Sandy Hook

Sandy Hook

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

The Bloggy-Wobbly Blues

The Bloggy-Wobbly Blues have had me by the throat for the past few weeks. Since I blame everything else on the right-wing, why stop now?

We've had some ugly times in this country of ours - during the hay days of the KKK, the McCarthy era, the horrid House Un-American Activities Committee, the John Birch Society - but they looked like tea parties compared to the current well financed movement that is hell-bent on destroying this country of ours. My country. The country for which I have a profound love, dammit.

In the early days of the Tea Party I thought they were just a silly bunch of fools running around with tea bags dangling from their silly hats and looking, well, silly - but essentially pretty harmless. I didn't agree with them, but could see where they might attract a small following of disgruntled Independents and Republicans, and even a few misguided Democrats. In the end, like so many such political movements, they'd probably fade into the sunset and become nothing more than a footnote in the nation's history books.

Had they stuck to their original narrow platform this wishful thinking on my part might have become reality. Instead the Tea Party, aided and abetted by Big Money, the Main Stream Media, the shamefully dishonorable Republican Party of today, and their own propaganda arm, Fox News, branched out and became the tree of, not life, but of destruction. Their silliness turned into an ugly tidal wave of anger, hate, racism, and astoundingly ignorant anti-government, anti-worker, anti-middle class, anti-woman, anti-education, anti-science, and anti-everything and anything that contributes to this country's unique place in the world.

And what the hell was John McCain thinking when he unleashed that vapid, illiterate, intellectually debased, narcissistic and fanatical woman on the American people? With her ascendancy to the MSM throne, every nut in America's woodwork has come out to play and they don't play by the rules.

I figured decent Americans would eventually come to their senses and reject these noisy, classless, selfish, narrow-minded, paranoid, twisted "morans" on the far-right and within the current Republican Party, a party that Abe Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Barry Goldwater, Nelson Rockefeller and William Buckley would most assuredly dismiss out of hand today.

Richard Freeman sums up the insanity that is the right in an article entitled, oddly enough, When the Country Goes Insane, which I highly recommend in its entirety.
Hate is stronger than logic and more than anything else, Republicans love their hate. It’s the only thing that gives them power. The more vicious, the more loony they are, the more they are treated like savants, like prophets channeling some higher wisdom, come though it may from the self-loathing gutter of political prostitution. They pull stuff out of their ass and brazenly pass it off as stone tablets. And people swoon.

Of course, you can understand why. The media genuflect before gibberish and idolize idiocy. They are the media-tors of a Gresham’s Law of public discourse where bad information drives out good. For their own slick whoring they become “players,” while everybody else is left with a debauched civic currency, a crushed economy, and a collective impotence that makes true democracy and true prosperity impossible.
And now we're seeing further hate as King Peter launches his investigation into the "radicalism of American Muslims." "Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Muslim Religion?" Odd, isn't it, how the party of less spending is wasting tax-payer money for the benefit of one tyrant's ego?

America may not be broke but it is certainly morally and emotionally bankrupt. It will take far more than my puny little blog to stem this tidal wave of anger, hate, ignorance, inequality, paranoia, racism, and selfishness. And that, my friends, depresses the hell out of me.



UPDATE: RandomThoughts and I must be on the same wavelength. He just says it a lot better.

37 comments:

  1. "And that, my friends, depresses the hell out of me."

    That is exactly what the republicans want. If you are with them, vote. If you are not with them, get depressed and stay home.

    The only answer to republican bullshit is to vote them out of office.

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  2. It has been History, that the people finally reject them, usually to late. The damage is done and is also part of our History.
    We must fight and try to demish the damage.
    History records the folly of McCarthyism, Nixon Red baiting, Reganonomics, the Religious right, the Tea Party, the tax cut chant, the military aggression to ensure democracy around the World, and so much more hurtfull silliness.
    There was a time (just a few short years ago) that I thought Americans were lost in a delusion of conservatism. Then Americans elected a Democratic Congress and a Democratic President. It's not their fault that both have disappointed them.
    I used to think racism might die off as the bigots died off, but they never die off, they just have a rebirth in new tactics.
    Do not be depressed, young one, just keep speakingb out. That is the action that creats balance.

