The Conservative Loony-Toony Bin

I've finally figured it out. I think.

The idea has sub-consciously permeated my mind for years, but only recently formed into meaningful thoughts. The question: What makes so-called 'Conservatives' so diametrically opposite of 'Liberals' and why are conservatives so bitter and irrational?

The simple answer is: "FEAR".

I don't mean conservative in the sense of denoting 'conserving of money or resources'. Conservatives today give mere lip service to those ideas and very little action, although they make a great hullabaloo of pretense. No indeed. "Conservatism' today means 'fear of change, and clinging tenaciously to the known and comfortable', both in policy and action. Change comes to a conservative only by forcing it down their throat while he or she is kicking and screaming bloody murder.

We all know by definition 'conservatives' dislike change. But beyond that, I believe they actually live at some level of fear of anything new or unknown. Any meaningful change seems to discomfit them exceedingly. Perhaps their insecurity & fear stems from some early childhood experience, or it may be genetic, or perhaps both. One thing seems certain though: Their environment has a lot to do with it. A child raised within a 'conservative values' system has a very good chance of becoming 'conservative' himself, achieving this phobias by a constant osmosis. It is a self-perpetuating bad dream system. You've gotta feel a little sorry for them in fact.

The one huge fear conservatives all live with daily, is their gut-wrenching fear of 'liberals' and 'liberal' policies or ideas. It is an almost desperate and paralyzing fear which seems to unhinge many conservatives to the point of irrationality.

The result is their constant spewing of invective, venom and unreasoning hate against any and all liberals, no matter their flavor, and everything they stand for. And today, conservatives receive a great deal of cynical and organized support from those who use the their fears for pecuniary and selfish ulterior motives and to their own nefarious ends. Rufous Murdock, Fox News and their legions of snarky 'commentators' come quickly to mind. Their constant barrage of cynical propaganda serves to reinforce and magnify those conservative fears to the point of lunacy. For example, we experience a constant barrage of 'Obama hatred' from the conservatives, trying very hard to lay blame for so many things at his feet, when in fact he inherited virtually all his problems from their own conservative leaders!

We hear the constant wailing about how Obama's health care initiatives will break the bank, while everyone agrees what we now have will most certainly do so within a few years unless something is done. Yet conservatives still insist their way is the only way. Will they have us continue to fail to provide basic medical care for 40% of Americans while helping pharmaceutical and medical groups enjoy obscene profits? Oh, but yes! Or, like having the level of medical care in the US now ranking 37th in the world, lower than either Dominca's or Costa Rica's? Yes, I can only guess so!

I fancy conservatives buy into their own self-perpetuating dogma and myths far too deeply, permitting their cynical leaders to play on their fears and emotions to control them so they are blinded to realities. They seem to read only those things they agree with and fail to educate themselves to the broader picture, or even the realities of the recent past. I hear a constant clamor about their ideas and solutions being superior to all others, and in particular to Barrack Obama's, in spite of all evidence to the contrary. There is no pretense at being the 'loyal opposition'. It is all blind, bitter hatred.

Conservatives insist they put forth the best ideas and the only solutions? Come on! I wonder, do they mean like the dishonest administration which stampeded the country into an illegal war we can't seem to get out of? Do they mean like bringing back the laissez faire voodoo economics from the 1920's which plunged the country into the worst crisis since the Great Depression?

Do they mean like train-wrecking and trashing institutions like FEMA making the country virtually powerless to cope with a hurricane? Do they mean like so thoroughly mucking things up other countries offered us foreign aid? Hugo Chávez of Venezuela just loved that!

Maybe they mean like providing subsidies - corporate welfare - to oil companies while ignoring alternate energy solutions? Or, do they mean like bringing back and approving medieval torture methods to produce worthless 'intelligence'?

Oh yeah. Conservatives have some real doozies of ideas and solutions all right! Maybe Karl Rove was right when he said, "As people do better, they start voting like Republicans - unless they have too much education vote Democratic, which proves there can be too much of a good thing."

