The Great Impastor

meg·a·lo·ma·ni·a- n.

1. A psychopathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power, or omnipotence.
2. An obsession with grandiose or extravagant things or actions.

Glenn Beck wants to be your Megalomaniac in Chief. Within a matter of days, he's declaimed from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, declared his ministry as spiritual guide to the disenfranchised, appropriated God and Martin Luther King, and launched his own news website, The Blaze. Oh, and channeled Moses, but that's such an old schtick (oops, I pun).

It's tempting to use my brand new laptop and my brand new blogging year (Second Blogoversary countdown: 359 shopping days left!) to write my fanny off on this subject, but the research all by itself has been so much fun that I'd hate to put too many words in the way. So tag along as I follow the Yellow Brick Road to visit The Great Oz.

Orson Scott Card, Mormon author referenced by NYTimes:  “Mormonism is not just another form of Christianity — it is incompatible with ‘traditional Christian orthodoxy.’” Amen! Absolutely correct! We send out missionaries to every country that will allow them to enter precisely because we believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ is incompatible with “traditional Christian orthodoxy.”

Russell Moore, Dean of The School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary:

A Mormon television star stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial and calls American Christians to revival. He assembles some evangelical celebrities to give testimonies, and then preaches a God and country revivalism that leaves the evangelicals cheering that they've heard the gospel, right there in the nation's capital.

American news media pronounces him the new leader of America's Christian conservative movement, and a flock of America's Christian conservatives have no problem with that.

If you'd told me that ten years ago, I would have assumed it was from the pages of an evangelical apocalyptic novel about the end-times. But it's not. It's from this week's headlines. And it is a scandal.

Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post (8/31/2010):

Longtime Beck-watchers said he has always made references to his faith journey, his conversion from Catholicism to Mormonism, his crediting God with saving him from drug and alcohol abuse, professional obscurity and "friendlessness." But in the runup to Saturday's rally, Beck talked publicly and privately about God working through him, calling a pre-rally event Friday "Divine Destiny" and lining up evangelical pastor John Hagee and other religious leaders to appear with him."I'm a little nervous about that kind of talk," said Janet Mefferd, a nationally syndicated Christian talk show host who said most callers Monday wanted to talk about Beck. "I know he means well and loves this country, but he doesn't know enough about theology to know what kind of effect he's having. Christians are hearing something different than what he thinks he's saying."

 This isn't the first time Beck's faith has been scrutinized. Prominent Mormons haveoccasionally criticized him as being an entertainer, not a theologian. After an interview in 2008 with Focus on the Family, the article was pulled because some of the group's supporters thought it was wrongly validating his conversion experience. 

Glenn Beck, on Fox News Sunday: "You see, it's all about victims and victimhood; oppressors and the oppressed; reparations, not repentance; collectivism, not individual salvation. I don't know what that is, other than it's not Muslim, it's not Christian. It's a perversion of the gospel of Jesus Christ as most Christians know it."




Jillian Rayfield, Talking Points Memo, quoting Glenn Beck in the same interview shown above:

Host Chris Wallace also told Beck that "in the 40 years that I've been in this business, I have to say I've never seen anyone quite like you. You're not a newsman. You're not a preacher. You're not a politician."

"I'm a dad, I'm a concerned citizen," Beck replied.

Wallace also asked Beck about Jon Stewart, who's mocked Beck repeatedly on his show. "I think he's funny," Beck said of Stewart. "Quite honestly, I think he should write me a check."

Lacy Rose, in her Moneywood column for Forbes.com:

As I detailed in our Beck cover story this past spring, his now $35 million-a-year empire includes a variety of Web offerings as well as a popular radio program, Fox News TV series, books, podcasts, speeches, newsletters and stage shows. (To see how he makes his millions, go here.) 

Screenshot of Beck's other website, The Glenn Beck Program:

That headline reads:" Moses was high on drugs:Israeli..."

And the intriguing article noted above reads:

Moses was high on drugs: Israeli researcher

March 4, 2008 - 10:20 ET

High on Mount Sinai, Moses was on psychedelic drugs when he heard God deliver the Ten Commandments, an Israeli researcher claimed in a study published this week. 
  
 Such mind-altering substances formed an integral part of the religious rites of Israelites in biblical times, Benny Shanon, a professor of cognitive psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem wrote in the Time and Mind journal of philosophy. 
  
 "As far Moses on Mount Sinai is concerned, it was either a supernatural cosmic event, which I don't believe, or a legend, which I don't believe either, or finally, and this is very probable, an event that joined Moses and the people of Israel under the effect of narcotics," Shanon told Israeli public radio on Tuesday. 

 Which naturally leads me to conclude that Glenn Beck was confused about exactly who was calling:

Paranoia In The P.U.

I've taken to counting on my recumbent exercycle/TV news sessions at the gym for blog inspiration, which sounds lame now that I've said it out loud--kind of old womanish, kind of like somebody who doesn't get out much. Both true. Yesterday was looking like a bust for inspiration, a slow news Saturday, so my muse was taking a snooze. Until the man on the adjoining bike opened the door for me to a wormhole that links to the Parallel Universe.

