Politics makes me ill
Yes, a history post and now a political one. Where's the frivolity, ask you? Well, when we are in balance of humors, all is well. Therefore - serious stuff today.
I want to go into politics. Okay, it's no secret that I want to take over the world, and to do that, I need to get into politics. Actually, once I started having kids I got a lot more interested in politicians and the HUGE effect they can have on our lives. But politics still makes me ill.
I haven't been zipping around yonder Internet this week as much as I usually do, because Norah still has diarrhea and isn't sleeping in the afternoon as much as she used to, and when both kids are awake ... well, let's just say I still have hair, but it's much grayer than it used to be. However, earlier this week I was cruising some blogs for rough trade, and I ran smack into the right-wing shitstorm over Cindy Sheehan.
Now, I think Cindy Sheehan is grandstanding just a little bit. There is no way Bush is going to meet with her, and she knows it, but she can't let it go. However, I'm willing to cut her a little slack because, you know, her son is dead. But the right-wing blogosphere? Sweet Jeebus, I guess Cindy Sheehan must have:
a. Killed her son herself;
b. Rubbed his blood and feces all over an American flag before setting it on fire;
c. Eaten his body;
d. Plotted with Osama bin Laden (remember him?) to fly the planes into the World Trade Center;
e. Actually been in one of the planes, managing to parachute out at the last minute;
f. Danced at Ground Zero while laughing at the families of the victims;
g. Called Bush's daughter drunken whores. Oh, wait a minute ...
It's really unbelievable the hatred being spewed this woman's way. I seriously don't hear as much hatred being spewed Osama's way. I realize this is only the right-wing blogosphere and crazy people on FOX, but they are calling this woman a traitor. All because her son got killed and she wants Bush to acknowledge that maybe going into Iraq isn't such a good idea. Again, I think she's grandstanding a bit, and if Bush won't admit there's such a thing as global warming when, you know, every scientist in the world tells him it exists, he's certainly not going to admit the war is wrong. But is Cindy Sheehan a traitor? Really?
This is why politics makes me ill. Again, these are people who are not in politics, but it's a political situation. Okay, I'm liberal. I'm not ashamed to admit it, even though most Democrats appear to be these days. The left in this country has allowed the crazy right-wingers to hijack not only the Republican Party (yes, it's not their responsibility to stop that, but it still happened, partly because the Democrats are stupid), make "liberal" a dirty word, but now, it's even worse: "liberal" in the minds of many crazy right-wingers (and probably Bush, although he doesn't have the balls to say it) has become synonymous with "traitor." I can't believe it. If you are liberal, you're a traitor. Not anti-American, but a traitor. According to Bill O'Reilly, you should be shot. This is disgusting.
I don't think Cindy Sheehan is helping the terrorists. I don't think anything that goes against Bush's megalomaniacal agenda helps the terrorists. I don't think the terrorists think it's helping the terrorists. Why? Because the terrorists want us to turn into the kind of place where all dissent is crushed. They want the United States to lock up people with absolutely no justification, squash free speech, drag Cindy Sheehan away for ruining Bush's MONTH-LONG FUCKING VACATION WHEN HE JUST TOOK ONE IN APRIL!,¹ allow preachers to call for crusades against Islam, racially profile any swarthy person who wants to get on an airplane - THEY WANT THIS! Cindy Sheehan and her vigil probably pisses Osama bin Laden off to no end. "What the fuck, George?" he's probably saying. "Cart that woman off to Guantanamo! She's exercising her freedom, and we can't have that!"
I have always believed that political discourse in America can be held in a civil manner even when people disagree. I also believe that the crazy right-wing, anti-science,² anti-religion,³ anti-abortion, anti-dissent party that the Republicans have morphed into will not last, because they are FUCKING INSANE. However, what I would really love if prominent politicians no longer called them Republicans, because they're not Republicans. If the right-wingers are going to call all liberals "traitors," then from now on liberals should call all right-wingers "fascists." Don't make a big deal of it, just do it. Here's a sample conversation:
"I always liked that John McCain. He has some good ideas and doesn't allow party politics to get in the way of his beliefs."
