I'm waiting in line for a hot dog. To me, it's the best of times. I'm at an annual event put on by Amateur Radio enthusiasts with seminars and a flea market selling all sorts of things only understood and desired by techno-nerds like me. But it's the worst of times too of course, and you can't go anywhere where people congregate without seeing people with pamphlets and bumper stickers, whispering and nudging about the bad news: "Obama is going to" do this or that or has already done it. Some of it is distorted truth, much of it, nearly all of it is unadulterated bullshit.
So this raggedy looking guy wearing a filthy Yaesu hat is chatting up the woman handling the cash box.
"Did you hear that Obama is going to make voting compulsory? The next step is universal military service and. . ."
"Bullshit" I said. "He doesn't have the authority or any reason to do either of those and he isn't running for office or starting any wars."
" Executive order!" he replied. Yaesu boy seemed taken aback to have anyone fail to answer, "yeah, that Obama. . ." Not in these parts, not in rural America.I seem to remember Rush once telling us that the president had arranged to allow only black people to vote in some town or other, but hey. . .
Last week a flatbed truck passed me on the Interstate and yes, I was doing just under 90. It had a large plywood sign across the tailgate declaring that THE BIGGEST DANGER TO OUR FREEDOM IS THE WHITE HOUSE. The word 'white' was printed in red. Get it? Red, 'cause ya see he's a Communist, hahaha. . .
Somehow the building at 1600 Pennsylvania seemed less immediately dangerous than a filthy truck full of angry and deranged rednecks weaving through traffic at nearly a hundred. The quick eye could see the rear window bearing vinyl letters saying " Muslims killed 4 Americans and he went over there and apologized to them"
Of course he didn't nor did he seriously declare a mission to make us vote or to draft us into the military but facts never matter, do they?
Wednesday's paper had a political cartoon showing something that looks like Daffy Duck declaring that Obama's desire to force us to vote stemmed from the truth that the only people who would vote for him were lazy, shiftless parasites. I know what it would have said had the editor not balked at the n word. Was he elected twice by a majoity of voters who DID turn out? Bullshit heaped on bullshit, smeared with racism and served on a steaming bun of self-contradiction. Think Obama would want these people to vote? Get it? 'Cause they're psychotic idiots!
Want some Freedom Fries with that?
"THE BIGGEST DANGER TO OUR FREEDOM IS ..."
ReplyDeleteVOTING! And the quickest way to turn any democracy into a fascist dictatorship is to disenfranchise those people whom you don’t want to vote. The list may include atheists, intellectuals, Democrats, progressives, minorities, environmentalists, rag heads, feminazis, students, safe drivers, or any group deemed to be undeserving of full rights under law.
Which brings me to another point: You can always foretell the next “enemy de jour” from the drift of rightwing talking points. If the subject is funding for education, teachers are turned suddenly into villains as the “scapegoat de jour.” If the subject is a botched state budget (as Governor Brownback has accomplished in Kansas), the useful distraction will be “welfare cheats.” You can always count of the “wedge” to give scoundrels the edge.
Soon, the only pool of eligible voters left - after demagogues have purged the rolls of invested citizens - are the dumbshits who fall sucker to this stuff.
P.S. Follow the sound bites. They will always reveal the next "crazy de jour."
ReplyDeleteThere's some psychological principle involved. Many years of misery have taught me that when someone begins to accuse you of lying and leading a double life, it's projection born in guilt. Yes it is so very true of political rhetoric. Screaming about Communism is one of the horsemen of the Fascist apocalypse - or maybe I should call it whoresman? If you describe the president as a weakling and an apologist you're probably a bully and Chauvinist war profiteer up to no good. Both Clinton and Obama are described as big spenders, but they reduced deficit spending. It only means the Republicans always raise the debt and they know it. Calling the Koch brothers "job creators" means they created your job.
ReplyDeleteGingrich howling about Clinton's infidelity? It's human nature and that's another way of saying ugly. But isn't it uglier when people follow that piper, like the ignorant rats they are?
And we all know about the homophobic jihad. Who knew so many good Christians were terrified about any light coming under the closet door? And we're not the racists -- LIB-er- uls are the racists. We don't look at women as inferior - it's the LIB-er-uls. . .
Here is a comment posted last week by one of Shaw’s trolls, a neo-Confederate defender of the heterosexual faith who still believes slavery aided and abetted the Union textile industry:
DeleteScrudrunner: “The country was founded on States Rights (…) If you don't like the policies of one state, you can move.”
In other words, States’ Rights trumps human rights. It appears we are still fighting the American Civil War. So the next time six-fingered Jack surrenders at Appomattox, here is what I propose:
We will relocate all their wimmen folk to the Union states for their safety and protection. Yes, protection! Because it will teach those southern white boyz that a family reunion is no place to look for a date. Without wimmen folk, they will be forced reckon with States’ Rights once and for all. Mercy upon them, at least they won’t have to go to prison to learn the LGBT lifestyle.
It was founded on compromise. Morality was set aside to convince the slavers to join the revolution and we never really were one country.
DeleteI don't know about the textile industry but States Rights according to Stumpfokker or whatever he calls himself is simply reiterating the 1970's trope: "Love it or Leave it" which is funny coming from a crypto-secessionist. States rights being also a euphemism for secession or at least the nullification of any Federal statutes that interfere with the neo-feudal lifestyle.
It's not that they ignore human rights, it's just that different humans have different rights, like God intended. Of course God's intentions need to be interpreted and taught by certain select people. . . and to facilitate that, opposing ideas and information has to be smeared, slandered, insulted and demonized.
Someone a long time ago, someone close to me, taught me the importance and value of personal responsibility, respect for oneself and others, empathy, and the value to oneself in listening
ReplyDeletecarefully to those with differing views.
Good advice from a loving father to a rather
independent unruly young person. Perhaps a
large segment of our society is now lacking the
above. If so our democratic republic shall
surely fall methinks.
Many of those words and concepts have been re-defined. Personal responsibility is what you yell at other people instead of having respect or empathy for them. I'm really not optimistic. The advent of the web hasn't done what it was hoped it would do. Lies and propaganda have increased as fast or faster than the dissemination of truth and why listen to others when there are unlimited sources to confirm all your nasty thoughts? why bother to think when entertainment surrounds us?
ReplyDeleteJohn Oliver went looking for anyone on the street who knew who Edward Snowden was -- didn't find any. I saw a clip of MSNBC cutting away from a scary report about renewing the Patriot Act's provision giving the government unlimited access to information for BREAKING NEWS about Justin Bieber.
I think the information age has caused the ignorance age.
I think the information age has caused the ignorance age.
ReplyDeleteI think I agree Capt.
Hey Captain. I love going to these events. I know exactly of which you speak.
ReplyDeleteHamfests?
ReplyDeleteYes. exactly. Hamfests. Many fond memories.of exactly what you describe. Including the hot-dog lines.
ReplyDeleteSorry this is off topic, and doesn't deal with the point your anecdote was pointing toward.
Off topic is my middle name.
ReplyDelete73 de N4HO