, but I am one of those that go by the motto “In God We Trust, everybody else keep your hands where I can see them” so let’s take a look at the other companies she worked for because it shows an interesting pattern: She is not just Suzy Homemaker or some low-grade employee at a small company but a heavy Public relations hitter, savvy on the ways of media manipulation and making her clients look good. Basically she “grows” astroturf for a living.

Vice President, Corporate Communications
WellPoint December 2005 – December 2008 (3 years 1 month)
Led communications team for the country’s largest health benefits company and provided communications support for the country’s highest ranking female chief executive officer. Responsible for enterprise-wide media relations, including investor relations.

Another fast Google-Fu search gives us an article of sudden insurance claim denied by BlueCross to a 13-year-old boy with heavy brain damage. The spoke-person for the parent company of BlueCross (Wellpoint) is Shannon Troughton. There are over 6,000 Google results for the words Shannon Troughton WellPoint.
Shannon Troughton/ Shannon Watts was also the Director, Global Communications
GE Healthcare from 2004 – 2006. GE Healtcare is the $14 billion healthcare (medical diagnostics and devices) business within General Electric, again not your local bake sale to raise funds for the school band.

This one is gonna give the hives to many a Hippie out there. For three years Shannon Troughton/ Shannon Watts was the Director of Global Public and Corporate Affairs for none other than Monsanto. She did her bit defending Genetically engineered crops, fought labeling of genetically engineered products and defended the company’s lawsuits against farmers.

The first entry of her Linkedin is revealing: Five years as Public Affairs Officer Missouri State Government where she worked for Governor Mel Carnahan, the Missouri House of Representatives, and the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Some older heads will remember that Gov. Carnahan died in a plane crash in 2000 during re-election campaign and that his memorial service became a freak show of political speeches and campaign stumping by Clinton and Gore against then Governor Bush and Senator John Ashcroft who was running against Carnahan and were present at the memorial.

OpenSecrets.org shows that Shannon Watts donated to the Democratic Congressional Committee, Barack Obama (7 times) and Rob Zerban who went against Paul Ryan in the 2012 the 1st Congressional District of Wisconsin. Yes, had to look the guy up.

So, the initial and very amateurish research tells us that Shannon Troughton/ Shannon Watts is far from the image of a traditional mom who was baking cookies the day of the Sandy Hook Elementary Massacre and she was so horrified by the actions of Adam Lanza that she ripped off her apron and launched herself on to the streets demanding tougher gun control laws. If anything we have here a very experienced Public Relations operative with 20 years worth of experience in manipulating the message.

If all of this has a ring of familiarity to the Old Gunnies, you are right. You might remember Donna Dees-Thomases, founder of the Million Mom March who was also touted as a Suzy Homemaker who after watching on TV the coverage of the Los Angeles Jewish Community Center shooting, felt she needed to do something for Gun Control and founded MMM. What was never mentioned by the Media at the time (with the exception of the Wall Street Journal) was that Donna Dees-Thomases was Dan Rather’s publicist, CSB employee and sister-in-law of Hillary Clinton’s lawyer and political confidant during the Whitewater scandals.

Basically it seems that they are back to their old tricks.

I am gonna keep digging and see what else I find.

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By Miguel.GFZ

Semi-retired like Vito Corleone before the heart attack. Consiglieri to J.Kb and AWA. I lived in a Gun Control Paradise: It sucked and got people killed. I do believe that Freedom scares the political elites.

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96 thoughts on “Moms Demand Action: Shannon Watts, The Plastic Gardener.”

  1. You sir, are an ANIMAL! Find a link to Bloomberg and you get a gold star…or a box of .45ACP. Your choice!

  3. Wow! I’ve seen some fine fiskings in my day, but this is the best take-down of an Internet resume I’ve ever seen!

    Well done, sir! Well done indeed!

    (BTW, second on Bill Baldwin’s comment: You win the Internets for a week if you find a link to Illegal Mayors Against Your Guns. 😉 )

  5. “You’re a triple impostor, I’ve never seen anything like it. Is there anything real about you?”
    -Tony Stark, Iron Man 2

  6. I did a little digging when this group first hit the airwaves and was getting national press coverage a week after their formation. You expertly dug up considerably more than I did. These groups are all astroturf at their heart.

  9. Answer: 15 minutes. It was deleted and I was blocked. I did manage to post it to about half a dozen of the chapter pages though. A futile effort, I know, but I had a few minutes to kill.

      1. Gotta post it to your page and link them in it via @ which means they can’t remove it without going thru the FB chain of command, and it appears on their page as a “tagged in” post. I think.