Methinks we need a whole lots more of our good thing!

A Low-Rent, Candy-Assed Quitter

Sarah Palin claims everyone's out to get her,

Which made her so mad and dreadfully bitter,

Now, she's doing politically incorrect twitters.

The public is greatly appalled, and all in a titter,

Alaskans never once agreed to permit her,

To toss the entire state straight in the sh**ter!

Being a lipsticked b*tch from pit bull's litter,

Never qualified Sarah or made her a bit fitter,

To govern a state or be a political outwitter.

Turns out, She's just a low-rent, candy-assed quitter!

Tweet!

Tweet!

Tweet!

The Remarkable Language of a Narcissistic Governor

Using South Carolina's Governor Mark Sanford's actual words (in bold red below - there were so very many to chose from!), I have taken the liberty of rearranging them to explain his situation:

Mark Sanford lied about hiking the Appalachian Trail, safe in his zone of protectiveness, having an incredibly serious conversation with himself from a heart level about God's Law.

But, he actually was letting his guard down and crossing the line to ignite a remarkable friendship with a hot Argentinian tamale. It was with that whole sparking thing with its incredibly intense conversation, leading to serious overdrive .

Sanford himself declared, "I was happy and content just being, and knowing that I had met my soul mate. I told myself, 'I best not try this walk of faith. it was before safe, but now it's not safe. We gotta put the Genie back in the bottle.'"

"There was some kind of connection from the very beginning. A forbidden one, a tragic one, but a love story at the end of the day. Have I done stupid? I have."

This guy is doing major damage to his state and to the Republican Party at large. But, his incredible narcissism overrules his perception of political realities and common sense. Only Sarah Palin's own narcissism seems to surpass Sanford's.

The Reality Challenged, Doctrinally Blinded and Aggressively Obtuse, Republican Right

There are commonalities between the so-called religious right and the neoconservatives. Often the two have overlapped of course, especially after the far right cynically and successfully managed to co-opt so many Christian groups to their banner over the past decade or so.

There is their steadfast ability to ignore realities. Followers in both groups demonstrate an amazing ability to ignore facts in favor of what they wish to believe. They are guided in this by the sustained drumbeat of massive propaganda directed their way, and which they seemingly eagerly lap up without question. It's sort of a 'believe what we tell you, and ignore anything different, even if it's right there before your very eyes'. A great example of this was the insistence that Iraq was somehow responsible for the 9/11 attacks, even though there was nary an Iraqi involved in the event, and fifteen Saudis ('Our friends and allies') who were. Simply amazing.

Then there is the relentless clamor insisting only Sarah Palin (or Republicans) can restore 'sanity' and balance to the government not if, but when she (or a Republican) is elected to the US presidency in 2012. Leaving aside the facts Palin is only Dubya in skirts - only perhaps more so - and that GW Bush and his administrations were the architects of our current national economic and social train wreck, Palin's chief support is mainly, almost exclusively, only among far right Republicans. And, only about half of those, the others still cognizant enough to recognize Palin is a 'lightweight, and too light in the ass' to ever have a chance. Doing the math, about 50% of 35% is roughly 18%.

The reality is, Sarah Palin is the biggest gift by far that Republicans can ever give their political enemies. It is pathetic really, that neither the religious right, nor the neoconservative Republicans perceive this fact.

But to me, perhaps the most discouraging of all is the dogmatic and vocal demonizing by the far right of 'anything democratic'. The religionists chime in with their Christian angles. Sure, I understand political opposition, but I am having trouble with such counter-productive, reflexive intransigence and aggressive partisan and religion based obtuseness. 'The' Party of No indeed!

It is sad to witness the meltdown of what is left of the Republican party and their various heroes and heroines, and 'family values' champions. The party is in free fall - and in spite of all the disfavor with which Republicans in general are currently being viewed, we need a strong two party (at least) system for political balance. But the meltdown is unavoidable I believe, so long as the party stays captured by the far right and the religionists, and remains so reality challenged, so doctrinally blinded, and so aggressively obtuse.

