When I grew up in the Mojave Desert of California, a loud and intimidating political factor injected more thorns to an already thorny environment. That was the John Birch Society. My politically active and devoted Catholic family did not think highly of these people. I suppose it influenced me.
My Catholic Catechism influenced me more. When a military-esqe nun stood under a bleeding man crucified to a wooden cross, there was an unspoken level of authority and resultant compliance. Consequently, I attempt life within “moral virtues” as taught in my Catechism: prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance as harkened by the eight beatitudes. Note: “attempt” not mastered.
Patriotism, along with obedience, veracity, liberality, patience, humility, and chastity (I still dress like a Catholic girl) are also moral virtues.
So back when, the John Birchers were not considered, by my influences, holders of moral virtues. Well, those ol’ boys are pussycats compared to what I hear today when it comes to the distain against President Barack Obama. It is as though the politically far right has jumped off the edge of the planet into some stinking sewer of hate.
I cut slack on the recent health care debate. It’s complicated. We have all experienced some pretty lousy government employees. However, in fairness, I’ve wrestled with equally incompetent non-governmental employees, if not more. After five-years in the medical system, as a non-insured person (because of a pre-existing condition) in cancer treatment, believe me, don’t buy into any alleged superior competency of medical industry staffers over governmental staffers. I had to watch everything—from appointments, to reminding professionals of the who, whats, and wheres; to watch-dogging what treatments I received as opposed to what was billed, and to running interference as to what I paid and did not pay. It became my job.
But when the chairman of the Florida Republican Party, Jim Greer, sneered that Obama was going to “indoctrinate” school children with “socialist ideology,” it stunned me. Click here for the speech’s transcript: http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/
Educate me. Where is the socialist ideology indoctrination?
Maybe because Greer’s earlier statements like, “What are the differences between Republicans and Democrats? Republicans get up and go to work. Democrats get up and go down to the mailbox to get their checks,” paints the picture of one who laughs in the face of truth and fairness.
The opposite non-virtues of lies, hate, and anger, I was taught in parochial school, “…are the chief sins against charity…” This study was all within a lesson on the First Commandment.
Today’s epidemic of non-truths and misinformation colored with absolute distain for a human willing to take on this task of running a messed up country, and anyone who might see good in this person’s work, seems, to my way of thinking, a road that borders the dark side. It is anything but patriotic. What I smell is the stink of racism. Those far-right pundits and zombie followers will not admit it, but when it sounds, looks, and acts like a racist duck, it probably is a racist duck. Racism, naked or cloaked, is a sin.
_______________________________
9/10/09
Here’s an email response: saw that you were online and just needed to vent. That BS last night with the obstructionist republicans just got to the boiling point!! and the idiot that yelled you lie!!! This whole health care thing with all their brazen lies !!!!! I read your piece about the school speech and I agree it’s racially motivated. Some right wing, holier than thou, rush limbaugh fans just can’t handle that this black guy is actually going to talk to their kids. I mean, he a Muslim, to boot. If i gave a sh..t about them, I’d feel sorry for these people who are really like sheep, who think the sun shines out of Sarah Palin’s orifice. These are the ones just happen to forget that the defecit was inherited.
I’m SO FED up with this type of American!!!!! I’m now on the verge of needing a news fast. This doesn’t happen to me all that often but I think now might be one of those times. CT.
The Muse Pallet 
I am scratching my head….something in the workings of my syllogistic brain didn’t make a connect here. I will admit that the dialogue between the left and right has been vituperative and oftentimes downright disgusting, but I don’t see this as “racism”. The right has ample ground to disagree with the President, irrespective of his race. The flap over the “School Speech” is much ado about nothing. Giving the speech is like shaking hands or kissing babies….it’s what politicians do. Quite frankly I don’t care one way or the other. Let’s get on with the real issues, healthcare, energy, economic recovery, and let go of all the pettiness. There are thorny (to use Char’s word) paths ahead for all of these mainstream issues. Let’s not get lost in the trivial.
I didn’t go into the name calling, the signage, the fear mongering (concentration camps??) …you know all the Nazi crap, etc….But I do laugh when I hear “he’s a socialist, marxist, communist….”
Huh?
“socialist, Marxist, communist”” none of which are complimentary for sure. But, just as sure, none of those terms are “racist.” Obama is a socialist. Look up the drfinition. Then think back to his “spread the wealth” comment to Joe the Plumber. Look at how he wants to taske from the job producers to give to nonworkers. It has nothing to do with his race … it’s his politics!