Quick and dirty Jack Webb-style backstory:  Man older than me (I hope!), Dr. Koop beard, khakis and suede slip-ons (at the gym?). Cleverly disguised as a college professor, but wrong context. Fishy. Asked him if I could change channel from belly dancers to CNN (considering the location, it seemed safer than asking for MSNBC). He agreed, saying his source was usually FOX, but he didn't mind checking out leftist propaganda. Said he thinks everybody should open their minds to opposing viewpoints. Ignored him. We finished up about the same time and he started talking. Hate that.

Proud Progressive

I hope that Joe Sestak, in his run for a Senate seat from Pennsylvania, won’t be pushed into a corner by Right Wing Toomey and act defensive. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, July 16, 2010,“Sestak had a 'hypersensitive reaction' to valid criticism, Republican opponent Pat Toomey said Thursday.” Sestak needn’t apologize or minimize support for a liberal, progressive, populist voting record. He needs to point out strongly, as he is very capable of doing, that the right wing has successfully deceived much of the middle class into thinking that right wing politics favor the average American. The right wing media has cast a spell over a lot of people and created the very false impression that right wing politics are populist and liberal politics aren’t. I think Joe can campaign to expose that fallacy.

Exposing the agenda of political groups favoring large corporations would be a good way to start. The US Chamber of Congress is one such group. Here are their talking points published this week:

• Privatize Social Security
• Cut taxes for the rich
• Log the national forests
• Expand offshore gas and oil drilling
• Privatize highways and waterways

The above list is as anti-average-person as possible. All progressive folks, Democrat, Independent and Republican alike need to blast such policies.

When Joe dickers over 94% vote with Nancy Pelosi vs. 100% he is defensive. When he is defensive, he is not attacking the anti-average-guy right wing. He seems as though he is trying to be “Republican Lite.” Instead, he needs to be aggressive and show the right wing leaders for what they are: self-serving defenders of the wealthy corporations, who have become the 21^st Century King George ruling and dominating the American people.

Taking Back America

As I’ve previously mentioned, I somehow ended up on some random Tea Party e-mailing list. So, every few days or so I receive an e-mail in my inbox (or my spam box, as Gmail is getting much better at filtering those bad boys out) with headlines screaming about Obama or the Feds or taking back America.

Let’s touch on that last point. The taking back America crowds irk the ever loving hell out of me. Not everyone in that crowd mind you, but the general idea behind it. Different folks give different emphasis on what America is for them. For some folks, it truly is a land of wonderful opportunities. For some folks it’s a land of oppression. And for some folks it is (or should be) whiter than Glenn Beck’s ass. Invariably within the “Take America Back!” crowd, there are folks who actually mean “Take America back…to a time when all these uppity Negroes/fill in your other minority/previously-not-considered-white-but-given-honorary-white-status ethnic group of choice here couldn’t do sh*t.”

I suppose my issue with the Take America Back crowd is more or less the same as the Tea Party crowd: it lacks definition. Take America back from what? And what are you trying to take America back to? Other than general anger and pissiness (let’s pretend that’s a word) towards the government/the crappy economy/unemployment/a tanked housing market/etc, what exactly are you, dear Take America Back crowd, trying to achieve?

I ask not to be snarky but because, much like the Tea Party, I’m genuinely trying to figure this one out. Thus far all of my listening to Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck has yet to help me get a grasp on this. And yes, I’ll ‘fess up to listening to both on a regular basis…it’s the old journalism major/news dork in me. I like to listen to viewpoints that contrast/conflict with my own. Gets the old brain working. Which is what I’m going to need the brains of some folks in the Take Back America crowd to do in order to better articulate what the hell they stand for other than philosophy of “we’re-mad-as-hell-and-we’re-not-going-to-take-it-anymore-ism.”

Oh, and one minor point for the folks in the “Take Back America” crowd who keep bring up Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged: y’all realize that the vast majority of you guys are the modern day embodiment of underling class left high and dry right? Unless of course you’re a captain of industry, in the Atlas Shrugged world y’all would be well and truly f*cked. Granted it’s been a good 10 years since I’ve read that 1,000+ page brick by Ayn Rand, so my interpretation could be a bit rusty and/or off. Anyone with an alternate interpretation that doesn’t involve calling me/all black folks/all minorities/all liberals/all progressive any combination of the words “elitist,” “America hating,” “socialist/communist,” “moron,” or variations thereof is welcome to leave a comment.

Cross-posted from American Black Chick in Europe.

Is Greene a GOP plant?

S.C. politics are just flat weird. GOP politics stink like a convention of skunks.

How could an unemployed ex-marine (alleged) raise the $10,400 filing fee to run for the S.C. democratic Senate seat? Alvin Greene didn't campaign  but claims he "criss-crossed the state during his campaign—though he declined to specify any of the towns or places he visited or say how much money he spent while on the road."

"It wasn’t much, I mean, just, it was—it wasn’t much. Not much, I mean, it wasn’t much," he said, when asked how much of his own money he spent in the primary. Greene frequently spoke in rapid-fire, fragmentary sentences, repeating certain phrases or interrupting himself multiple times during the same sentence while he searched for the right words

He didn’t show up at the "South Carolina Democratic Party convention in April and didn't file any of the required paperwork for candidates with the state or Federal Election Commission."

James Clyborn (D-SC) House Majority Whip, called for an investigation into the circumstances that led to Alvin Greene winning the Democratic Senate primary.