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  3. Oh, I'll vote alright. And you'll vote and so will many of us here. No, this is impacting on my writing more than anything. It's not just the ugliness, it's the repitition of having to write about the ugliness, I think.

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  4. Thanks, Tom. It's just all so overwhelming. To me it is a well organized conspiracy that these dishonorable Republicans have probably been planning for several years. As soon as one stupid fire gets put out there's another and then another - so many and coming from so many damn directions. It's like a firestorm. No, I'm not young, just maybe paranoid?

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  5. Their silliness turned into an ugly tidal wave of angry, hate-filled, racist, and astoundingly ignorant anti-government, anti-worker, anti-middle class, anti-woman, anti-education, anti-science, and anti-everything

    Those people have always been there. In any population there's a certain percentage who are pretty much immovably mired in dumbth. Something like 20% of the population believes in ghosts and reincarnation and astrology, for crying out loud.

    The people who are now teabaggers were always there. They've just been organized into a new form that makes them more visible, and visible in a new way.

    Don't let the sound and fury distract you from the overall direction of things. The disastrous Bush Presidency did go a long way to discredit right-wing ideology, as the 2008 election results showed. 2010 wasn't a pendulum swing in the other direction, it was just a collapse of voter turn-out caused by short-sighted people who felt the Democrats hadn't done enough and weren't worth voting for. In Wisconsin and elsewhere, there are signs of people waking up -- including to the problem of rising inequality (thanks for the link, by the way). We need to keep pushing, keep educating, keep waking people up.

    No, one blog alone will not change things. One soldier alone cannot win a war, but the army that wins the war is made up of thousands of soldiers, and every one has his part to play.

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  6. What alot of people are missing on this, is folk's like the Tea Bag's really dont even have a straight agenda of their own, or even thought's, they are simply a movement as I have wrote to be a reinforcement of far right wing as a back up if the GOP fail's the master's that control the market's and frankly .... us, they are also used to create divide ... and they are funded alot by money that is anonymous, and it shouldnt be too difficult to know who the donor's/ contributor's are. They are a totally corporate sponsored and even engineered project actually. For those who may not see right now what is happening, they are going to be in for a suprise of their lifetime in the next couple year's if American's continue to not see through the smokescreen and catch this "bite" and make the connection to the root's of this, because this is a big one and many dont see it coming at all. Why do we think President Obama wanted "downsizing, but it was put by everyone else on the back burner and labeled with million's of dollar's as anti free market or such? And why do we think he is giving in some to them, he see's (Obama) something that most American's dont see coming, and this is exactly why so much resentment is directed at this President, because that is ALSO propaganda too. This is also believe it or not is why GOP folk's are even trying to cut thing's like NPR, next is going to be everyone online as well ... and especially the EPA, from the bailout's milking to shifting all revenue's to foreign account's/ investment's ... this is a very well calculated sting that I even seen year's back. Understand, to know what these folk's are doing, as I have said time and again, you MUST be able to think like them and NOT like us. No? ... some may say, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh ... wait and see. :)

    Thank You Leslie

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  7. Infiel: I realize Tea Party types have always been there. Most of my family are "followers." But, like you say, they've never been so well organized nor with so much MSM favorability. It's the GOP, who parade around spouting their concern for the "American people" and appearing respectable, while lying through their teeth and trying at every turn to destroy every advance we've made for the past 75 years or more.

    I know my criticism of the far-left makes me persona non grata in some quarters but I'm just as concerned about them as well. I'm not saying they don't have some legitimate gripes but I don't think they see the big picture, that is, we have a far bigger enemy in the right than we do in the current administration. These are the ones who didn't turn out to vote in 2010. Had they done so, things might be much different than they are now.

    I defriended someone on FB who I had just befriended. Her first post said "X amount of days until Nobama." She has a right to believe and say whatever she wants but I don't want to hear that kind of crap anymore. Maybe I need to "get out more" but here in Nashville, TN I'm not sure that would help much.

    One reason I like your blog so much is because there's little, if any, shouting - from both sides. I will try to keep your last paragraph in mind.

    RC: The Tea Party is the right-wing and the Republicans of today have been quick to bed down with them. Formerly half-way decent GOPers have sold their souls to the devil and have helped create a monster in the process. I don't think there's a chance in hell I can think like these people.