"Yeah. That fascist really stood up for what he believed in when he kissed Bush's ass on the campaign trail last year after Bush suggested he wasn't a war hero in 2000."
"What about Arlen Specter? He's a reasonable guy."
"Did he vote for Bush?"
"Well, he's a Republican, so -"
"He's a fucking fascist."
Try it! You'll like it!
Sorry I'm so angry. I try to see both sides of the issue and understand the side I don't agree with, I really do. I have a bunch of issues with the Democrats, too. But this has gone on too long. Why doesn't ANYONE read history anymore? Extremism always destroys societies. ALWAYS!
¹ Sorry. Fuck. I bet he gets paid for it too. My wife just took maternity leave and didn't get paid for it. Fucking Bush and his fucking vacations. Maybe if he wasn't sleeping on the job all the time I'd grant him a vacation.
² Go here for a great rant about Rush Limbaugh and his dismissal of environmentalists.
³ Yes, I wrote "anti-religion." They are, you know. They don't even like Catholics, and Catholics are OLD-SCHOOL CHRISTIANS!
I want to go into politics. Okay, it's no secret that I want to take over the world, and to do that, I need to get into politics. Actually, once I started having kids I got a lot more interested in politicians and the HUGE effect they can have on our lives. But politics still makes me ill.
I haven't been zipping around yonder Internet this week as much as I usually do, because Norah still has diarrhea and isn't sleeping in the afternoon as much as she used to, and when both kids are awake ... well, let's just say I still have hair, but it's much grayer than it used to be. However, earlier this week I was cruising some blogs for rough trade, and I ran smack into the right-wing shitstorm over Cindy Sheehan.
Now, I think Cindy Sheehan is grandstanding just a little bit. There is no way Bush is going to meet with her, and she knows it, but she can't let it go. However, I'm willing to cut her a little slack because, you know, her son is dead. But the right-wing blogosphere? Sweet Jeebus, I guess Cindy Sheehan must have:
a. Killed her son herself;
b. Rubbed his blood and feces all over an American flag before setting it on fire;
c. Eaten his body;
d. Plotted with Osama bin Laden (remember him?) to fly the planes into the World Trade Center;
e. Actually been in one of the planes, managing to parachute out at the last minute;
f. Danced at Ground Zero while laughing at the families of the victims;
g. Called Bush's daughter drunken whores. Oh, wait a minute ...
It's really unbelievable the hatred being spewed this woman's way. I seriously don't hear as much hatred being spewed Osama's way. I realize this is only the right-wing blogosphere and crazy people on FOX, but they are calling this woman a traitor. All because her son got killed and she wants Bush to acknowledge that maybe going into Iraq isn't such a good idea. Again, I think she's grandstanding a bit, and if Bush won't admit there's such a thing as global warming when, you know, every scientist in the world tells him it exists, he's certainly not going to admit the war is wrong. But is Cindy Sheehan a traitor? Really?
This is why politics makes me ill. Again, these are people who are not in politics, but it's a political situation. Okay, I'm liberal. I'm not ashamed to admit it, even though most Democrats appear to be these days. The left in this country has allowed the crazy right-wingers to hijack not only the Republican Party (yes, it's not their responsibility to stop that, but it still happened, partly because the Democrats are stupid), make "liberal" a dirty word, but now, it's even worse: "liberal" in the minds of many crazy right-wingers (and probably Bush, although he doesn't have the balls to say it) has become synonymous with "traitor." I can't believe it. If you are liberal, you're a traitor. Not anti-American, but a traitor. According to Bill O'Reilly, you should be shot. This is disgusting.