"There were some real shenanigans going on in the South Carolina primary," Clyburn said during an appearance on the liberal Bill Press radio show. "I don't know if he was a Republican plant; he was someone's plant."

Greene certainly talks like a Republican and he may even act like one. He's facing a felony charge for allegedly showing obscene photos to a University of South Carolina student.

Welcome to Carolinagate.

Smoke coming out of my ears . . .

Life hasn't been great in this dumpy apartment complex I've been living in for three years but it's been tolerable and even peaceful considering the drug deals going down, a crazy neighbor who used to walk out of his apartment and fall flat in a drunken stupor, another guy who liked to stand outside my window and watch me work, and a new neighbor who runs around squawking like a mother hen and who hates Blacks, Hispanics and Southerners.

My apartment manager has always been decent, friendly and fair and square. Then she hired Brunhilde who lives here and who began her weekend job as assistant with gusto. A real matron of the prison farm school. Even when she's not on duty she's on duty. "That's against the rules." "You're not allowed to do that." She's about as popular as a bucket of road apples.

The manager has always been tolerant of my 14-year-old 110 pound lab mix getting lose or simply lying out in front of my apartment and rolling in the grass. Unfortunately I live right across from the office. Nobody has ever complained about Lucky or me or any other dog who isn't on a leash. That is, until Brunhilde stormed in.

The Brun hates animals and is petrified of them. So why didn't she move into a pet-free apartment complex you ask? Who in hell knows.

For three weeks I've watched her eyes bulge every time Lucky went within 50 yards of her. "It's against the rules." "It's for safety." "Hasn't anyone complained?" No. But I knew the day would come when Brun would turn the screws in my back. Today the apartment manager told me to put him on a leash. There's a couple of Pit Bulls here and a Chiguagua that are bigger threats than my 110 pound wuss. I'd be delighted if they did me the favor of putting teeth marks in her ass.

Yes, yes I know there are major tragedies that are far more severe and devastating than the one I'm facing. The Gulf Oil Spill exceeds any man made disaster this country has ever experienced. The destruction of the marine life, the birds, the wetlands, the beaches, the fishing industry and other industries that are dependant on the Gulf for survival and the entire way of life of the region is being destroyed day by day, minute by minute for thousands of miles.

And polls are showing that people are blaming the government for not acting fast enough. Translated, that means our black president. You see, it's much easier to cast blame than to look a little deeper and to consider the realities of the problem. This is a tragedy that should bring the nation together, not rip it apart with dumb, petty, spiteful, ignorant as-hell politics.

The idiots at FoxNews aren't the only media outlets criticizing the government. But their irresponsibility is driven by ignorance and downright mean spiritedness. The Main Stream Media doesn't even have a decent excuse for their know-nothing, superficial coverage . Reporters have become lazy, cowardly, and slaves to the corporations and they can't be bothered with research or looking below the surface.

Then there's the Texas State Board of Education which passed textbook guidelines that practically annihilates American history.

To the West is Arizona which has passed a law making it a state crime for an illegal immigrant to apply for a job or to solicit work publicly. But it's a-okay if an employer hires illegals. This is followed up with Ethnic Studies being banned in public schools. And Arizona Governor Jan Brewer hysterically claiming the state is under "terrorist attack."  Arizona state treasurer Dean Martin  has called for tent cities to house illegal immigrants, no doubt copying the idea from Maricopa County's notorious sheriff Joe Arpaio - and maybe because he might earn a few more votes in his run for governor.

Let's don't forget Republican Representative from South Carolina, Joe "you lie" Wilson or S.C. state senator Jake "raghead" Knotts, or his twin over in Mississippi Gov. Haley "Oil? What oil?" Barbour.

And then there's that adorable Sarah Palin, whose lies are only superseded by her ignorance of American history, the Founding Fathers, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, who doesn't read, who's an international whiz-kid because she can see Russia out her back window. I'm sure she'd fit right in as a Texas School Board member.

I can't finish without mentioning SCOTUS and it's rape of Miranda, its personalization of corporations and its ruling blocking Arizona from subsidizing state candidates facing privately funded foes.

So, between Brunhilde, the Neanderthals who are elected to uphold the laws of the land but don't, and the MSM which doesn't investigate but should, I have smoke coming out of my ears, I'm steaming and I'm swearing up a storm. In more succinct terms, I'm p****d as hell.

SC's Slur-Slinging Crapfest

[With a respectful nod to HuffPost's Jason Linkins for the title inspiration.  Now, everybody knows what SC stands for.]

Apologizing for South Carolina has become a full-time job.

Jake Knotts

Given the infamy our leaders have slapped us upside the head with and the effect it will have on the state's economy, I feel lucky to be employed at all; since I began blogging in August, 2009, I've earned $7.20 and I have my stellar state of residence to thank for at least two bucks of that.  I call it my state of residence, rather than my home, because obviously I wasn't born in South Carolina.  I was born in North Carolina, where we look down on our sister state to the south for being a bunch of inbred, redneck, backwoods ignunts.  I, of course, just live there...the only little petunia in the onion patch.