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  8. I know my criticism of the far-left makes me persona non grata in some quarters but I'm just as concerned about them as well. I'm not saying they don't have some legitimate gripes but I don't think they see the big picture

    I'd be a lot less kind to them than you are. There are people who denounce Obama as a flat-out right-winger, people who refused to vote in 2010 and encouraged others not to, who thus directly contributed to the election of people like Walker and Rand Paul. Persona non grata? You should be proud to earn their dislike.

    Criticism of our own crazy extremists is vital. It's because (most of) the right is so reluctant to criticize their crazy extremists, the Becks and Limbaughs and Angles and so forth, that they're all increasingly tainted by them.

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  9. Infidel: Thank you so much for that vote of confidence. It really does make me feel so much better. I don't feel kindly toward them at all; I think I was just trying to be diplomatic or restrained or whatever. I think I pretty much expressed myself in the piece I did, called, "how the far-left mirrors the far-right."

    http://parsleyspics.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-far-left-mirrors-far-right.html

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  10. Buck up, my friend. I'm watching Michael Moore on Maddow, watching the reaction tonight in Madison. When you and I met on a rainy day in Nashville last November, we could never have imagined that the middle class would be taking it to the streets. And now...as MM says, it's "Egyptian" out there.

    People are figuring out what's been done to them, what's going to be done to them if they don't step up. You and I remember the impact protest can have on government policy, but anyone short of 55 has no real, personal experience of the power of massive, non-violent protest. They are about to find out.

    Frankly, I haven't felt this optimistic in years. Our words have mattered, will matter. A movement is created one word at a time, one presence at a time.

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  11. "Hate is stronger than logic and more than anything else, Republicans love their hate. It’s the only thing that gives them power."

    I've said for years it's resentment, but hate might be a better term for it.

    There is a sickness in the soul of a little more than a quarter of Americans. It's poisoning our society and politics as it cripples our government.

    If the decent majority doesn't wake up, get proactive and deal with it decisively, the resentment, or hate, will consume all that has been good about this country. All that will be left is a Third-World has-been, a monument to the bitter fruits of inattention, ignorance and selfishness run amok.

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  12. BTW, I meant to include that Jerry Critter's bottom line, above, is the bottom line.

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  13. Leslie:

    You are not alone. I believe this is particularly depressing to those of us of a certain age who can remember when most Americans loved the country and honored the president, when education was most important, when the world looked up to an American standard and when journalists reported facts.

    None of the radical efforts you mention brought this country down, and I have hope that none ever will.

    We little group of bloggers don’t have to save the country. We do our part by keeping ourselves informed – for the greatest enemy of America today is apathy among those who should know better.

    BJ

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  14. TNLib, you've probably heard by now that the Republicans in the Wisconsin state senate have passed Walker's union-busting bill, almost unanimously -- the bill that the Democrats fled the state in an effort to prevent.

    Next time one of those "far-left" jack-asses tells you there's no real difference between the two parties, remind them of what the Democrats did in this dispute, and what the Republicans did.

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  15. Leslie:

    I’m reading these great comments.

    You are right about the “conspiracy.” It began with Lee Atwater’s “Southern Strategy” of convincing Americans in the southern states to vote for a party that doesn’t give a damn about their interests.

    Remember how everyone made fun of Hillary’s “Vast right-wing conspiracy”? Then, David Brock, who would found “Meida Matters” published “Blinded By the Right” and revealed Hillary was right.

    Our less-than-worthy opponents peddle hate. We’ve got something to sell, so let’s sell it!

    Personally, I pride myself on being part of a party which takes the high ground.

    BJ

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  16. To all of you collectively: Your comments have been more than uplifting for me. Believe it or not, I was feeling so discouraged that it took me two weeks to put the finishing touches on this - and thinking about it long and hard before finally posting it. To say my inner thoughts have been in turmoil would be a gross understatement - from the fascist thinking on the right to the far-left's Obama bashing to "who gives a shit what I think." So, thanks are due to each of you for helping to pull my head out of the proverbial hole.

    @Nance: The WI protests have brought feelings of hope I haven't had in a long time. I just hope it continues and grows much like the anti-war movement did.