I don't think Cindy Sheehan is helping the terrorists. I don't think anything that goes against Bush's megalomaniacal agenda helps the terrorists. I don't think the terrorists think it's helping the terrorists. Why? Because the terrorists want us to turn into the kind of place where all dissent is crushed. They want the United States to lock up people with absolutely no justification, squash free speech, drag Cindy Sheehan away for ruining Bush's MONTH-LONG FUCKING VACATION WHEN HE JUST TOOK ONE IN APRIL!,¹ allow preachers to call for crusades against Islam, racially profile any swarthy person who wants to get on an airplane - THEY WANT THIS! Cindy Sheehan and her vigil probably pisses Osama bin Laden off to no end. "What the fuck, George?" he's probably saying. "Cart that woman off to Guantanamo! She's exercising her freedom, and we can't have that!"
I have always believed that political discourse in America can be held in a civil manner even when people disagree. I also believe that the crazy right-wing, anti-science,² anti-religion,³ anti-abortion, anti-dissent party that the Republicans have morphed into will not last, because they are FUCKING INSANE. However, what I would really love if prominent politicians no longer called them Republicans, because they're not Republicans. If the right-wingers are going to call all liberals "traitors," then from now on liberals should call all right-wingers "fascists." Don't make a big deal of it, just do it. Here's a sample conversation:
"I always liked that John McCain. He has some good ideas and doesn't allow party politics to get in the way of his beliefs."
"Yeah. That fascist really stood up for what he believed in when he kissed Bush's ass on the campaign trail last year after Bush suggested he wasn't a war hero in 2000."
"What about Arlen Specter? He's a reasonable guy."
"Did he vote for Bush?"
"Well, he's a Republican, so -"
"He's a fucking fascist."
Try it! You'll like it!
Sorry I'm so angry. I try to see both sides of the issue and understand the side I don't agree with, I really do. I have a bunch of issues with the Democrats, too. But this has gone on too long. Why doesn't ANYONE read history anymore? Extremism always destroys societies. ALWAYS!
¹ Sorry. Fuck. I bet he gets paid for it too. My wife just took maternity leave and didn't get paid for it. Fucking Bush and his fucking vacations. Maybe if he wasn't sleeping on the job all the time I'd grant him a vacation.
² Go here for a great rant about Rush Limbaugh and his dismissal of environmentalists.
³ Yes, I wrote "anti-religion." They are, you know. They don't even like Catholics, and Catholics are OLD-SCHOOL CHRISTIANS!
posted by Greg | 3:27 PM
11 Comments:
"They don't like Catholics,"?!? First Jack Chick and now this! I hope my grandma doesn't hear about it...
One day I hope to make a constructive comment. Good stuff,BTW.
I don't think the word "fascist" means anything to conservatives. They just shrug it off like "whatever".
But, you know, you can't blame it all on the Democrats either. If everyone who complains wanted a better president you would have voted for Nader. I did.
That's the most comment spam I've ever seen in one place...
Jesus, that's a lot of spam. Let's see if I can delete it.
Yay - I deleted it all! Awesome.
Possibly, Anonymous, possibly. but I'm sure a lot of liberals shrugged off "traitor" too, and now it's prevalent. If the heartland starts referring to these evil people as "fascists," then we're getting somewhere!
I don't think voting for Nader goes far enough. I didn't vote for Nader because I think he'd make a lousy president, but I like his idea that both parties are corrupt. Unfortunately, we're stuck with them for the time being. I think some day soon they will eat each other and we'll have new parties. Hey, everyone thought the Whigs would last forever too!
Yes, but the American Whig party morphed into the Republican (anti-slavery) party of Lincoln. Fascist is the correct nomen, I agree, but how many anti-Bushies are willing to use the term? Rather too true philosophically, and are the trains really running on time? Most people don't understand the definition of fascism anyway. Even in post-war Japan, McArthur thought he had disassembled the relationship between corporate and civil authority, but they just pretended it was so. Now we have Toyota, Mitsubishi, etc., not, nor ever, practicing Adam Smith's economics.
