Your Monday Tea

  On May 31, 2009 Dr. George Tiller was gunned down in church by Scott Roeder. I recall writing about it, thinking that the media played a part in the murder of the OBGYN. I opined that folks like Bill O'Reilly distrusted their Higher Power so much that they sent armies to go after those who offended their so-called religious sensibilities. To the dismay of some, I referred to it as white terrorism, and stated that the God Army was making a dangerous resurgence.

  Since then, a whole lot of frightening politicking has taken place, and the rights of decent taxpayers are being batted around like a racquetball. Right now there are people like Ken Buck and Sharron Angle who want to enact Life At Conception laws. Under such regulations, not only will abortions be prohibited, but also the morning after pill. IUDs and other forms of contraception will follow in their footsteps. Next will come policing of the behaviours of the baby machines- women could be incarcerated for exposing fetuses to drug use, second-hand smoke, or not balancing their diet. Women who have repeat miscarriages will be scrutinized to make sure they didn't do anything to cause abortion. And none of this has anything to do with science, or even the Bible- it's about control, plain and simple.

  Tied into the far-right morality is a disdain for female independence, and for power belonging to any minority whatsoever. You have people like Glenn Beck telling white men to never be second-fiddle to a chick (his word, not mine) , even if she's Sarah Palin. In the opinions of the scared white man, women are best left at home, and if they're allowed out they best demean their own gender like Christine O'Donnell does so eloquently on a daily basis. Women are to be thought of as intellectually inferior and the easiest method of control is to ensure that she produces as many children for the Reich as her body will permit. It's easy to make decisions for someone when they are too busy chasing around 12 youngsters to pay attention to the outside world. And this is a two-for-one deal as well, because women will be too busy popping out babies to join the military or become politicians.

  Naturally with women out of the way, there is still more work to be done. If you're Rand Paul, it's time to get rid of the Civil Rights Act because telling a Senator who accepts funding from StormFront (like Dr. Paul did) that he's not permitted to discriminate is a violation of his principles. While you're at it, make sure to get rid of the minimum wage so that corporations that pay no taxes can make even more money off of ethnic minorities. Pave the way for work permits for Mexicans to work at the megacorp for $2 an hour, but take care to ensure there is no amnesty and no real way for those foreign nationals to become citizens. Push for love of Constitution, but also to change the 14th Amendment so none of those brown peoples' babies will be considered American. When all else fails, encourage racial profiling so severe that no non-white person will want to live in the former Land Of The Free.

  Tied into racial profiling is religious discrimination. Candidates now are expected to proudly proclaim adherence to Christian ideology. Fox News has dedicated itself to exposing secret plots of Muslims, Atheists, Sikhs, and anyone who merely questions creationism. Nikki Haley had to pledge Christianity over Sikhism because the other Republicans are too stupid to research the family-oriented faith. Congressman Ellison is vilified for his Muslim beliefs instead of being scrutinized for fiscal or military policies. Teanuts are adamant that Biblical Creationism must be taught in schools instead of or alongside evolution in public schools, because they're supposed to be equal in scientific standing. This is akin to teaching that blacks (for example) are both equal and inferior and asking students to decide because some people believe either opinion to be the truth.

  What all of this boils down to is hate and the expectation of ignorance. It's been tried before, just read Mein Kampf. Blaming societal ills on others doesn't make all of those problems suddenly vanish. What the Christian Right desires for America is not a return to the ideals of the founding fathers, but quite the opposite of what they imagined. The old guys were religious rebels, some even Atheists. To many who actually read the bible, ideas like fire-breathing serpents inhabiting cities (Numbers 21:6) or stoning non-virgins to death (Deut. 22:20 , Lev. 21:9) were absurd. Freedom to believe or not was ingrained in the Bill Of Rights before anything else was added. Therein lies the basis for protection against theocratic rule.  American fundies turned Uganda into a Christian theocracy and now they are debating whether or not to put gays to death.

  The Tea Party is not only asking you to ignore the Constitution, but also common sense. You cannot make a government smaller while hiring a religious police force. You cannot increase tax revenues while giving incentives to those who outsource. You cannot create freedom by attacking the liberty of others. The Tea Party is counting on you to ignore their racist, sexist, and fiscally-irresponsible policies in the name of patriotism. This movement is not new nor novel; the shirts are just a different colour.

  Now get out and vote.