    2. Well, let’s see: I finally gritted my teeth, bit the bullet (to coin a phrase) and joined Facebook so I could ‘Ave a go, Mate!” at Moms Demand Whatever and the Brady Campaign to prevent Liberty. I worked one evening on one of their forum pages, and the next evening on the other one before I got restricted by Facebook from posting on ANYONE’S page, and from creating any new pages of my own. Pretty autocratic bunch, Facebook. Seems to me if you are going to post discussion forums open to the public, you ought to protect the free speech of the users, with the exception of those using profanity, vulgarity, and threats. Maybe I’ll see a lawyer.

      1. I have been banned by the Huffpost for using the word CommieCRat too many times in my comments…Shucky Darn!

  10. Just posted a link with a bleg for other to link here. Hopefully we can possibly get this to start building up. Wishful thinking but I”d love to see this fisking on FOX and have a Senator or two asking some questions about it.

  11. It is astroturf all the way down… I’m not shocked that her anti-self defense group is astroturf, but she’s seemingly never worked for a grass roots cause, ever. I wouldn’t be shocked to learn that when every other kid in the neighborhood was opening lemonade stands, she was informing on them to the county health board.

  12. Is it just me, or does the name “Moms Demand Action” sound like a website you couldn’t view at work?

    1. I think someone ought to create a parallel website and/or Facebook account for just that purpose(much like the old Web cliche whitehouse.com).
      Bet the joke page gets more likes than the original.

  14. Miggy, I submitted this story as a tip at The Blaze. Others might do the same or send it to other groups. If they get started on it, maybe someone else will pick it up. important work.

    1. Well, ain’t that interesting? But the FEC search engine (http://www.fec.gov/finance/disclosure/norindsea.shtml) does show the following:

      WATTS, SHANNON
      ZIONSVILLE, IN 46077
      FLEISHMAN-HILLARD

      DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE
      01/28/2011 500.00 11952504269

      WATTS, SHANNON
      ZIONSVILLE, IN 46077
      SELF

      DNC SERVICES CORPORATION/DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE
      03/23/2010 500.00 10990776763

      EMILY’S LIST
      03/18/2010 500.00 10990806553

      ZERBAN, ROB
      VIA ROB ZERBAN FOR CONGRESS
      08/13/2012 250.00 13961642434

      WATTS, SHANNON
      ZIONSVILLE, IN 46077
      SELF-EMPLOYED

      OBAMA, BARACK
      VIA OBAMA FOR AMERICA
      06/29/2012 250.00 13962865158
      07/06/2012 250.00 12952770567
      07/10/2012 250.00 12952762972

      WATTS, SHANNON
      ZIONSVILLE, IN 46077
      SHANNON WATTS

      DONNELLY, JOSEPH S
      VIA DONNELLY FOR INDIANA
      05/15/2013 500.00 13020284821

      Total Contributions: 3000.00

      Joint Fundraising Contributions

      These are contributions to committees who are raising funds to be distributed to other committees. The breakdown of these contributions to their final recipients may appear below

      WATTS, SHANNON
      ZIONSVILLE, IN 46077
      SELF-EMPLOYED

      OBAMA VICTORY FUND 2012
      07/09/2012 250.00 12952686866

      Total Joint Fundraising: 250.00

      Recipient of Joint Fundraiser Contributions

      These are the Final Recipients of Joint Fundraising Contributions

      WATTS, SHANNON
      ZIONSVILLE, IN 46077
      SELF-EMPLOYED

      OBAMA, BARACK
      VIA OBAMA FOR AMERICA
      07/09/2012 250.00 12952777300

      Recipient Total: 250.00

      TRY A: NEW QUERY
      RETURN TO: FEC HOME PAGE

  21. The name she uses to troll Starbucks’ page is Shannon Marmion Watts. Another trail to follow? Being a staunch democRAT, you KNOW she keeps a graveyard in her closet.

    1. Lets not get into things like home addresses of vehicle id’s… Last thing we need is someone to do something stupid…

      1. This has been reported to the FBI, as have all of the other threatening comments on this page.

        2. The closest thing to a threat on this page is yours, where you hypocritically call on MEN with GUNS for help against an imaginary boogeyman.

        3. Feel free to report your blocking of my rights to freedom of speech, as well. Here, your comment has not been blocked, however, being the poster child that you and your ilk are for ‘Double Standards’, Moms Demand Action deleted my posting when I posed factual and relevant questions of your group on your Facebook page. I, unlike you, also used my real name rather than pull one out of hat. Honey, whoever you are, feel free to look in a mirror and tell yourself to grow a pair, and then go find some common sense. Take the poor FBI who gets stuck listening to you out to lunch for some cry fries and a waaaburger (cuz the poor guy is not getting paid enough to put up with you!) your kids need a mother, not a crybaby. And don’t forget to tell him my REAL name: Donna Guiffrida, mother who is, and who raises Sheepdogs, not Sheeple!!