    @SW: I think under the umbrella of hate we find resentment, anger, racism, vindictiveness, and a whole bunch of other unpleasant characteristics. It all goes hand in hand along with paranoia and ignorance.

    @BJ: We've certainly been apathetic over the last few years, even before Obama was elected. Since his election we can add complacency. And yes, I guess being an old fart does offer some unique perspectives. ; )

    @Infidel: I have to confess that the far-left can stoke my anger as much as the far-right. And I don't feel like playing nice anymore. Both sides are equally selfish and ignorant in my book. I posted this comment on FB last night along with the following article.

    "Pardon my language, but these a**hats are so totally full of s***. They are destroying our democracy, not bit by bit, but with a tsunami of totally undemocratic legislation. Thank you those of you who didn't vote in 2010. Happy now?"

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/06/AR2011030602662.html

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  17. Besides just the above!!!

    One other thing I'm seeing from the far-left is increasing hysteria. Even more disturbing, to me anyway, is that what used to be mere exageration has turned into "misleading information," aka non-truths, or just plain flat-out old-fashioned lying. Having had a brother who'd rather climb a tree and tell a lie than sit on the ground and tell the truth, I have zero tolerance with myth making - regardless of which side of the equation a person represents.

    In the meantime, I am having serious connection problems and am forced to use a remote computer.

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  18. Leslie - I'm not sure what was better, the post or the comments. I think it's a tie.

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  19. Leslie,
    I'm honored that you put a link to my rambling. You state the case extremely well. At what point does doing the same thing and expecting different results turn from persistence to futility to insanity? I'm not sure, but I know that I will be able to depend on you and a whole host of fantastic writers to keep fighting the good fight.

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  20. Leslie: I've been fighting off a severe case of the "I give the hell up"s for the past two days. After the sleazy deal in Madison and the relentless onslaught of anti-union venom on every cable channel, on Facebook, in email forwards, etc. I'm just about OVER IT. I rarely get disheartened by political nastiness, but this has been a horrible couple of weeks. I'd like to share Nance's optimism, and at times I agree that the right may have overplayed their hand and awakened the sleeping giant of apathetic working people, but then again, I never underestimate the ignorance and gullibility of the American voter.
    Hard to write, think, or care when we keep getting beaten down every where we turn.

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  21. Well, this should cheer you right up - Maddow on how the Republicans are trying to limit who can vote:

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/42021054#42021054

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  22. Infidel753 wrote: "Next time one of those "far-left" jack-asses tells you there's no real difference between the two parties, remind them of what the Democrats did in this dispute, and what the Republicans did."

    I share your disagreement with those who claim there's no difference between the parties. It's a faulty, counterproductive position to take. And when taken by those who set out to show 'em by not voting or otherwise getting involved, it's irresponsible.

    That said, much of the disgust on the left is focused on congressional Democrats, including conservadems in both houses and, most especially, with Senate Dems, who more and more come off as feckless and as dysfunctional as the institution they serve in.

    What we're seeing in Wisconsin and similarly afflicted states is Democrats of the states and localities rising up at the grass roots to fight back. I hope their courage and determination will help straighten and strengthen some spines among Democrats serving in Washington, D.C.

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  23. @SW: While conservative Democratic congressional reps are most worthy recipients of liberal scorn, our friends on the far-left who are making a career out of bashing every single thing Obama does, doesn't do, says, doesn't say - regardless of facts, myths, merits or pettiness - are a major part of the problem. And of course, they go fishing on election day or vote for some one-cause candidate.

    For months after I started blogging, I thought all liberals hated Obama. It wasn't until I got out in the "real" world that I found this not to be the case at all - even here in Nashville. And then I started opening up my FB to a lot of progressive and political causes. While finding like-minded souls has its rewards, I'm not sure that the inundation of "bad news" and the Obama bashing on FB isn't the real culprit behind the blahs.

    Worst of all, I find that much of the "far-left," for lack of a better term, is less and less inclined to check facts. Honest to God, sometimes they really do sound like those who are supposed to represent the enemy - the far-right. Forget trying to reason with them by presenting documented evidence to the contrary. Forget tolerance and open mindedness.

    And then there's the deadening repetition of so-called news and comments on FB - and I thought it was bad in Bloggy World.