Christian Politicians Deliberately Twist Constitution To Gain Votes

If you can pay the price you can buy almost anything you want in this country -- car, home, toothpaste, clothes, food or a charcoal grill. If you can pay the price you can buy services such as sex and votes. It doesn't matter if you don't know your history or your Constitution but it matters how hard you can thump the good book.

Liam Fox sets out to prove this on News Junkie Post.

Religions demand tolerance and acceptance of their own views, practices, prescriptions and prohibitions, when all they offer to others is intolerance. Religions requiring that others be forced, or coerced, to adhere to their tenets are nothing more than fascist political systems, and belief systems that regard their doctrine as being above a democratically elected legislature are seditious.

The founding fathers engineered the separation of church and state to protect America from Christianity, Judaism, Mormonism, Islam and all other politically insistent theologies while simultaneously protecting those and all other religions from the interference of government.

In the desperate political climate that they find themselves in, Politicians lacking a clear understanding of or commitment to the First Amendment line up in favor of sectarian measures in the hope of garnering votes and winning elections. . . . Politicians can knowingly violate the constitution secure in the knowledge that the support for their unconstitutional decisions will be provided by those that they have benefited.

TED POE, TEXAS REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN: His web page is headlined "National Day of Prayer is constitutional whether federal judges like it or not."

Displaying monumental ignorance, he goes on to say, ". . .James Madison knew more about the First Amendment than anybody else since he was the author; yet, in 1813, President Madison proclaimed a National Day of Prayer. . . ."

Wrong. Liam Fox writes: "In 1789, James Madison proposed twelve amendments that ultimately became the ten amendments. In this respect, Madison was the person who wrote the First Amendment, but he wasn’t the one who initially came up with the idea. In fact, there are several factors that qualify the claim that he is the sole author." See here

Although President Madison did issued prayer proclamations during the war of 1812, at the behest of congress, he later expressed regret for these actions. In an undated essay believed to have been written in the year 1817, referred to as ‘The Unattached Memoranda‘, Madison discusses the issue in detail providing five particular reasons for disagreeing with his prior actions of proclaiming a National Day of Prayer and espousing some insight that we would be wise to heed today. See here.

BRADLEY BYRNE, ALABAMA REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: He was attacked by the True Political Action Committee "for his previous support of teaching of evolution in public schools and reportedly having the gall to suggest that the Christian bible may not be entirely true."

In a switch reminiscent of John McCain, Byrne became a Born Again Christian and wrote on his website:

“I believe the Bible is the Word of God and that every single word of it is true. From the earliest parts of this campaign, a paraphrased and incomplete parsing of my words have been knowingly used to insinuate that I believe something different than that. My faith is at the center of my life and my belief in Jesus Christ as my personal savior and Lord guides my every action."

SARAH PALIN (no introduction necessary): In a Fox News interview with Bill O'Reilly Palin with all blinking eyed ga-ga smiling sincerity declared:

“I have said all along that America is based on Judeo-Christian beliefs and, you know, nobody has to believe me though. You can just go to our Founding Fathers’ early documents and see how they crafted a Declaration of Independence and a Constitution that allows that Judeo-Christian belief to be the foundation of our lives. And our Constitution, of course, essentially acknowledging that our unalienable rights don’t come from man; they come from God. So this document is set up to protect us from a government that would ever infringe upon our rights to have freedom of religion and to be able to express our faith freely.”

Someone at Fox, if they even know it, should explain to the Palin that neither the Constitution nor the Declaration of Independence mentions a particular religion, Jesus, the Bible or God. The Constitution does mention a "Nature's God" a few times but not Christianity or Judaism.

The principle misunderstanding of Mrs. Palin’s, is that her interpretation of “our rights to have freedom of religion” translates in her mind, as it does in the minds of most fundamentalist evangelicals, to ‘the right of Christians to impose their beliefs and practices on American law, politics, society and education.’

STEVE PEARCE, NEW MEXICO REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE, states on his website that one of his political goals, and a promise to voters, is that he will "protect our right to prayer and against the government halting expressions of faith."

It is due to the fact that America is a secular nation that no ones religious freedom is threatened. No ones religious freedom is threatened because America has a constitution that charges it’s government to remain neutral and to not get involved in religion or make any law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The only threat to the religious freedoms of all Americans comes from religious organizations and their inability to accept a non-theocratic secular government.

Freedom of religion is not the freedom to impose ones religion on others and the First Amendment is not the property of politicians to trade off for votes. Politicians desperate for votes need to get a platform and leave the constitution, and the American people’s freedom of religion, alone.

Open Letter To Arizona Lawmakers

Dear Arizona Lawmakers,
I didn't plan on writing another politic rant so soon. But then you, dear Arizona Lawmakers, decided to pass SB1070.

Oh America, land that I love! You do keep it interesting with the politics. I think that's part of the reason I <3 you.

One of the major provisions of the above mentioned bill allows the police to check the immigration status of and detain anyone they suspect of being an illegal alien. But what could possibly lead a police officer to suspect that someone is in the country illegally? I’m going to go ahead and guess that folks with brown skin who “don’t speak American” with “funny sounding” names are the main target of this bill. Anyone who would like to argue otherwise is more than welcome to. This is just my opinion after all. However, I seriously doubt if the three white Europeans I personally knew who lived in the US illegally (before I met them) would be stopped if they happened to wander into Arizona.

