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Thursday, October 13, 2005

Help! There are Right Wing Weirdo's Under My Bed. (or maybe they are just dust bunnies)

I read a children's book today that was clearly propaganda for little right wing children. It reminded me of all the right wing internet trolls I have encountered and the things that they parrot (they aren’t generally smart enough to think for themselves). I have a few things I would like to tell those folks.

1) There is a difference between putting up a cross on public property and putting up a cross on private property. The former is forbidden by the constitution and the latter is protected by it.

2) Just because the founders of this country were Christian, it does not make the USA a "Christian Nation" anymore than their wearing powdered wigs makes the USA a "powdered wig" nation.

3) If you go on and on about how much you hate how the government tells you what to do and then advocate for things like drug use and abortion to be illegal, you look ridiculous. Yes, we all know that what you really want is for the government to leave YOU alone to pollute the environment and to force your neighbor's kids to listen to your public prayers at football games. You don’t want the government to let people have sex with anyone they want. You don’t want the government to allow people to use drugs recreationally (unless it is good old fashioned booze and cigarettes). And you don’t want the government to say out of pregnant women's lives. You don’t even want the government to offer its own workers competitive benefits packages because it might be treating same-sex unions like marriages. So...let's cut the crap and stop saying that you want the government out of people's lives.

4) Stop pretending that those on the left are forcing those on the right to pay more taxes than is fair. Consider that for the most part, the blue states are actually donor states that pay more in federal taxes than they get back. Calling a state "Taxachusetts" is only appropriate if one is acknowledging that Massachusetts is funding projects in states like Nebraska. Stop pretending that anyone whose income is above the poverty line in this country ever pays 50% of their income in taxes. Lets stop this "punishing people for working hard" rhetoric when what you are talking about are people in the CEO class who don’t exactly have a reputation for working hard. And while we are at it, let's stop talking about a "death tax" when what we are really talking about is a tax on million dollar plus inheritances. Let's call those "being born rich" taxes. And let's not pretend that such taxes will ever be a disincentive for people to be born rich. Trust me, people will still choose rich parents whenever they can ;)

5) Using racist rhetoric like telling false stories about how black evacuees from New Orleans rape, loot, and generally are uncivilized and ungrateful people unworthy of our help and then in the next sentence proclaiming that the USA isn’t a racist country anymore and doesn’t need affirmative action programs just doesn’t fly. This isn’t a debate about affirmative action and there are a lot of reasons why such programs might not be a good idea but "The USA isn’t racist anymore" isn’t one of them.

7 comments:

trace said...

Amen

Xenlighten said...

You go girl!

Lynne said...

Trace, seriously, come over to our department tomorrow and ask to read the book that inspired this. I think Henry or Sharon or someone got it out of the free book room. It is WILD!

Chicalookate said...

I am curious about this book... very scary. You made some excellent points... and I agree with Trace... Amen. In a strictly non religious way. :D

Anonymous said...

What the hey kinda book was that??
i hate those kinda kids books... reminds me of the crap that JW's leave on our doorstep.
Sorry if your JW. (or anyone else... really I am sorry for your luck)

aliciarose said...

yeah, I am worried about this book as well.

E-Speed said...

Good Post Lynne!