Wherever did the thoughtful and intelligent 'Party of Lincoln' go?

The Republican Elephant: An Icon of FEAR?

The United States of America has its own unique icon for fear, paranoia and obtuseness. Though constantly disguised and masked by its owners to conceal its true character, the actual nature of this icon sometimes unexpectedly reappears in the national consciousness. I refer of course to the iconic Elephant symbol for the US Republican Party.

One wonders how the symbol of this huge beast, famously afraid of any tiny mouse, came to be an icon for a national political party. Perhaps it is just simple obtuseness, but more likely it is simply a freudian manifestation.

After the inauguration of GW Bush. Fear, paranoia and obtuseness aggressively ruled the national 'shtick' for eight full years and beyond. It is now obvious this motivated and ruled our 'leaders', who in turn ruthlessly employed fear and paranoia as weapons of propaganda against the country at large.

Only now are we beginning to perceive even a partial extent of the resulting damages.

And, just as most characters are resistant to change, so too the Republican Party is still ruled by fear - but perhaps 'cowardice' may be a better term. There are many examples, but perhaps none so illustrates this idea than the (non)actions of the respective state and the national party following the sensational news regarding the governors of South Carolina and Alaska. There has been an absolute blizzard of news, blogs, media coverage of the two governors, but nary a single word from their own states' Republican Parties. None, nothing, nada, zippo, blanko.

Neither states' Republican parties, and especially the National Republican Party has found the basic political courage to speak up or out about the narcissistic excesses of their respective governors since their respective meltdowns.

Incredibly, the Alaska Republican Party website's last news item is dated May 7, 2009 - over two months ago. NOT ONE WORD about Palin's abrupt resignation - and one might think that would be news to resonate amongst Alaska's Republicans.

And the South Carolina's Republican Party? NOT ONE SINGLE WORD either, since June 24, 2009, the day before their governor went AWOL. Apparently this qualifies as non-news to SC Republicans.

Not to be outdone, or perhaps 'undone', the National Republican Party website offers helpful advice to Obama about 'losing support', and why the health care plan is stalled in Congress, and information on the Cap In Trade bill. NOTHING about the two most sensational political stories in the nation at this time:

And everything THE GOP offers is characteristically in opposition to any progress forward - apparently now a universal Republican stock in trade, making said party widely known as the "Party of No".

I think a more fitting phrase for Republicans these days might be the ancient Latin phrase, 'ex nihilo nihil fit' which translates to: "Out of nothing, comes nothing".

I sincerely hope the Republican Party can regain some of the courage of Abraham Lincoln, and rejoin the rest of us to benefit our nation. It is very sad to see them cowering from so much fear these days. Ignoring something in the hopes it will go away doesn't make it go away.

"Ignorance may be healed with education, but stupidity has no cure"

One High-Flying Governor Mark Sanford

A young South Carolina tractor salesman was talking with a customer one day, a gnarled old farmer. They were discussing the news of the day:

Tractor Salesman: " Yessir Mr. Harper, I sure have been entertained lately with all the goings on in South Carolina."

Farmer: "You mean Governor Mark Sanford and all his shenanigans"?"

Tractor Salesman: "Yeah. Don't it just blow your mind though? I never saw such goings on and all. It blew me away the way Sanford had the nerve to compare hisself to the biblical King David like that. Wants everybody to think he is so holy and religious and all, and was so put on by his troubles."

Farmer: "Yeah, don't that sound just like some sanctimonious damned preacher or goody-goody frigging shylock lawyer though? I wish I could say he was a preacher or a lawyer, but he ain't. He's actually a real estate broker, which is probably the next worst thing. Ain't none of 'em too been much known for telling the truth. And Governor Mark Sanford sure'n hell ain't too acquainted with the truth, now is he?"

Tractor Salesman: "No Sir. That feller sure has some gall and nerve. Lying to everybody, including his own staff and Lt. Governor, not to mention his wife and family. I mean, lookit. Here he's gone tooting off to Argentina to shack up with his hot tamale down there, on state money, lying to everybody in sight, and he wants everyone to just forget it."

