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Conservative
Hate
At
last some of the mystery of conservatism is being unveiled for what it
is.
The
reason I have studied conservatism for years now is that the reason for
all its anger never made sense to me. It claimed to be patriotic, to love
the flag, to be a staunch defender of freedom, while all the while running
contrary to the American ideals of equality, inclusiveness, unity, and
the welfare of the people - all the people. Its use of distortions and
lies in political strategy also confounded me. Certainly truth and honor
have to be the center of Americanism, or we are completely cut off from
the vision of our founders. Conservatism never seemed to care about that,
despite all the rhetoric.
For
weeks now, we have seen a growing audacity of conservative anger and rhetoric,
some of it advocating secession and even violent revolution. The anger
grows daily, and the causal observer wonders where it comes from. Our
lives have not changed significantly since Barack Obama became president.
Our taxes have not increased. We are still engaged in enough military
ventures to keep conservatives happy, or so it seems. Their guns have
not been taken away, although they seem to think they are. Freedom of
religion still allows their conservative perversion of just about everything
Jesus ever said.
They
want their country back, so they claim. Back from where? From socialistic
delusions of their own making? We see crazed belligerents yelling at town
hall meetings, and hats with tea bags hanging from them. Attention-seeking
yahoos openly carry guns to presidential meetings. The FBI warns us of
the threat of growing conservative militancy. The insanity of conservative
talk radio and Fox News continues to expand.
But
why? What lay at the heart of it all.
Last
night, the truth became clear. Conservatives are finally lifting the veil
of faux patriotism and saying it like it is.
Larry
Kilgore, a man running for governor of Texas, stood outside the Capital
building there and let the truth come out. He pointed to the American
flag and loudly pronounced that he hated it, and hated the United States
of America too. He wanted Texas to secede from the union, and the crowd
before him cheered.
One
might say Kilgore is a nutcase, and should be ignored, but it follows
the words of the actual governor of Texas, Rick Perry, who did make intimations
toward secession. This was not based on love of the United States, but
on hate. All their actions and rhetoric finally makes sense.
There
you have it. Unvarnished conservatism as it exists today. No more fake
platitudes hiding their true intent. The flag they long seemed to worship
as they waved it before the rest of us was really an object of contempt.
Which makes sense. The so-called patriotism they hatefully spewed all
these years had nothing to do with Americanism. They wanted division,
not unity. They fought against equal rights. They perverted democracy
with lies. They wanted to deny our elderly Social Security and Medicare,
and now healthcare reform. They wanted to erase the separation of church
and state that Thomas Jefferson so carefully articulated. They pointed
to the constitution for their right to bears arms, and ignored the rest.
They fomented distrust of science. They even applaud a man who claims
to be a "proud, right wing terrorist" as a "great American."
Taking
their own words at face-value, we can conclude that we have a vocal, grassroots
mob of traitors in our midst - people who hate America, and they are the
very ones who claimed to love it most, all the while hating everything
it stands for. Communism never posed the threat to our nation that these
conservatives pose today.
As
we have seen first hand, Barack Obama has saved our nation from the brink
of economic collapse brought on by conservative deregulation. Conservatives
wish he had not, and condemn him for this. They want our nation to fail.
They want another terrible attack by Al Qaeda in order to justify their
paranoia and take away our rights.
This
is insane. Conservatives, as they have made it, has become insane. Selfish
anger. Hatred of fellow citizens. Seeing threats where none exist. Placing
incompetent, corrupt people into leadership positions.
There
can be no finer impulse in a God-fearing, patriotic people then wanting
all our citizens covered by medical insurance, like all the other civilized
nations. How do conservatives respond? As if the sky is falling. Time
to get out your guns and fight. Ratchet up the rhetoric until one of their
followers blow up another federal building, or violence follows in the
streets. Secede from the union.
We
have to see this for what it is, and respond by defending truth and the
real American dream of intelligent democracy. We need to save America
from whatever chaotic, bigoted nightmare that conservatives are conjuring.
I don't think even they know what they want.
Who
will defend our real principles, if not the rest of us? Where is our will
to stand up to them?
America!
Love it or leave it! If conservative extremists want to live in the kind
of brainless anarchy they seem to be heading, they should move to Afghanistan,
where they can walk around with their NRA grenade launchers, enjoy religious
intolerance, disregard science, and burn American flags in the streets
anytime they want.
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