As for the education speech, I don’t care. I cared about the syllabus put out by the Education Dept to go with it. In 1991, Congress ran two weeks of investigations because Bush gave a back-to-school speech. (And his had no Ed Dept syllabus.) Go figure.
Char, I’m certain racism is alive and well in America, but I’m not yet persuaded that racism has much to do with your examples. Is stupidity a sin? No? Perhaps we may have a better chance of making it a crime.
It may well be that we are conditioned to stupidity and racism running hand-in-hand. As far as party politics goes I have drifted much further away from the liberal stance we shared in our youth. The immorality and infidelities of Bill Clinton hastened my drift to the right. Well that, or the willingness of the Democratic Party, along with much of the world, to ignore, or sanction his behavior.
Certainly none of my friends would have labeled me as an Obama supporter during the time leading up to the election. Still he is now, by our Constitutional process, our president and to wish him ill is to wish our country ill. Maybe the ideologues like Representative Joe Wilson of SC whose inappropriate and vulgar display of bad manners on the floor of The House sitting in joint session with The Senate should get that.
I was appalled by Wilson’s behavior and ill manners. Such behavior in or youth would have invited what we knew as the “Irish Backhand.” However, to be fair I’m sure the other ethnicities had their version of the same backhand. In Wilson’s case a flogging seems more appropriate. Surely Andrew Jackson would have caned him, don’t you think?
I derived a small amount of pleasure to see that when I went to express my disapproval and disgust so many others had done so that they had crashed Wilson’s website.
While you have me on my crackerbox what makes me feel the most sorry for the President is not ill-mannered Republicans, but his own party. The Democrats have a voting majority in the Senate and an overwhelming majority in the House and they are not passing this President’s legislation. For goodness sake, five health care bills?
Clearly the issues are not being framed properly, but the lack of passage of any meaningful part of the President’s agenda, and the hostage of so many of his Schedule C appointees do not only hamstring the Executive Branch, but are a scathing indictment of the Congressional leadership (maybe management would be more accurate). FDR and LBJ must be rolling over in their graves at this.
President Obama is the elected representative of the people and deserves more respect from the opposition as well as more support from his party.
While I feel you invite us to join in a dialogue, hopefully my signature will put these feelings in perspective for you. Lovingly I remain, with much fraternal regard and respect…
your brother,
Paul
“Retired on Capitol Hill”
I love thoughtful responses, and yours is on the list. I was too quick to make a short, readable blog to go into detail about all the signs and symptoms of cloaked racism, to my fault. I tend to assume that readers of this sort of commentary probably already know what I’m talking about.
I agree wholeheartedly about the challenges within the Democratic Party. They make me crazy. Billy Boy blew it big time, but I won’t condemn the Party for his behaviour. While he was put to the fire by his political opposition that falsely claimed the moral high ground, humanity’s trend toward hypocrisy flew all over the place–ie Newt baby and his lover at the time…not to mention all the other righty boys dipping their business where it doesn’t belong. Boys will be boys, regardless of their politics. Perhaps these fellows ought best mind their own business and not toss the first stone.
What makes me glad is to see responses from everyone, regardless of their political bend. It’s our democracy in action. But, while G. Bush bordered on possibly being one of the worst governmental managers ever and he grated my spine everytime he put on his cowboy attitude, I refrained from unfair bashing. Back then if I would have bashed, I would have been tainted with “terrorist sympathizer.” Now the far right rocks out with demonizing our president, and it’s called patriotic. Yikes! If that’s patriotism, then I’m thin and don’t need to start a diet today!
XOX
Sis
As a devout conservative, I was never impressed by Bush’s managerial skills. (He spent money like my exwife did.) But, if Obama drops another Trillion, we will all forget about GW and spending.
Unfortunately, GW will never get to be known as “the worst.” Jimmy Carter is in the record books. And there he will stay…. until Obama takes his place at the bottom.
It was Obama himself who said to “judge me by the people I surround myself with.” (Improper English. But the teleprompter wasn’t there.) Do some research on the remaining 32 “Czars” who surround him. Do not rely on the liberal media to inform you. Heck, they didn’t even mention Van Jones until he resigned.
So Skinny, keep up the good work. And have an extra piece of cake for dessert.
Luv Ya
All things considered, Nixon was the worst.