Now Is The Winter Of Our Discontent — A Liberal’s Calm Before The Storm

Made glorious summer by this sun of Windy City;
And all the clouds that lour’d upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried…

…for how long?

For some of us the inauguration of Barack Obama ushered in the potential for an era of liberal progress, of recovery from the dark clouds of George W. Bush… illegal wars, reactionary social policy, and economic destruction.

The republican party nomination process stimulated my presaging fear of tumult as I witnessed enthusiastic applause for the proposed destruction / elimination of women’s’ rights, civil and marriage rights, health care access, criminalized physical expressions of hate, and responsible stewardship of earth’s resources.

While I know that I am not alone in my liberal desires for a more progressive and better nation, it sure feels a lot lonelier.

As I contemplated my sense of alienation and just how far I am away from the American political norm, a battery of political spectrum tests proved that, indeed, I am a Liberal Elite in a right wing, conservative nation…and it is not a good feeling.

For the Liberal Elite contemplating the national mood, it may soon be another kind of Winter…the end (winter) of our contentment…

The 2012 Screwtape Letters — Satan’s Op-Ed Regarding The GOP

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR: Not Even a Single Mention of My Infernal Glory? What Gives? By Satan

(Inspired by Cultural Correspondent on February 28, 2012)

All the buildup and excitement was for naught. The broadband cable I had installed throughout the dark reaches of Hell so my minions and the damned could watch the GOP candidates debate each other… for nothing. I thought I’d be the man of the hour, the name on everybody’s lips, the only guy that everyone hoped CNN Debate Moderator John King would ask about.

But did he ever mention my name?

Not once!

You have to go back to the early 19th Century to see my name being used as a weapon against another candidate as frequently as it is today.

If my name were a registered trademark, Rick Santorum would owe me big time!

I don’t mind being interjected into politics, per se. I get sort of a vicarious thrill out of it. But when Rick Santorum said that I was specifically targeting the United States of America, I nearly spit out my brimstone biscotti.

I look at the warlords of Africa as they steal and hoard food sent by humanitarian organizations while their people die miserable, starvation-induced deaths; I look at the former Soviet Union as their Mafia fiat governs more than their legally elected representatives. All you have to do is take a look at the Middle East. Nice people, but here they are, killing each other because of the name they use to refer to “You Know Who.” (I am technically forbidden from using His name.)

With all of that said, Rick Santorum still thinks I’m targeting the United States of America for special treatment?

I haven’t actually done anything in America since placing James Brady between John Hinckley and Ronald Reagan back in 1981. Reagan had much more work to do for me, and damned if I was going to let some little piss ant with a “Taxi Driver” fixation spoil that.

Let’s put it this way: the United States is in my crosshairs but so are all peaceful, freedom loving people. The sooner I can get you all fighting each other over stupid things like the proper way to say the word “route,” the sooner my plans will be realized.

I’m probably giving away more than I should, but this is the reason I made such a point of getting Barack Obama elected in 2008. And no, it’s not for the reasons you’re thinking. He is neither evil nor Muslim nor Kenyan. He’s a good man and a fine singer.

I got him elected because I knew what it would do to my unwitting servants in the United States — they just can’t stand having a “Head-(N-word)-In-Charge.” You know these folks, the people who can spout chapter and verse from the Bible and just as easily go against the very things their Big-Guy-In-The-Sky commanded them to do during their time on Earth!

This is precisely why I invented the Tea Party.

I knew that the very presence of a black person (HNIC) in their precious White House would so infuriate my unwitting racist minions that they would go absolutely crazy and start saying the most ridiculous things.

My willing servant, Rupert Murdoch, used his worldwide conduit to your brains to help spread this message. And believe me, nothing makes me happier than to see you idiots fighting with each other over The Other Guy’s name.

But still, imagine my infernal anger after being the subject of such controversy over the last few weeks. First, New Jersey Governor Christie (he is mine!) blathers about me and Whitney Houston in the same breath! Then, Santorum even called me “the father of lies.”