My first thought on reading the law (and yes, I actually read the whole thing) is that its constitutionality is highly debatable for a number of reason, but in particular because it’s the federal government that deals with things like immigration, not the states. And I'm not even going to touch on the "searches" part of the "unreasonable searches and seizures" bit of the Fourth Amendment (applied to the States via the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment if I'm not mistaken). But let's be honest, it’s been a few years since that Constitutional Law class I voluntarily took in college, so please anyone with a deeper understand of the issue (i.e. a lawyer), feel free to jump in on this point.

Now Arizona lawmakers, I have just a few more minor questions for you (*rolling up my sleeves and taking off the kid gloves*): What were you thinking? Or perhaps to really address the incredible stupidity of this bill, what the F*CK were you thinking? No really, I’m curious as to the thought process that went into this. Please enlighten me. How exactly do you plan on enforcing this law? As in, what criteria need to be met to satisfy the “reasonable suspicion” part of someone being in the country illegally? And how exactly are folks who are stopped supposed to prove either their legal immigration status or their American citizenship? Hell, I’m an American citizen but the only piece of ID I walk around with in any country is my driver’s license, not my birth certificate or my passport (for obvious reasons, both are kept under lock and key pretty much at all times). And if I’m not mistaken, you don’t actually have to be an American citizen (or in some states be in the US legally) to get a driver’s license. So I ask again, how exactly is one supposed to prove their immigration and/or citizenship status?

I’m well aware of the fact that there are folks in the US illegally (like I said, I’ve personally known three) and that countries along the Southern US border seem to be especially effected. I completely understand that Arizona wants to do something to deal with this issue. I understand that and sympathize with that dilemma. I’m not against that. I’m not necessarily against tougher enforcement of current immigration law or a reform of immigration law. I am, however, against legislation like this which is essentially racial profiling rolled up in a nice pretty Birther bullsh*t package.

Sigh…I’m not saying immigration laws shouldn’t be enforced. But maybe, just maybe, this isn’t the best way to go about it Arizona Lawmakers. I can only hope that you come to your senses soon...or barring that a federal court overturns this puppy and sends y'all back to the drawing board. I'm fine with either.

Toodles,
American Black Chick in Europe

Cross-posted from American Black Chick in Europe.

Tea Party! An(other) Open Letter

Dear Tea Party Leaders,
Have I mentioned I'm not a big Tea Party fan? One of the top reasons is because too many folks who participate in these rallies don't really know what they want. There's a serious lack of direction. Case in point:*



Somehow, your movement has managed to attract Birthers, racists, libertarians, Republicans, anti-big government folks and folks who are just feed up in general (among others). That's a whole lot of (often) conflicting ideologies and goals. Which means there's an incredible lack of consistency in the Tea Party position beyond "the government is too big."

A few questions for you Tea Party Leaders (excluding Fox News, since I think they're full of sh*t anyway): How is the government too big? How exactly do you suggest slimming down the government? Which federal agencies should go? What/who would pick up the slack of those eliminated federal agencies? Would the slack be picked up at all? What is the Tea Party's view on health care reform in general (not just the recently passed bill)? What about immigration and/or immigration reform? Regarding taxes, how does one propose funding the military/unemployment/Medicaid/Medicare/Social Security etc. without some form of taxation? Or should those programs just fall by the wayside?

I normally describe myself as a moderate with liberal tendencies. That's only half true. I'm a liberal with both liberal and conservative tendencies. When election time rolls around, I do actually (attempt) to research the candidates and try to choose the candidate I think will be best for America. In the last election, I heard it from both sides, both my liberal and conservative friends, because I was seriously considering voting for Hilary Clinton (hand she won the primaries), Barack Obama and John McCain (up until he picked Sarah Palin as his running mate). Out of the last 3 presidential elections that I've been able to vote in, the candidate I hauled my ass to the post office/American Embassy to send my absentee ballot in for has won exactly once. One out of three is a pretty sh*tty record. When my chosen candidates lost, did I start shouting about how the tyrannical Commie Fascist  government was ruining America or talk about how my rights were being trampled on without representation? No. And why didn't I?

One, in my humble opinion no government in the history of America has been Communist or tyrannical in the true sense of the words, although some of my Southern brethren who are still fighting the damn Civil War might disagree. Sidenote: You lost. Deal. With. It. Please feel free, Tea Party Leaders, to disagree with me on the Communist/Fascist/tyrannical government point, providing evidence that does not include Fox News or anyone associated with Fox News with the exception of Shepard Smith, who I secretly kinda love.

And two, not liking your representation isn't the same thing as not having representation. You have representation. Not having representation looks something like this: being counted as 3/5th of a person while being denied the right to vote, hold property, marry or be treated like a human being. That's not having representation. So until the day the Obama administration officially repeals voting rights for all white Americans (I say this only because the Tea Party rallies seem to be overwhelming white, another point y'all might want to look into), I'm really going to need y'all to stop throwing out that whole "no representation" thing.

Oh and while we're on the topic, I keep reading all this stuff about how the Obama administration is stomping on the Constitution blah blah blah, generally from strict constructionist. Refer back to the 3/5th Compromise on why my black-descendant-of-slaves ass is not a strict constructionist. In my (over)educated opinion, part of the reason the Constitution has worked so well for so long is because it's a document which can grow and change with the times (see Article 5)....something the Framers ever so thoughtfully allowed for, even if they did drop the ball with the whole black-folks-as-chattel thing.