          1. Donna, you are one of many who have challenged them in their turf only to be shunned because they (contrary to their narrative) do not accept a “reasoned discourse” or really want to “have a conversation about guns.
            Our club is both big and honorable.
            Welcome!

        4. I guess that explains Ms. Watts’ “threats” she was talking about. If this is what you consider threats then they are as big a fraud as she is.

        6. And have you filed your form 990 with the IRS for 2012 0r 2013? oh wait, no you didn’t. Seems to me you should not be calling the Feds on others lest others call the Feds on you….

      2. Shannon Watts(TM) was kind enough to register her Moms Demand (extra) Action at: 6100 Stonegate Run, Zionsville, IN 46077, which also happens to be her home address. 🙂 Her husband is John Watts and he is a (forcibly) retired executive from Wellpoint (hmm, wonder if they met at work and that caused a scene). Trying to figure out why Johnny “retired” at the ripe old age of 50 when he was only president of a business unit for 1 yr?

  26. Here are some of the names that she has used: Shannon M Troughton, Shannon Renee Marmion, Shannon Renee Troughton, Shannon R weaver, Shannon M Weaver… I think that it rather odd, because when I searched the names of the so called parents that lost kids at sandyhook supposedly they all had a few things in common. All of them had multiple names like this, all of them stated something different then what was in their linked in profile as what they currently do, all of the sandy hook people that lost children had moved there within a 2 year period. And Ms. Watts started her crusade after Sandy hook… I do not believe in coincidence

    1. Marmion, Troughton, and Watts are confirmed last names used. It sounds like she is on husband #2.

      If the Weaver name is accurate then she may be on husband #3.

    1. Not helping bro.
      I can’t see any woman going to that page and saying Right on! I need to be making more sammiches.

  29. The closest thing to a threat on this page is yours, where you hypocritically call on MEN with GUNS for help against an imaginary boogeyman.

  30. OUTSTANDING…… Great work my PATRIOTIC brother…. wish i had a special prize for you…. I guess your prize is that you found the FACTS…. and that in itself is a prize… Thank You Sir… from another PATRIOTIC brother… God Bless..

  32. Teehee… I’m feeling a bit evil, I hope you don’t mind, but I linked to your web article, and posted on my FB… I wanna see what happens!

    Original FB Post:
    “@Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America Stay at home mom, huh? IMPOSTOR! Monsanto lapdog! Government Lackey!”

      1. She’s a fraud and she’s delusional. Not one shred of logic or rational thought comes forth from her and her fake mom group.

  42. Here is some fuel for the fire…catch the rest of the article @ tavernkeepers.com in a day or two when it is published

    Does anyone but me find it odd that their first Domain Registry was registered FOUR DAYS after Sandy Hook? Four days after the shooting I was still in shock at the scope of the tragedy and was glued to my T.V. wondering what had caused that young man to do such a thing. I certainly was not in a place to consider organizing anything. How about the fact they use a domain privacy service (same one as MAIG uses)? If this was such a spontaneous decision how did she know to do this? I can find no mention of Domains By Proxy on the GoDaddy site…. I have had my own websites for 13 years and I had no idea what a domain privacy service was until a few minutes before I wrote this sentence. I submit to you dear reader that there was some heavy hitters behind this “grassroots” organization.

    http://www.whois.com/whois/onemillionmomsforguncontrol.com

    This website of course links right to the Moms Demand Action Website.

    Also highly suspect is the fact that this little group was incorporated ELEVEN DAYS after Sandy Hook! This means, that on Saturday December 15th, Shannon Watts “sat at her kitchen table” and began a Facebook page the day after the shooting, By Tuesday she had registered a domain name and by the following Wednesday, she had connected with a lawyer/producer Kimberly Samek in California, filed paperwork to from a Non Profit corporation in the State of Indiana, and was incorporated. Now, I say 12 days, but four of those days were weekends, the day before the incorporation was a Tuesday and Christmas, so I suspect the office was also closed on that Monday. This means that this whole “grassroots” organization appeared out of thin air within five business days of the first shot being fired. That has to be some kind of world record….

    I call Shenanigans! Astroturf! Frauds! Charlatans! I would not be surprised if this whole group was conceived by Bloomberg himself. I haven’t seen a group this fake since the American Hunters and Shooters Association! Once again the Left can only forward its agenda through deception and manipulation which, if the cause was noble and just, would not be necessary.

  45. Chairman Mao is attributed with the quote: A lie repeated a hundred times becomes the truth.

    Chairman Mao was a communist.

    Is Shannon a communist?

  50. […] Arizona – -(Ammoland.com)- The marketing expertise of Moms Demand Action has created a media campaign to demonize the open carry of long guns, especially in Texas.   Shannon Watts, who heads MDA, is a longtime professional at creating media campaigns: […]

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