Santorum just won’t get off it; consider these remarks he made in a speech back in 2008, for example:

“This is not a political war at all. This is not a cultural war at all. This is a spiritual war,” said Santorum. “And the Father of Lies has his sights on what you would think the Father of Lies, Satan, would have his sights on: a good, decent, powerful, influential country: the United States of America.”

And you can’t forget what he said about homosexuality and the Democratic Party: “Woodstock is the great American orgy. This is who the Democratic Party has become. They have become the party of Woodstock. The prey upon our most basic primal lusts, and that’s sex. And the whole abortion culture, it’s not about life. It’s about sexual freedom. That’s what it’s about. Homosexuality. It’s about sexual freedom.”

Right, because that’s how I plan to drag America and all its precious souls screaming and kicking to Hell: By making them realize that “You Know Who” created them with organs that make them feel good when they love each other, and that it doesn’t matter who you love as long as you love.

Yeah. That’s me. I’m corrupting the human race by making them all love each other.

So, my little idiot from Pennsylvania has been in the news for a week now, using my name at every opportunity, and that damn John King from CNN doesn’t even ask a single question about me during Tuesday’s debate? He doesn’t give Santorum the time or airspace to glorify me, to spread more falsehoods, to – if you will – spray his foamy, frothy jets of deception all over the faces and bed sheets of the American public?

What happens instead? He gets softball questions.

John King has displeased me.

CNN has displeased me.

Rick Santorum is my most useful tool in America and he will be heard.

- Satan, formerly known as Lucifer, is the dark lord of the underworld and creator of all pain and suffering. He also is a cribbage aficionado.

___________________________________________________________

Santorum -

“I don’t believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute,” he said. “The idea that the church can have no influence or no involvement in the operation of the state is absolutely antithetical to the objectives and vision of our country.”

I’m A Liberal…

Gingrich Family Values… Republican-Christian Family Values? Oy Vey!

Newt Gingrich — balancing pro-family values with a commitment to Darwinian survival of the fittest in the marketplace.

As reported by L.H. Carter, his campaign treasurer, Newt said of Jacqueline: “She’s not young enough or pretty enough to be the wife of the President. And besides, she has cancer.”

Newt — A Committed Adulterer  With Conservative Family Values… !

• We know that Newt cheated on his FIRST wife (some call this Destroying the Sanctity of Marriage… oh wait, that’s committed, loving gays) while she lay on her hospital sickbed during cancer chemo treatments.
• We know that Newt cheated on his SECOND wife at the exact same time he led impeachment against President Clinton for the same offense.
• And, of course, we know that Newt cheated with his future THIRD wife while he sought an “open marriage” with and then finally a divorce from his second wife.

Gingrich family values… dishearteningly on display yet again. But it’s all good, I guess. After all, Pat Robertson — purveyor of all that is Christian – has deemed it permissible to dump your wife when she gets sick… and he’s got that direct line to Jesus, you know.

Difference of opinion on the issues is one acceptable thing. Hypocrisy by conservative support of Gingrich is both revealing about the true heart of our right-wing compatriots and unacceptable to more thoughtful persons… aka, we Intellectual Elite.

Do Republicans really hate having a black man as President this much?

Good old Republican, Christian values… It’s no wonder Newt has vaulted to the top of the pack.

All I can do is a face palm in disgust and ask, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? Forget legitimate differences of substantial policy matters. Supporting Gingrich from a conservative, Christian perspective simply makes no sense… except if mitigated by a hatred in your heart toward a negro as president and fear of another religious sect… like, oh say, Mormonism. And that’s not very American… or is it?

Full Disclosure: My President, Clinton, is a “recovered” husband who cheated, but he never claimed the sanctimonious heights of moral perfection and spousal infallibility, as do conservatives… Yes, that makes all the difference. He’s still with his first wife and raised a stable, intelligent daughter.

Reactionary America 1951-2011 — Same As It Ever Was

Modern America History Lesson: When threatened, we revert to ingrained fears.

               1950′s                               2010′s

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               2010′s                               1950′s

We can do better than this. We are better educated than this. We are better than this.