Farmer: "Yep. Even thinks his old lady should put up with it. 'Spects her to just fergive and fergit. He needs a lotta luck with that! Iffen it was me, my old lady be calling the undertaker 'bout now!"

Tractor Salesman: "Yep. Looks to me like he's gonna git away with it too. He's been censured by all his colleagues and all, and he ain't gonna be worth a damn as governor no more, but he's still in the damned job. He ain't got the sense to let go, which'd be one hell of a lot better for the state."

Farmer: "Yep. Well me, I think he's gonna fall, one way or t'other. iffen they cain't git him on breaking the law, I don't think the people of this here state are gonna put up with this selfish idjit for much longer."

Tractor Salesman: " I don't know. They ain't nobody hollering loud enough for his hide yet."

Farmer: "Just wait. He just ain't high enough yet."

Tractor Salesman: "High enough? What do ya mean Mr. Harper?"

Farmer: "Yeah, but he ain't got hisself up to the top of the tree yet. He's still climbing, but he ain't there yet."

Tractor Salesman: "Well for Pete's sake Mr. Harper, he's the governor! I don't understand."

Farmer: "What I mean is, he's figuring he's getting away with everything, and nobody in this state has hollered loud enough to bring him down. Damned fool figures if he keeps on bullshitting long enough and loud enough he'll just keep his job by default. But that ain't gonna work for him forever. All his bullshitting is gonna eventually bring him down."

Tractor Salesman: "How come? Seems to be working so far. Ain't nobody mad enough or strong enough to pull him down yet."

Farmer: "Yep. But that'll change. People of this state ain't gonna keep listening to his crap forever."

Tractor Salesman: "Well, you must know something I don't know Mr. Harper. I don't see that happening."

Farmer: "Well, let me tell you a little story son. One time there was a partridge trying to fly up to the top of a tree. He kept trying, but couldn't quite make it. Then, one day he found a pile of fresh bullshit by the side of the road. So, he thinks to hisself, 'hmm. Wonder if I eat some of that iffen it'll give me the strength to fly higher'?"

"So, he took a little nibble, and sure enough, he made it up to a low limb on that there tree. So, he flew down and took a bigger bite of that bullshit, and so on and on, until finally, he made it all the way to top of that tree."

Salesman: " I don't see your point Mr. Harper. Looks like Sanford is having his way, and still bullshitting everybody, and he's still the governor."

Farmer: "Well, that's just my point son. You see, after that partridge got to the top of that there tree, that's when I spotted 'im. Took my shotgun and blew his damned ass out of that tree and had 'im for supper."

Tractor Salesman: " Wow! I see what you mean. He kept on and on with all his bullshit until he made hisself a big enough spectacle and a big enough target, until he got his ass shot off."

Farmer: "Yep son. You see, bullshit can get you all the way to the top sometimes, but it sure'n hell cain't keep yer ass there!"

Tractor Salesman: "Cain't wait!"

Farmer: "Me neither! I'm 'shamed to be called a South Carolinian long's we'uns let that fool stay in office! I swan, folks are laughing at us all over."

The Consequences of Dogma

“Dogma still smells the same whether it comes from the podium or the pulpit”
~ Steve Mading

"It is not disbelief that is dangerous to our society, it is belief."
~ George Bernard Shaw

From Wikipedia:

"Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, ideology or any kind of organization: it is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted or diverged from. The term derives from Greek δόγμα "that which seems to one, opinion or belief" and that from δοκέω (dokeo), "to think, to suppose, to imagine". The plural is either dogmas or dogmata , from Greek δόγματα. At the core of the dogma concept is absolutism, infallibility, irrefutability, unquestioned acceptance (among adherents) and anti-skepticism. These concepts typically invoke criticism from moderate and modulated conceptual approaches, and thus "dogma" is often colloquially used to indicate a doctrine which has the problem of claiming absolute truth, when other concepts may be superior."