Since I'm leaving France in a week anyway and avoiding doing anything at all productive, I'm going to go ahead and address the Birthers element of the Tea Party movement's whole "Obama wasn't born in America" thing (despite the birth certificate) for sh*ts and giggles. Let's assume the Birthers have a point on this (they don't). Doesn't. F*cking. Matter. His mother was American. He gets citizenship through her anyway, in addition to being born in Hawaii (yes, it is consider part of these United States). And before any of your Birthers cite the "natural born citizen" clause, please note the Constitution doesn't really set down the criteria for "natural born citizen." Go ahead and check. I'll wait.

And breath. Rant. Over

Toodles,
American Black Chick in Europe

*P.S. To the young lady in the video who called Glenn Beck "very educational," I can see the American educational system greatly failed you. And for that I'm truly sorry. Beck could connect the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus to a Commie-Islamo-Fascist plot to overthrow America using that delightful chalkboard of his if he wanted to. The writer in me is impressed with his level of creativity. The non-batsh*t crazy person in me secretly weeps that folks believe him.

Cross-posted from American Black Chick in Europe.

LYSISTRATA REVISITED

LYSISTRATA: We're going to save you, my good man.

MAGISTRATE: But if I don't want to be saved?

LYSISTRATA: Why, all the more reason!!

The feud inside Kenya’s fragile coalition government has taken an ominous turn as women’s groups have threatened a weeklong sex strike to force the president and prime minister to end their impasse. According to Rukia Subow, chairwoman of the organizers, sex is the great equalizer:

"We have looked at all issues which can bring people to talk and we have seen that sex is the answer," Subow said. "It does not know tribe, it does not have a (political) party and it happens in the lowest households."

As expected, the men disagree. Here is how Kenyan legislator, David Musila, characterizes the strike:

"It is a shame that these women can make such a statement.  First of all, in my view, it is un-African [my bold], and these are some of the things in Africa we don't talk openly about, sex in front of children, and so on.  And therefore, I think they are misguided and in any case, who is going to supervise and see that the boycott is implemented?  It is just rubbish," Musila said.

The women, of course, have covered their bases.  The group intends to pay prostitutes to cease work and join the strike.

Thoughts Inspired By Goddess Rachel Maddow

I have a crush – a serious crush – on Rachel Maddow of MSNBC. In fact, I have considered giving up blogging at Swashzone because of Maddow. I’ve been thinking – all I need to do everyday is post “See Rachel’s broadcast last night” & that pretty much sums up SQUID’s current view of the universe. And this from a woman (me) who complains frequently about the incessant hero-worship of Shakespeare (sorry Dino). So yes – I confess – I worship at the shrine of GODDESS MADDOW.

So tonight – my fav intellectual Rachel – used a football analogy. Simultaneously intelligent & hilarious. I laughed my head off. Feminist Rachel M. using a FOOTBALL metaphor – co-opting Americana’s classic archetypal reference to the Joe-Six-Pack American male (mercifully she did not acknowledge the J-6-pk tie in). What is more MALE than football? – according to media generated American ideology, that is. BUT – my dearest Rachel – brought the football metaphor to a whole new level – surpassing the tired old “Hail Mary” & infusing her metaphor with – well – intelligent campaign/political analysis. An analysis that compares the current campaign to the painful one of 4 years before. Very Clever - & informative. With little blue helmets vs little red helmets lined up on the field - should be a diagram in future American Civics textbooks. Anyone in doubt of the lay of the electoral land take note - Obama is winning the game in McCain’s end zone – state by state. (So much for CNN’s John King’s “magic blue/red computer board”)

Then R.M. interviewed Ed Rendell – quite a political character - gov. of battle-ground Pennsylvania. I’ve spent much of my life living in the now all important PA – I am personally familiar with many corners of the state. Let me tell you from experience – it is a skitso state politically. I lived there most of the time in its bible belt portion - during the days of Specter, Ridge & Santorum. But now Ed Rendell – colorful democrat from Philly – rules. Don’t get me wrong – I like Rendell. Somewhat of a live wire – but that’s precisely what PA needed to shake it up from its Santorum meltdown. Oi!!! I was frankly amazed to learn – when I had moved elsewhere – that he’d managed to win the governorship. PA is geographically a RED state. Oh yes it is. The BLUE hotspots are Philadelphia, Pittsburgh & Harrisburg. The rest? White – oh SO white – working class, small town, Christian-conservative America. And I’m NOT just talking about Amish & Mennonites. Oh - & lets not forget those “fiscally conservative, socially liberal” (i.e. cheap as hell) folks living in the burbs of these cities.

Not to slam PA or small town America – but food for thought - I have only once in my life seen – to my horror – a Klansmen in full white regalia & hood – in PA. A sight I will NEVER forget. AND!!! I saw said Klansmen early on a SUNDAY – hello church!! – morning. Whilst I was living in the BIBLE belt. No – racism is NOT strictly southern grown. My point is not to slur PA - but there are elements in now-all-important PA - like other parts of this country - that are incredibly narrow-minded & behind the times.

(AND - I like PA. Really. It's my second home.)

