I often times come home from school thinking I’m just too tired to write.  Then I read the news.  Like tonight, I read an article in the Washington Post which was suggesting that “millions” of Americans view the guy who flew his plane into the IRS building in Austin Texas a “hero.”  My first thought: “Are you kidding me?”  First of all, I can’t bring myself to believe there are “millions” who would consider a TERRORIST who MURDERED a man who was a Viet Nam veteran (if anyone’s a “hero” that would be him) anything more than the CRIMINAL he deserves to be called.  So what that the guy was mad that he had to pay taxes to our government.  He was a grown adult who’s been receiving the benefits of our government for DECADES, and to me, just another of the fringe of complainers who were “ginned” up by the McCain/Palin campaign in 2008 and then further worked up by the Fox “news” crew who came up with the so-called “tea bagger” party.  This is what people like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh have been pushing.

It got so bad last summer that there were groups of people, the governor of Texas among them, calling for succession from the union for various southern states.  These people, who love to get the benefits of “big government” but don’t want to pay their “fair share” for them, get no sympathy from me.  The bottom line, if you really check all these “fringe” groups out, the one thing they have in common is they are somehow connected to “White Supremist” groups.  The reality is there are a bunch of Americans who are just not ready for a man of color in the White House, and they’re doing everything they can to “disrupt” the process that serves us all – and that’s the “big government” that became bad once THEIR GW Bush was banished from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and Barack Obama took over.  And, who is really behind all this?  you read my mind – it’s the republican party.  They’re already lining up for a run at the presidency in 2012 for God’s sake.  THAT’S STILL THREE YEARS AWAY!  The republicans have one agenda, and it’s to derail Barack Obama – no matter who suffers in the process.

Do you think for a minute, for example, the likes of George W Bush and/or Dick Cheney would have tolerated something like the former “Walker Texas Ranger” Chuck Norris claiming there are 10,000 “cells” of people in this country ready to “take over the government”  when they were in charge?  Of course not, but the racist nature of Norris’ comments wouldn’t have bothered Bush/Cheney or any other republican – separate from him suggesting an armed uprising?  Of course, we all remember during the last campaign, Sarah Palin working up her crowd by claiming Barack Obama “hangs out with terrorists” to the tune of members in the audience yelling “kill him” – with NO RESPONSE from Palin.  We’ve listened to Beck, Limbaugh, along with members of the republican Congress accuse Obama of being a “communist,” or “socialist,” – or worse, like “the pot calling the kettle black” they’ve accused him of being a “fascist!”

Can you imagine the republican response to this kind of crap.  And, maybe that is what a lot of Americans are angry about.  When is the present government going to start acting like the government.  We are, supposedly, a nation of laws and “not men.”  But, you wouldn’t believe it listening to the public debate.  What are the limits to free speech – if there are any?  Personally, I’m OK with people calling presidents things like socialists or fascists – I believe the American people are smart enough to figure that one out.  However, when people are yelling “kill him” regarding a candidate or a sitting politician – and, I don’t care who’s party the politician is from – I believe that’s going too far.  Recently, I heard that someone – a politician – in my own state (Washington) suggested one of our senators be “hanged.”  This kind of garbage mouth is unacceptable, as far as I’m concerned.  The reality is that there are a lot of stupid people out there who don’t have the filtering mechanisms in their thought processes to understand this is “just rhetoric.”

This latest thug chose to fly his plane into a government building to gain his place in infamy, but just the fact there’s a community of thought out there that this was some kind of “heroic” act is beyond disturbing.  And, I’m sure the Glenn Beck’s and Rush Limbaugh’s and Bill O’Reilly’s, etc. of this world will take no responsibility for this action.  They’re just spewing VILE RHETORIC because they have a free speech right to do so as they try to undo a sitting president by any means possible.  Just as it was interesting that the man who MURDERED the so-called “abortion doctor” was hailed in some circles a hero and, based on info found after the fact, had been “encouraged” repeatedly by O’Reilly’s rantings, it will be interesting to hear what “evidence” is found as to the “motivators” behind the Austin plane MURDERER.  These kinds of people often find their justification in the public rantings of others.