Anyway, would it be better to relace "fascist" with "Nixonian?" That invokes the parallels with Vietnam, with Watergate, with psycopaths, with H R. Haldeman, with the missing 18 minutes, and Republican shame. What is different in this regime? My theory is feminist: men with little penises refuse to consider that they have made questionable decision and stubbornly stay the destructive course. Kind of like refusing to ask for directions when one is lost . . .
"Nixonian" won't do either.
Y'all are using fancy words that mean nothing, how about you just say what you really mean: from now on if you get into a debate with someone who is a political Conservative just laugh and call them "a fucking creep."
Fox news? A "fucking creepshow."
See, it's accurate and versatile! No more of this "fascism" thing, retire it please. Retire all these antique terms. We do not live in Rome; America is not a republic, the president does not carry around fasces to represent his authority. Nor is this the Vietnam era. Bush is not Nixon, Afghanistan is not 'Nam and Islam is not Communism.
Bush is just a creep out to make a buck, and let's be honest: America could use a few bucks.
First of all, I support free-speech and I agree that Cindy Sheehan is grand-standing. I think it's excellent that she and her cronies can protest without fear of violent retribution. But I think it's ridiculous to assume that Bush is going to meekly admit he made a mistake. What president has ever said, "I made a mistake by going to war..." Stupid.
Greg, you're a teacher, how easy is it to tell your class you made a mistake? It's a tough position because it shows weakness, and the last thing we need is to appear weak. None of us have access to the intelligence the president has. I'm not saying I think the war in Iraq is necessary. What I do know is that I want my right to live in freedom, unafraid of military action on American soil, protected. As a person with limited knowledge about war and military tactics, I have no idea how to do that.
My question is why are conservatives considered creeps? I don't see a trace of evidence that anyone here is a moderate liberal. To me, extremism is scary. Extreme liberalism, extreme conservativism.
However, Churchill said it best when he said something like "Any man who is under 30 and is not a liberal has no heart; and any man who is over 30 and is not a conservative, has no brains." (Apparently Churchill didn't really say it. But it's still a good quote.)
Bush is a creep out to make a few bucks, but that's the problem. He failed at every business venture to make money in the past, so he figured he'd go into some arena where failure only matters if people vote you out. Politics isn't the place to make money. Other politicians (Tom Ridge comes to mind) actually quit politics because he thought he wasn't making enough money. Bush thinks the country is his own personal piggy bank, and that sucks.
Nicole - au contraire. As a teacher, I admit mistakes all the time. No, I don't like to do it, but if a student proves to me that I made a mistake, I'm more than willing to 'fess up. Of course, Bush would argue that no one has proven to him that the Iraq war is a mistake, so fine and dandy if he doesn't want to admit it. And as you will note, I did mention that extremism destroys society. I can't speak for everyone else who commented here, but I do like to think of myself as a moderate liberal. Unfortunately, moderation is getting drowned out in this country - if the Democrats were in power, they might be going extreme in the opposite way, but right now, it's the Republicans who are guiding the country into the dark corners of extremism, and that will ruin us. When so many people loathe Bush and when so many people loathe, say, Hillary Clinton, that ain't good. The hatred of Bush by the left is far worse than the hatred of Clinton by the right, and I think that was because Clinton, for all his faults, was moderate, and Republicans could work with him. Even Reagan wasn't hated as much as Bush is. That's why I made the comments about McCain and Specter )with tongue somewhat in cheek). There is no way McCain should be backing Bush, even though he's doing it "for the good of the party." Can you imagine if McCain and some moderate Democrats (not Hillary, although she is moving to the center) told Bush and Ted Kennedy to screw themselves and formed a third party? They would sweep into power. But that ain't gonna happen, because even a pretty decent guy like McCain doesn't have enough imagination for that. It sucks.
By the way - hi Allison. I don't know how you came here, but it's always nice to hear from newcomers.
Sorry, Thomas. That's because I had been on your blog before you came here (I think), while I don't recall ever seeing Allison before anywhere. I'm glad you're here, though - it makes me all choked up when you and all the regulars stop by.
Wow. Footnoted blog post.
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