To get my rambling back on track – unlike CNN - which has been concertedly ignoring the rest of the world for months when it supposedly reports the NEWS – Maddow does – in her “underreported” portion of her show – actually occasionally mention the disintegration of things in Pakistan, Afghanistan & now Syria. (Talk about ego-centric – we Americans are so quick to forget the rest of the world when we have an election – the world we also presume to be leading – the world we are presuming to be electing the next leader of.)

So – Squid – having gushed about her HEROINE worship of R. Maddow – is now going to slither off to her sanctimonious ocean depths . . .

Learning From the Younger Crowd

I've been noticing a certain acerbic tone in my young child’s manner of speaking to me lately. Ill-tempered & impatient, to be exact. Now – I could, of course, explain this away by saying – “oh well, it’s the age” or “kids will be kids” etc. Yes. Mmmm Well. Um. Except for the fact that my child’s tone, manner, demeanor is beginning to seem oddly familiar. Like I’ve heard it before. Many times. Recently. A lot. Yes - hauntingly familiar. As if I am listening to my own reflection in a mirror. Could it be that my child is taking cues from dear old mom about how to communicate?

What’s that old expression about things going around & coming around?

Today as I was approaching my classroom building for my next class I was wading through the usual crowd of my students hanging around the door smoking like chimneys & generally lollygagging. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed one of my students grin & wave at me. I aimed my patented, squid-sarcastic look in his direction. As I passed into the building I heard him say, “She hates me, I know it.” Rolling my eyes heavenward I headed to my classroom.

A few minutes later as my students strolled into class, my “she hates me” student headed for his seat. I called out – in an ever so SO sarcastic voice – “Hello so & so. I like you so & so.” He turned & grinned sheepishly & said “See – I thought so, but I’m never quite sure.” Then we both laughed heartily.

It struck me later that this incident – like my struggles with my ornery child – is yet another example of the cycle of human interactions. How one person behaves or speaks informs how another person behaves & speaks, etc etc etc . . .

Both my child & my “she hates me” student have reflected back to me my own moodiness & manner respectively. Reminding me that I can not act & react in a vacuum. That I must bear responsibility for HOW I am.

What has this got to do with anything at issue on this blog?

It seems to me from recent posts on this blog - reporting about happenings on the campaign trails - that there is a lot of meanness & ill will being circulated around this land of ours. The debating of political issues has become thoroughly dumbed down into overly & overtly personalized & poisonous rhetoric. I too am guilty of this. I have been mightily & heartily sarcastic – not just critical – but sarcastic – about Sarah Palin. And it is my sarcasm that I am increasingly bothered by. Towards SP I am not playfully sarcastic as I am with my students. No. I have been aggressively sarcastic towards her & her running mate. And this sarcasm does NOT make me feel any better. It is not healthy blowing off of steam. No. It’s not. Call me a whimp – but it is really bothering me. I have allowed SP's own idiotic rhetoric to suck me into more of my own idiotic - yes, idiotic - rhetoric in retort. Where does it end?

I am not claiming that I am ready to go out & start slashing the tires of cars bearing McCain/Palin stickers. However – the angry desire to slash someone’s tires starts somewhere, doesn't it? People are not born inherently disposed to have evil tendencies towards tires. So how did we go from name calling to vandalism? What will be the next leap into the depths? As a collective electorate – what are we now demonstrating about ourselves? And I do mean COLLECTIVE. Are any of us really above the fray at this point?

Perhaps the phrase “what goes around comes around” needs to be modified to “be mindful of what you send around because it may come back around upon you in an even more disturbing form.”

Or maybe I am just an idyllic, idealistic, delicate flower in need of watering. I don't know.

BUT I do know - that if I want my child to learn how to speak in a more reasonable, polite voice it would be nice if I modeled such behavior for him. Might there not be a lesson in this? As for my "she hates me" student - a reminder to me that sometimes by simply owning our behavior we can get a smile & be understood.

VIOLENCE AT PALIN RALLIES

The über-patriot in action again, here is Sarah Palin delivering a speech at Elon, North Carolina, yesterday :

We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation.

Does Petite Syrah mean to imply that other parts of America are less wonderful, less patriotic, and less pro-America?  According to another report, her speech was briefly interrupted after a protester was led away in handcuffs.  Here is how Sarah Palin responded:

"You know what, maybe we need to tell security that maybe he need not go," she said.  "Maybe he needs to stay and learn a little from all of you."  The crowd then cheered.

What exactly did Sarah Palin have in mind? Did she intend to have the protestor drawn and quartered?  Have him fed as raw meet to the cannibals? Here is another account from Mark Binker who was covering another rally:

I sidled up to one of the Obama supporters and asked why they were there, what they were trying to accomplish.  As he was telling me a large, bearded man in full McCain-Palin campaign regalia got in his face to yell at him.

"Hey, hey, " I said. "I'm trying to interview him. Just a minute, okay?"

The man began to say something about how of course I was interviewing the Obama people when suddenly, from behind us, the sound of a pro-Obama rap song came blaring out of the windows of a dorm building.   We all turned our heads to see Obama signs in the windows.

This was met with curses, screams and chants of "U.S.A" by McCain-Palin folks who crowded under the windows trying to drown it out and yell at the person playing the stereo.  It was a moment of levity in an otherwise very tense situation and so I let out a gentle chuckle and shook my head.

