Because I understand it's a stressful time and know not all can stand hearing about politics any more than they must, I am going to start warning before political posts; so-- politics ahead.
If you have been following the news events of the last couple of weeks, you have seen a series of town hall meetings disrupted in the most violent way possible short of getting arrested. If you have not, here is a link to get a taste of the logic behind these people: [The Beck Limbaugh Reynolds Right in action]. Limbaugh should be so proud of what he has hatched.
The goal of the groups has been to stop the meetings and get publicity for their beliefs and themselves. [Paul Krugman] wrote an insightful piece revealing that at one of those town halls, half those who were against government health care already had it through Medicare. Tell me who this kind of ignorance serves?
There is a memo that has revealed their disruptive methodology which they are all following in case you think there couldn't be any memo. They don't get up to debate the issue of health care as that's not to their benefit. Most of them probably don't know the details nor do they care. They are out to spread two things, the fodder of the right: anger and fear. Their goal, if they even know what it is, would be to end the democratic process and take power through sheer loudness. Forget spreading democracy around the world. These people don't even want it here at home.
This week, one of the Republican leaders said things are turning their way. He was absolutely right. For the last eight years, we have seen that the Republican party gains its power from fear and anger. So they have a group (nobody should call these people citizens as it's not about being citizens that they come) intended to disrupt discourse and make anyone who wasn't there either angry or fearful also. Voila. No real discussion and plenty of rancor. Happy Days are here again for the media and the party of dissent.
If the misbehavior at these meetings is not sufficient, they send death threats or hang opponents in effigy-- attempting to frighten them away from speaking. What great people these are. It is clearly all about themselves-- or is it?
What I have to ask myself, as I have so many times in such situations, is what do these people gain for their behavior? Why do they do it? Are they so sure that their health care can never be lost? Do they understand that many who end up with catastrophic illness also thought they had insurance? What about their families, are they all secure and safe and so they don't care about anybody else? Do they believe in someone like Rush Limbaugh so much that they simply cannot think beyond whatever he tells them? Rush Limbaugh is so rich that health care is the least of his concerns.
Some are being paid to go, but you can see the fervor in those faces in any footage you see. 'Hear our voice!' Okay so what is their voice saying? They don't like Obama. They don't want health care and they don't like any taxes. Simple really or is it? I definitely think they believe in what they are doing and it is satisfying something in themselves or they'd not do it-- even for money. Yes, it takes an organizer to get them where they need to be, tell them what they need to do, but it's not the only reason they are there.
I used to ask myself the same questions about Bush. Why did he want a war in Iraq that had nothing to do with the events of 9/11? What did he gain from it? Some might be money for his friends but Bush had the same fervor that we see in these radical protesters. He just had more power.
More comes out all along about Bush and especially interesting to me were some articles I found through Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish: [Bush Chirac Gog and Magog] and [Why are we in Iraq? Gog and Magog].
If you didn't know what Gog and Magog represent, you are not a fundamentalist Christian. In every Evangelical Christian church across this country, for as long as I was in them and I am sure even more so today, there is taught this belief in the end times and the battle in the Middle East that will lead to the Apocalypse and the end of the world as we know it.
This end time battle is to be centered around a rebuilt Israel which was and is why so many right wingers support Israel today. That beginning, in 1948, was for them the beginning of the end. The Rapture would follow, disaster upon disaster falling upon unbelievers and then the return of Christ. If Israel didn't stay together until that time, then the timeline falls apart.
So here we have the democratically elected leader of all the people in the United States saying he believes he is carrying out that prophecy-- a religious agenda. It is why he was so determined and yes, righteous. Why he still is.
Where did his idea come from? Who taught him what he was doing was from god? His father didn't follow that agenda... his earthly one that is.
I think the book, [The Family:The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power], probably explains from where his idea came and explains a lot of the apocalyptic rhetoric we see regularly from the right today. I ordered The Family from Amazon but have not yet received it.
The money behind these protesters, the average ordinary little people who are out there once again demonstrating against their own personal interests for a greater cause, the same kind of people who fill in the numbers for lynch mobs, is coming from a right wing billionaire, who is of that religious mindset-- [CNN Anchor Rips into Health Care CEO who's funding anti-reform effort]. Check the link out if you don't know who that is.
This week it was revealed that [Eric Prince], the former leader of Blackwater (the largest militia group in our country and a major financial beneficiary of the Iraqi war) which is now Xe, a fundamentalist Christian himself, was doing a lot of very illegal things in Iraq because he felt that his mission was to destroy followers of Islam-- a pre-apocalyptic mission. Whether he will be held accountable depends on whether his minions in the Congress, the right wing Republicans, have enough power to stop any investigations or penalties. They will certainly try.
Here's the thing. Who are we as a people? I don't honestly know right now. I used to think I knew but not anymore. How much of this radical Christian philosophy explains the birthers, the disrupters, and the wars? What we don't know can hurt us.
If you are still uncertain what to think about health care, check out Darlene's blog with a lot of information: [Just the Facts, Ma'am]
5 comments:
The Jesus that I worship would be ashamed of a lot of these Limbaugh followers and wack jobs. Jesus is my shepard not Rush Limbaugh!
I have thought about the polarization in our society and politics for a long time. A little over thirty years ago I got into a discussion with a fellow student over abortion. She was astounded and somewhat offended that though I wasn't for abortion (I don't think anyone is truly for it) but refused to join her in pressuring lawmakers to overturn Roe v Wade or to engage in any other act to make it impossible for women to chose it. I simply didn't (and don't) think I have the right to make moral choices for anyone else. She couldn't understand my point because she thought she had the right to force her moral beliefs on others, for their own good and for the good of the unborn. This has been a pattern through out and it touches on matters other than abortion. Health insurance? Some protesters at the town hall meetings have been led astray by spurious contentions that they will lose the health care they already have or that mandated government councillors will convince granny to suicide. Others, however, see it as a matter of individual responsibility and those who fail to provide it are simply choosing to be irresponsible. It is a black and white issue for them and they don't want to see it otherwise. Of course the medical and health insurance industries see it as a matter of profits above all. They certainly don't want anyone to start asking the question of whether health care affordability or accessibility should be decided on the basis of profit alone. It is in their interests to hammer homes strawmen messages that raise fear. And as you say, Republicans always seem to do better when they can feed on fear and hate.
This is another pertinent article to this debate: Have you no decency?
and I agree with what you said, MaryContrary regarding these different issues and how they do divide us in how we see the solutions. The important thing though is real dialogue and that can't happen amidst treats and cutting off whoever disagrees with us. People can respectfully put out their viewpoints and listen to others. Even doing so passionately doesn't automatically shut off discussion but what is happening right now is not about discussion or ideas which is our loss as a nation
To be honest, I think that at first, when the town hall meetings on Health Reform started, there were legitimate folks with legitimate concerns and questions coming to the meetings wanting answers. Since most of the lawmakers have not read the bill, or the different versions of the bill, they could not respond to the questions. There ARE lawmakers out there who don't think anything about voting on a bill they have not read. So when folks got tired of the pat, political answers, they got frustrated and angry that their concerns did not seem to be a concern for their elected lawmakers. Once it got out that folks were angry, I think it morphed into something that anyone could distort. I still believe that there are a lot of folks out there that really want answers to their questions, aren't getting them from their lawmakers, and are frustrated and angry. I personally have a lot of questions about this Health Reform bill. But if my representatives in Government don't even read the bill, how can they even attempt to answer my questions?
It's a shame that some groups take advantage of this to turn what could very well be a good educational moment into something else entirely.
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