Daily we witness the implacable and stubborn insistence that thus and so is a ‘fact’ in the face of all evidences to the contrary, and with no proof whatsoever of the ‘fact’. For example, we are told imperatively, that we will go to Hell unless we ‘accept’ Christ. We are told this by seemingly normal people who are utterly convinced of their dogma - with absolutely no proof beyond their ‘faith’.

In this all religions are the same, differing only in the degrees of belligerency with which they defend their dogma. For many of them, nothing, absolutely nothing, can ever convince them otherwise. And beyond that, many of these people often become your implacable enemy if you dare to question their dogma, or offer evidence of anything to the contrary. Some will attack you and some even kill you for daring to have another opinion.

Political dogma is very similar. People of a particular political view often become convinced of the utter infallibility of their doctrine. This is particularly true of so-called ‘right wing’ doctrines, which also regularly conjoin with evangelical religious views. And when religious dogma combines with political dogma the result can be disastrously dangerous to others. We have seen a lot of this in recent years, and it is certainly nothing new. The religious crusades of the 11th thru the 13th centuries were echoed during the Bush II administrations as Bush described his war against ‘evildoers’. Incredibly, we even heard a president claim he was ‘chosen by God to lead the country’.

This same president appointed General William G. Boykin as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense under Donald Rumsfeld, the now greatly discredited former Secretary of Defense. As a director of special operations forces deployed against terrorists, Boykin once famously said of Somali warlord Osman Atta:

“"I knew that my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol." and, "Our spiritual enemy, will only be defeated if we come against them in the name of Jesus.”

Unbelievable!

I have often mused the only real differences between Christians and the Taliban are the specific beliefs and a matter of degree of passion. This notion is reinforced when you hear of someone entering a church to kill a preacher they disagree with, or the shooting of a doctor (in church!) who administered abortions to those who required them.

Incredibly, one evangelical who published a website devoted to bringing that doctor down now decries the killing as having ‘robbed’ him because he’s ‘afraid the shooting will rob us of the truth itself. Tiller will be transformed from pariah to "martyred saint."’ The website’s author, an Oklahoman named Stuart Bensch - has devoted YEARS of his life to his dogmatic efforts to bring Dr. George Tiller down, and now maintains he must continue because “Those pages are needed to counter the blind veneration of Tiller unfolding in the mainstream media. “

(I have emailed this odious man to tell him he now has blood on his hands - which will have no effect since his dogmatic convictions will always shield him from the realities. You may do the same if you wish, by emailing him at: no2tiller@wiredok.com)

This same person, Bensch, defended James Kopp, another abortion doctor’s killer on the “Army of God” website. The Army of God even declares Kopp is an ‘American Hero’!

In such instances, there is not even a ‘matter of degree’. I always suspect, when I hear of a violent crime committed in a church, or by a religious person, that the act is somehow motivated by the criminal’s dogma and beliefs. Nine times out of ten that proves to be the case. And, there can be no more heinous acts than those committed in the thrall of religious passion.

Dogmatists aren’t interested in reality or truth. Their only interests are having their own views prevail over others. In fact, a main stock in trade is resorting to distortion, lies and manufactured ‘evidence; to do so. In the case of some Christians, they seem quite willing to violate their own oft-proclaimed Ten Commandments, i.e., “Thou shalt not bear false witness” and “Thou shalt not kill”.

There have been literally thousands of attacks, including multiple murders by dogmatic 'pro-lifers' - usually also religionists - against abortion clinics, doctors and other personnel over the past thirty years or so. Astoundingly, religious people and pro-lifers can always somehow find justifications for such transgressions if the violations fit their dogma.

Many Christians, rightfully so, decry the violent acts of dogmatic fanatics in their name. Political pundits like Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Anne Coulter and Rush Limbaugh do the same. However, these people should remember their fanatics feed off such fodder - and use it to justify their despicable acts. And, all dogmatists MUST take responsibility for acts motivated by their dogmatic propaganda. Simply saying they are not responsible does not make it so.