"Oh, you think that 's funny?! " the large bearded man said.  His face was turning red.  "Yeah, that 's real funny…" he said.

And then he kicked the back of [my] leg, buckling my right knee and sending me sprawling onto the ground.

Yup, it’s sure getting ugly out there.

POLITICAL SLOGANS: PART ONE

Election Season 2008 has yielded a bumper crop of lies and deceptions that have choked out every plant in the garden. Worse than weeds, the current debate puts kudzu to shame. The word 'weed' may begin with the letter 'w' but deceptive politics certainly did not begin with George W. Bush, nor will it end with John "The Same" McCain.  Fortunately, there are online tools to help us whack through the thicket of lies:

FactCheck.Org monitors the accuracy of representations made by politicians in media advertising, debates, speeches, interviews, and press releases. It bills itself as a “consumer advocate" whose aim is to identify deception and reduce voter confusion.

Media Matters monitors the major news outlets - broadcast, cable, radio, and the Internet - for false claims and misinformation. If you are looking for truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, skip CNN and Faux News and go directly to FactCheck.Org or Media Matters.

My purpose here is not to rehash the latest lies and deceptions. Why cover the same ground when there are legions of experts who do a credible job. Instead, my purpose is to examine the language of crafting political slogans, the one constant that runs through every election cycle, the scam for all seasons.

I start with WYSIWYG, a term borrowed from the science of computer visualization. Pronounced “Wizzy Wig,” it means: “What You See Is What You Get.” In other words, what you see on your computer screen is supposed to look like the output on a printed page. The term has several variations:

WYSIWYM (“Wizzy Whim”) - What You See Is What You Mean

WYSINWYG (“Wizzy Not Wig”) - What You See Is Not What You Get

WYSIWYNG (“Wizzy Wing”) - What You See Is What You'll Never Get

I apply these terms to the art of political sloganeering for obvious reasons. What does the political slogan really mean? Is there a hidden agenda? Are there imbedded code words that may mean one thing to one voter and something else to another?  After the election has been decided and a winner declared, did we really get what we thought we saw, or did we end up with different output?  A few recent real-world examples come to mind:

Compassionate Conservative - Is this slogan meant to convey a “Mr. Nice Guy” image, or is it simply “sugarcoating, an empty phrase to make traditional conservatism sound more appealing to moderate voters?” Would Mr. Nice Guy really want to privatize your social security and remove the social safety net? I would argue that the slogan is a ruse, an example of “Wizzy Not Wig.”

I am a uniter, not a divider – On the surface, this slogan suggests an appeal to bipartisanship but, in practice, it means the opposite: Divide and conquer using wedge politics. For Democrats who crossed party lines, this slogan has come to mean: “I will take your vote now and betray you later.” Shall we call this an example of “Wizzy Wing.”

Tax Relief – Here is a modern iteration of an old Roman concept, panem et circenses, meaning “bread and circus.” In practice, tax relief has resulted in an explosion of public debt and a massive transfer of wealth from the middle and working classes to the corporate elite thus furthering an already high level of economic inequality. In exchange for a little cash in their pockets, voters take the bait and act against their own economic self-interest.  A promise of tax relief is a Mephistophelian “Wizzy Not Wig.”

Judicial Activism – Conservatives accuse liberal judges of usurping the power of the legislature by deciding cases based on personal conviction. In fact, judicial activism exists in the eye of the beholder. Last year, the conservative Roberts court overturned decades of established law covering anti-trust, free speech, reproductive rights, and race … prompting Justice Stephen Breyer to say: "Rarely in the history of the law have so few undone so much so quickly." During his confirmation hearing before Congress, Roberts claimed to honor and respect the concept of legal precedence known as stare decicis. Clearly, his assurance was a “Wizzy Wing” hum dinger.

The above examples illustrate a point: A well-crafted political slogan serves several masters – sometimes appealing to one voting block while trying to assuage, or not offend, another. Its purpose is not necessarily to communicate the clear intent of the candidate, but to obfuscate, or sometimes give a contradictory impression. Slogans stir the emotions – anger, fear, comfort, and hope. Sometimes their purpose is to mask a hidden agenda. In any event, sloganeering is never about WYSIWYG. Politicians hurl slogans to win elections, and there is often a surprise after the candidate takes office.

What concerns me most of all is that our side of the political divide belongs to the WYSIWYM School of Political Discourse. We tend to say what we mean and mean what we say without art or guile or hidden motives. One consequence of our naivety is that we have been losing the language wars to conservatives for a very long time. Our candidates have not yet fully grasped the power of short, pithy slogans that resonate with voters.

We also have a tendency to let conservative sloganeering stand unchallenged. We need to expose the vacuous and dangerous jingoism. It should also be noted that repetitive sloganeering imprints itself on the national consciousness. Once the slogan and the conservative brand are firmly entrenched in the minds of voters, the damage has been done. Invasive weeds have taken over the garden.

In my view, every civics class should include a lesson on propaganda techniques so future citizens may become more discerning consumers of political noise - and less likely to be deceived by demagogic appeals.

Please look for Part Two before the next Blue Moon. Meanwhile, I welcome your comments and suggestions.