    Maybe I should defriend the whole lot of them and go back to just family and real flesh and blood friends and to the hum-drum of reading about broken nails and kids who graduate first in their kindergarten class. Not a chance, but hiding is not all bad.

    Regardless of politics, I keep telling myself that February is simply a blah month for most people and this too shall pass. With the reawakening of the American spirit in support of the teachers and unions in Wisconsin, my own spirits seem to be taking flight. And I can't wait to see those farmers tractoring in to Madison today. Wonder if any of them will be pulling some jackasses behind them.

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  24. Worst of all, I find that much of the "far-left," for lack of a better term, is less and less inclined to check facts. Honest to God, sometimes they really do sound like those who are supposed to represent the enemy - the far-right.

    Irrational extremists are irrational extremists. The mentality is the mentality. What specific cause they attach themselves to may be almost just a detail.

    And I can't wait to see those farmers tractoring in to Madison today. Wonder if any of them will be pulling some jackasses behind them.

    I have a feeling that the average farmer, like the average union member, is a lot more practical-minded and has little time for the rarefied abstractions of the radicals. They want to know what the politicians have done for them lately -- but they can also see it when they've delivered.

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  25. Infidel: I read where one farmer was pulling a manure spreader, filled to the top with manure and with a sign that read, " "Walker's Bill Belongs Here."

    "Irrational extremists are irrational extremists." Exactly and some are notable by their absence. ; )

    Email on the way.

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  26. Odd, isn't it, how the party of less spending is wasting tax-payer money for the benefit of one tyrant's ego?

    Well, that's the whole point, right there in a nutshell. This is an OJ glove, much like the NPR thing, planned parenthood, et. al.. These are merely distractions from the real problem: That the GOP wants complete power, but has absolutely no idea what to do about the economic problems. So, they pull out the OJ glove to distract the jury.

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  27. Bee: You're so absolutely right. And to carry it one step further, what do Republicans who have a fascist bent do to stimulate the economy? Start a war.

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  28. As one of them far lefties, I have been avoiding politics for a few days. For me it has been the coordinated attack on women, LGBT community and labor, I can't seem to keep up with it.

    I've had the feeling it's like the bread and circus act of Roman Times. You know, give them the least and they will take the crumbs, oh and they'll fight among themselves for those crumbs. Well, after a few days of thought, peace and looking inwards, I'm ready to take it to these bastards. I've been able to vote for 12 years and they can't take my vote from me, what they will do is work for it now. Another thing, the top 1-10%, they may have the money but the rest of us have the vote to oust them. I plan on trying to round up some of that 90% of people in my own little area for next year. I had said I won't waste my time, more than once, over the last little while. Found out I am too concerned about humanity to do that, who knew. I'm young, female, healthy and pissed off, so I can go till I can't anymore. This was a really great read Leslie.

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  29. I have been reading posts today and not commenting because I simply don't have the time, but your post resonates with me and I must comment.

    As they say, "I couldn't have said it better myself." Okay, that's a stretch. You really did a good job of laying it out there. You said it so much better than my humble efforts could have produced. Thanks, Leslie.

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  30. Jess: Hopefully, you're not in one of those categories the Republicans are trying to disenfranchise. ; )

    Darlene: I have no doubt whatsoever that you could have said it much better.

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  31. FYI Leslie - I left a link to this wonderful post over MMA

    http://madmikesamerica.com/2011/03/what-other-people-are-saying/

    It needs to be read by as many people as possible.

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  32. Holte: Thanks for the vote of confidence. Interestingly, I've become persona non grata with a few of the folks on MMA. One even went so far as to defriend me on FB. Oh my.

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  33. Whoever defriended you can kiss my skinny butt, hope they read this. I was talking to Mike and I said I would love you to contribute to MMA, but I'm too scared to ask you. We don't mind cross-posting.

    You are welcome at MMA anytime, as a visitor, preferably as a contributor.

    Editorially we support Obama, or any democratic president, don't mind criticism of the president, but not the hate we are beginning to see from the hard left.

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  34. Holte: That's quite a compliment. I'll message you tomorrow - or, more accurately, later on today.

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  35. Beautifully said, Leslie!! I'm trying to get caught up after a having taking a break for my tenuous grip on sanity's sake. And thanks for the Tom Lehrer vid -- I think he's almost apocalyptic in his observations.

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