Republicans have been ABUSING the tax system for as long as I can remember.  Ronald Reagan started the absurd “trickle down” philosophy that has been reducing taxes for the 1% at the top of our nation while providing corporate WELFARE for the corporations who are buying off all of our politicians in Washington since the 1980’s.  George W Bush took that philosophy to “new heights” and nearly — actually, I believe still could – destroyed our economy.  The result of this philosophy has been a continuing shrinkage of the work force, a continuing expansion of the national debt, a continual flow of jobs overseas, a continuing reduction in the number of union workers in this nation, and – surprisingly – a continuing number of working class MEN who vote against their own self interest because  they don’t have the wherewithall to double check the propoganda they’ve been buying into for the past 30+ years.  I’ve gotten to the point where I can’t even talk to people who I’ve always considered friends if they are Limbaugh “ditto heads” because I always want to call them “dumb asses” – and, I will forever remember what I was taught that if you can’t say something nice (to someone’s face), don’t say anything at all – so, I’ve actually ended some friendships because I believe adults my age should be smart enough to see past this crap.  (I guess I’ve accepted that I can violate that creed in my writings :o)

Right now republicans are at the front COMPLAINING about the tremendous deficits – THE PROBLEM I HAVE WITH THAT is that those deficits are the DIRECT RESULT of republican rule.  These same people were saying “deficits don’t matter” just two years ago when Bush/Cheney were “at the helm.”  What has changed?  I think you can figure that one out. 

There is a growing group of tax “dissenters” who are not paying any taxes (not even filing) – some people estimate their numbers could be as high as half a million – and, there are those in the republican party who would interfere with government attempts to find these people and hold them accountable for their selfish actions.  We all depend on the police, the military, the fire department, the road crews, the engineers who fix our bridges, our schools, right now our social safety net for the millions out of work, medicare for our elderly, medicaid for our poor, and I could go on.  All of these services are necessary according to the vast majority of people in this nation – and, we all must abide by the laws enacted by the majority – save the protections of our constitution and Bill of Rights.  And, those of us fortunate enough to have income should be thankful that we have the ability to pay taxes.  I’ve been out of work before and without income, and I can tell you that paying taxes, in my view, is a blessing because it means I’m making money – and, the taxpayers’s obligation in this nation compared to the alternatives in most places is very reasonable.

If the republican party – which is behind the movements which end up with people flying their planes into IRA buildings, killing abortion doctors, murdering guards at places like the holocaust museum, would STOP with the OBSTRUCTIONIST behavior and join the discussion as to how to fix the problems of this nation we would all be better off.  But, it’s clear they’re not going to do that – and I can tell you why.  They will NEVER do anything to help Barack Obama succeed as president because that would just open the door to the possibility of more “Minority” presidents in the future.  The republican party is a party of WHITE people – if you don’t believe me, check out one of their conventions some time – and, the “tea party” which, in reality, is an offshoot of the republicans – well, if you’ve seen any of their demostrations – we’re talking WHITE and RACIST.  I will never forget watching video of Jim DeMint – a senator from South Carolina speaking in front of a bunch of “tea baggers” who were holding the MOST VILE RACIST SIGNS – depicting our sitting president as things I’d prefer not to mention here – and DeMint was calling these people “patriots.”  I really almost threw up – I thought we were beyond that in America – but, obviously not.

And, the “tea party” convention had a rousing 600 people (who paid Sarah Palin a reported $100,000 to speak to them) and somehow they have garnered enough media attention to be taken seriously.  I keep wondering how they do that – I mean we get more than 600 each week at the church I go to, and it’s by far not the biggest church in my small area.  Is there some kind of conspiracy with our “liberal media” here?  I just don’t know.  What I do know is that the thug who chose to kill an honorable Viet Nam veteran by flying his plane into the IRS headquarters in Austin Texas, was a COWARD and not a “hero.”  As far as I’m concerned, anyone who considers MURDER of innocent civilians “heroic” should have their head examined!