MLK Memorial — Out Of The Mountain Of Despair, A Stone Of Hope

To commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a memorial to honor his national and international contributions to world peace through non-violent social change is soon to be dedicated in Washington DC.

Visitors will walk through two massive white granite halves of the “Mountain of Despair” to reach the “Stone of Hope,” from which the sculpture of King emerges.

The winning design from an international contest was inspired by the line from King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.”

Behind King’s sculpture, on either side of the mountain, is a 450-foot-long wall inscribed with 14 quotations from the famous orator’s speeches, sermons, and writings.

Dr. King championed a movement that draws fully from the deep well of America’s potential for freedom, opportunity, and justice. His vision of America is captured in his message of hope and possibility for a future anchored in dignity, sensitivity, and mutual respect; a message that challenges each of us to recognize that America’s true strength lies in its diversity of talents.

The vision of a memorial in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. is one that captures the essence of his message, a message in which he so eloquently affirms the commanding tenants of the American Dream — Freedom, Democracy and Opportunity for All; a noble quest that gained him the Nobel Peace Prize and one that continues to influence people and societies throughout the world.

Upon reflection, we are reminded that Dr. King’s lifelong dedication to the idea of achieving human dignity through global relationships of well being has served to instill a broader and deeper sense of duty within each of us (well, many of us)— a duty to be both responsible citizens and conscientious stewards of freedom and democracy.

Muslim Charity Fundraiser Brings Out America’s Tea Partying Hatred

Angry, Hateful Crowd Protests Muslim Fundraiser for Women’s Shelters (Video)

The Southern California chapter of a Muslim charity called Islamic Circle of North American Relief USA held an event in Orange County (Los Angeles) last month in hopes of raising about $350,000 for “women’s shelters, fighting hunger and homelessness in the area.” So, of course, hundreds of angry, mob-mentality citizens showed up to protest, chanting “go back home” and “Muhammad was a pervert.”

The video, below, shows all too clearly, an irrational, emotional danger percolating in America today.

The danger to such venting of American hatred — displayed here toward families of the islamic faith — is that it is subject to easily, emotionally, violently, suddenly redirecting toward new targets… to the new “them”… other human citizens being true to themselves, others with rights under our constitution… perhaps making you or me “them” and thus a new target.

When will America’s hatred come full force to the other “them?” The Fags, Dykes, Cripples, Diseased, Niggers, Spics, Heebs, Chinks, Ragheads, Artists, …

Whom do you hate America? Because these “identities” are all you.

Does America suffer from self-hatred? An ignorance of who an American is in reality?

Well, one thing is certain, group protests such as this should make us all feel embarrassment for America… feel that we have failed to properly educate our population in the basics of “Civics.” America feels as if it grows more and more ignorant every day… and more reactionary.

Is this the America for which our soldiers have placed their lives on the line? I certainly hope it is not.

Hate comes to Orange County

The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) released a video of a rally organized by anti-Muslim bigots to protest a February 2010 fundraising event held by an American Muslim relief group for relief work and charity in the U.S.

A few hundred protesters showed up to the rally, which was sponsored by groups such as:

• “We Surround Them OC 912″ (a local Tea Party group),
• Rabbi David Eliezrie of Chabad – Yorba Linda,
• North Orange County Conservative Coalition,
• ACT! for America, and
• Pamela Geller (whose group “Stop the Islamization of America” has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center).
• Elected officials Congressmen Ed Royce and Gary Miller, and Villa Park Councilwoman Deborah Pauly also attended and spoke at the protest rally.

The event — held at Yorba Linda Community Center, a facility that has been frequented by Muslim families and businesses over the years — first became a target of anti-Muslim bigots over two of the fundraiser’s speakers, who were to speak on the importance of charity in Islam.

Initial attempts of some groups to have the Yorba Linda Community Center and the Yorba Linda City Council cancel the fundraising event failed… followed by the protest.

