Tony Jackson of Hendersonville, TN, (my brother lives in Hendersonville) wrote that title for his very timely article published in The Hendersonville Star News. The entire column is here.
But here are the money quotes:
"Most politicians arouse my skepticism. Not to mention what we are subjected to on a daily basis that masquerades as news.
My point is, the seemingly ever-growing masses of 'sheeple' don’t seem to have a fully developed or functioning B.S. meter. If they did, they wouldn’t be so easily led to believe the half-truths and outright lies being spread by talking heads and politicians with hidden agendas. One thing is certain, fear is a powerful tool being wielded every day by those who strive to divide and turn us Americans against each other. Yes, I said Americans, not Caucasian Americans or African Americans.
Be skeptical, when you hear our duly elected president referred to as a half-Kenyan Muslim, the meter in your head should tell you that whomever is doing the talking is skirting around and talking about race. When that red-faced, screaming Tea Party candidate says 'we’re gonna take back our country' the translation is, 'take back the country from those who don’t look like us.'
In the words of the famous philosopher Yogi Berra, 'It’s déjà vu, all over again.'
In the nearly five decades in that I’ve been aware of the delicate social fabric that makes up this great country of ours, several unfortunate facts seem to always rear their ugly heads when times are challenging. When economic times are hard, we Americans tend to be myopic and blame those in office now, forgetting that they inherited major problems from previous administrations. Historically, hard times and uncertainty about the future make us prone to knee-jerk political reactions that prove detrimental to our own best interest in the long run. We just 'throw the bums out' of office. Plus, when your president, according to any number of misinformed sources isn’t even American, it’s the perfect storm for fearmongers to do their worst. And don’t get me started about how the use of religious differences preached from the pulpit or airwaves places an insurmountable wedge between people who under normal circumstances would be considered normal.
Early voting has begun, but I believe there’s still time for the old school American common sense we all possess to kick in and help us realize we cannot vote against our own best interests by giving in to the current season of fear.
The bottom line is this. I’m proud that my conservative parents taught me to listen, learn, question and make up my own mind, based on facts, not distortions.
And that’s why when people try to act like 'liberal' is a four-letter word, maybe you should take some advice from my Mama, and look it up!"
8 comments:
...and that swooshing sound you heard was not a jet flying overhead but rather this article going right over the heads of 90% of the folks in Hendersonville...
To have a "B.S. Meter" you also have to have a somewhat firm grasp of reality....
When you have spent your whole life chanting "WE ARE NUMBER 1" then you will believe that "liberals" is a four letter word...
You see, liberalism is about improvement and if you have always believed that this country was the best in the world, the richest, and the most powerful, then there is no need for improvement and you view everything that a liberal says as negative and as wanting to destroy the country...
well done Tony! But I'm afraid I agree with TAO. The righties don't give two shits what the liberals think and say,it's too bad. We are a partisan country and I don't see that changing any time soon. What we do in this country is take turns, they had their turn now it's ours. The righties don't like sharing though so when we have our turn they go berserk and go all wingnuttery on us! But that's okay, it gives us more time in power because they tend to kill themselves off. That's why they keep transforming themselves, this time it's the tea party.
The word "liberal" will continue to be demonized until more of us proudly proclaiml it. That's why columns like that one and postings like this one are so valuable.
As for the election, I'm voting Green. The Democratic Party leadership has utterly betrayed me as a liberal, a gay man, an atheist, a union member, someone who has some Native American ancestors, an opponent of the Iraq War, a gun crime victim, and as a middle class American. We desperately need to start working our way out of the Democrats/Republicans trap.
Thats a shame you feel that way libhom because you are throwing away your vote. The only way to make the changes you want is to put MORE progressives in Congress. This is a 2 party nation no matter how you look at it and no progressive liberal should be voting for a third party candidate. Are there no progressives running in your area? I hope you reconsider.
Sue is right... a vote for the Greens is a vote for Republicans. Any candidate for one of the "no chance in hell of winning" parties that appeals to the interests of from 1% to 3% of the electorate takes away from the major party... and the opposing major party gets the benefit.
dmarks when someone says they are voting for the third party candidate I get so angry. They think they are protesting and proving a point, but it's so pointless!
What your titles captures is a fundamental difference in how the respective parties approach elections. Liberals approach elections as a policy debate; the far right wing approaches elections as an act of war.
Recall what Rush Limbaugh said BEFORE President Obama took the oath of office: “I hope he fails.” For the first time in American history, an opposition party has done everything within its power to sabotage an incoming president. Even former President Bush had the benefit of the doubt, and certainly the support of most Americans after 9/11. Not this time.
Make no mistake. At least three Republican candidates advocate violent insurrection as an alternative to peaceful elections … invoking their so-called “second amendment remedies.” What horseshit! The Republicans are no longer the loyal opposition party, or even the Grand Obstruction Party, but have morphed themselves into the next American Fascist Party powered by town hall thugs and hooligans.
Lets not be naïve. We are in a period of paradigm shift, and here are the signs and symptoms: The demonization of the word "liberal," fear-mongering, hate speech, and calls for violence in the streets. The U.S. is starting to look more and more like late stage Weimar Republic.
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