“THEY ARE TAKING AWAY MY AMERICA”
It was last year during one of those now infamous TOWN HALL MEETINGS where the elected representative wanted to meet with people in his district and have a meaningful exchange of ideas and feedback from his constituents that this woman in the back of the room rose and tearfully went into a diatribe about how she was afraid and her voice cracking with anguish and pain declared “they are taking away my America”
I will not forget that although I have forgotten which Town Hall meeting it was and exactly when it happened because there have been so many others just like that encounter that it is all melding together into one big, incoherent message that resonates with Teahadists and which Republicans are not willing to repudiate.
It is one of the many askew and repugnant signs of that old ugly snake raising its head: the snake of racism, intolerance, xenophobia, homophobia and religious fanaticism. Only these Teahadists don’t really know it, they are sadly, too ignorant to realize that this is really the issue as they carry a flag with another snake that reads: “don’t tread on me”
To “take back America” from whom; take it back to where? I think that any of the Tea Baggers would be hard-pressed to answer those two basic questions. It is also one significant point that they want “LESS GOVERNMENT, SMALLER GOVERNMENT OR NO GOVERNMENT AT ALL”, they want “MORE FREEDOM”. And another one was: ‘LISTEN TO US”
It is then that you have to ask: Less government from what? From having regulations? Less government from interfering in our private sex lives? Less government to offer safety nets? What is it exactly what that less government entails?
You also question this mantra of “SMALLER GOVERNMENT” What in the hell are they talking about? “Government is too big” they will repeat like parrots. But our government is as big as it needs to be if you consider that we are arguably the number one super power in this world of ours. To have anything else is a defeatist, self-destructive outlook that would make our country a third rated, third world nation.
And then there is the beauty: “MORE FREEDOM” More freedom to do what? More freedom for whom? Are you now deprived of some freedom that you have to go out and carry a sign protesting that deprivation? Is there some freedom you stand to lose if your Tea Bag Party does not win? I dare say NO.
I would also like to say to these Teahadists: I will start LISTENING TO YOU when you have SOMETHING TO SAY.
In the blog
http://www.ourfuture.org/users/terrance-heath
Terrance Heath puts it very eloquently: “This is not your country. Nor is it mine. That we were born here, along with our forebears hardly matters. This has been the message of the Tea Party since its incorporation — and of conservatism itself for more than a generation — to anyone who doesn't' fit their demographic, in terms of race, religion, politics, etc.
It is most often expressed by the Tea Party's declared desire to "Take our country back." This is not your country. Nor is it mine. It's theirs, and they're "taking it back." This raises a few very important questions: "Who are they taking it from?", "Who are they taking it for?", and "How do they plan to take it?"
So, if you want to take back your America bear in mind that it is not yours to take because this is also my America, it is everybody’s America you stupid, racist, xenophobic douche bag. And I close with the insult which I feel is not even sufficiently harsh to express my disdain and repulsion for the Teahadists.