In a statement, CAIR-LA said:

We support the First Amendment right of protest\ors anywhere in America to voice their concerns, dissent, and even hatred. However, when our nation’s foundational values of inclusiveness, pluralism and equality are attacked by some in favor of calls for advocating hate and violence, then all Americans have a responsibility to challenge and expose such bigotry and those who enable it.

As the video shows, the rhetoric of the protesters became increasingly venomous toward the families and children who came to attend the ICNA Relief fundraising dinner. Protesters shouted invective statements such as “Go home terrorist,” “Muhammad is a pervert, Muhammad is a child molester,” “Go home and beat your wife, she needs a good beating” at the event-goers.

Even more disturbing was the participation and encouragement of elected officials in promoting the hateful protest rally. Villa Park Councilwoman, Deborah Pauly, while addressing the crowd at the rally, appeared to threaten Muslim event-goers. Congressman Ed Royce (R-40), in a troubling trend of disparaging Islam and its followers, added fuel to the fire by encouraging protesters to continue on with their hate-mongering. The attendance of Congressman Gary Miller (R-42) was a clear surprise, since he previously has engaged with all constituents, including Muslims, toward a better America.

We strongly urge all elected officials in attendance to distance themselves from such an exhibition of hate and bigotry. We further ask residents and elected officials of Yorba Linda, Orange County and other parts of our nation to speak out against such hateful rhetoric and the continued Islamophobia that plagues our nation.

Conversation With A Tea Partier

Words Have Actual Meanings!

A Tea Party Patriot tries to explain how our freedoms are in jeopardy.

VOTE as if your very Freedoms depend upon it and are threatened!

Because American Freedoms are threatened… by Ignorance and Basic American Apathy.

________________________

You know, all kidding aside, the danger from the Tea Party and Tea Baggers themselves… comes not from the fact that they have a different opinion than I and other progressives (Who cares? Diversity of opinion is valuable and fun)…

• The threat to American Freedoms is the very lack of inquisitiveness (I know… big word for most) in the Tea Bagger character and the seemingly absolute disregard for fact-based thought.*
• The threat of the Tea Bagging movement is the validation of ignorance as a character-builder.*
• The threat of Tea Partying is “lack-of-knowledge” as a point of American Pride.*

The rather large number of serious conversations I have had with Tea Baggers and Libertarians who spoke, advocated, and debated much like this political cartoon is nothing short of profoundly shocking.

And the sad thing is… it’s generally my generation that seems most enmeshed in the movement and its emotional appeal. I know we were taught to think better than this… I know because I was there with them… learning to think, not just to react and parrot back a party line. What the hell happened to us?

We will be the generation that fails the nation and the youth. Sad.

* Yes, I would say I can be labeled a Proud Member of the Intellectual Elite

RALLY TO RESTORE SANITY AND/OR FEAR Application

Get The Free Rally App on Your iPhone, iTouch and iPad Before you head to D.C. for the Rally of a lifetime — or at least a weekend — download the official Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert-approved Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear application today for free in the iPhone App Store. View maps, upload photos, share comments, and check in on Foursquare to earn one-of-a-kind badges! WooHoo!

Android phone lovers, your app is on its way, as well!

MLK’s DREAM vs Glenn Beck’s “honor”

On August 28, 2010 Celebrate the Dream, a group of faith leaders and community organizers, erected a “People’s Memorial to Martin Luther King” on the National Mall on the 47th anniversary of his “I Have a Dream” speech. Just a stone’s throw away, Glen Beck and his teabaggers rallied in the name of “Restoring Honor.”

Both groups were asked what MLK’s Dream meant to them…

This was the thought of one video viewer:

Glenn Beck preaches to people who long for a past that never existed, a “purer” time when the quality of life was based on yet more extensive racial and economic injustice. Most of his sycophants are cautious not to use explicitly racist words so they can continue to tell themselves they believe in something more than “I’ve got mine.”

Still another reaction with their interpretation of Beck’s dream:

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will be judged by the color of their skin not by the content of their character. And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let intolerance ring from the coasts of California, to the coasts of Maine.

Rich at last! Rich at last!

Thank God Almighty, I’m Rich at last!”