BULLIES – Let's End Our Love Affair With Them

by Ruth A. Sheets

The subject of bullying has arisen again with events in New Jersey.  Everyone knows that Chris Christi is a bully.  He pushes people around, insults people who don’t agree with him, and allows an atmosphere of bullying in his office.  Yet, he won a second term as governor and wants to run for President of the US.  He has high ratings among Republicans and some Democrats.  So what if his people closed entrances to a bridge or held up funds to gain concessions.  We love his “straight shooting.”

Roger Ayles of FOX News is also a bully according to Gabriel Sherman’s new book THE LOUDEST VOICE IN THE ROOM.  He has a huge following and his on-air team is extremely loyal despite knowing they could be fired at any time if they “step out of line.”  He has plenty of sponsors for his network’s hate-mongering.

Tea Party members of Congress use bullying too.  They force their opinions on America and back them up with threats of government shut-downs, sequesters, and defaults on the US debt.  Most of them will be re-elected in November 2014 and beyond.

President Lyndon Johnson was a well-known bully who was highly respected by the bullied.  He managed to get all sorts of important legislation through with his skill and is remembered fondly by many for it.

Bullying used to be (and maybe still is) a way of life in the military academies, upper classmen bullying the lower classmen, supposedly to build character and leadership.  Is it possible that the bullying does not continue to be filtered down through the ranks?

In the school district where I work, we are told that there is a ZERO TOLERANCE FOR BULLYING!  Of course, when that is enforced at all, it is limited to the students bullying one another.  Administrators regularly bully teachers and staff while sometimes, teachers and staff bully students.  Parents also get away with bullying whoever they feel is not making their child #1.

Police bully suspects into confessions.  Conservatives bully women into keeping pregnancies they can’t afford for health, financial, or other personal reasons.  Loud talk-show hosts bully their listeners into silence or support of positions against their own self-interest.

As a society, we tolerate the rape of our young men and women in the military.  We condone bank foreclosures even to the destruction of whole neighborhoods.  We allow organizations like the National Rifle Association to dictate who should have guns  and under what circumstances.  In the guise of freedom of religion, we permit religious institutions to threaten members in a variety of ways if they do not tow the line on their particular doctrine.   Governors can take over cities and refuse to help their most vulnerable citizens.  These are all bullying no matter what term we use.

We could stop this if we wanted to.  The problem is, we admire the bullies.  We regularly say things like “ I don’t like his/her position, but I admire how it was done.” or the old cliché “The ends justify the means.”  It is almost as though bullying is the American way. of doing just about everything.  Bullies are strong and have power.  We want to be in their shadow so we can share a little of their power.

Bully lovers have bought into a series of lies.  Wealth trumps common sense, personal greed trumps others’ needs, hate is stronger than caring, fear cannot be faced, change  is more frightening than the status quo. 

Those of us who are disgusted with bullies and their bullying need to get the truth out.  Without their groupies the bully’s power would be gone.  Being in someone’s shadow is generally not a good thing.  No one deserves to have so much money that they corrupt our Democracy.  Every TV has a channel changer and an on/off button when the hate speech begins.  There was no “Golden Age” when everything was perfect.  Today is what we have and tomorrow is what we can build together. 

The Games

by Ruth A. Sheets

During the past week, I have heard snippets of Republican Congressmen and Senators smugly claiming that the government shutdown is not a game.  But, of course it’s a game, or rather, it’s several games being played simultaneously.

One of the games is “Chicken.”  Who will back down first?  The Republicans/Hypocricans know that in the past, President Obama has blinked first.  He thought he was negotiating with reasonable people who had the good of America at heart.  He was wrong!  He was in a game with children who want their own way.  Mr. Obama responded to their tantrums as parents and other adults are warned not to.  And, just as young children often do after they have gotten their way through their tantrums, Hypocricans believe it will work every time. 

Another of the games is language.  Hypocricans are excellent at manipulating words.  They know that the chronically uninformed in America are easily swayed by simplistic phrases relating to complex issues, e.g., “death panels” and ObamaCare will destroy America and so on.  The more lies the better since Hypocricans know their  people won’t fact check.  Why?  That might challenge some cherished biases.

A third game I had not recognized until my brother-in-law pointed it out to me involves the money folks like the Koch brothers, who have more money than any human being ought to have.  They are thrilled with what their money has done so far.  They have become addicted to the power it has brought.  This makes them very useful to the Hypocricans.

The Koch’s have bought candidates at State and Federal levels.  They have even influenced the Supreme Court to rule in their favor.  The next move, defeat the American people, the 99% at all levels.  They did not win the presidential elections of 2008 and 2012.  Their money was not quite enough to overwhelm the donations and enthusiasm of the “little people.”  It is clear taking over Congress and the Presidency is in their game plan.  Next time, they are determined to win.

Game four is redirection.  Hypocricans have shut the government down deliberately and are elated.  Some of the Hypocricans in the Tea Party know they are not looking good to the public right now, so they have distributed the game rules to their clan along with the talking points.  They all say the same things and with a straight face.  “The Liberal shut down” or “The Democratic shut down.” or “Obama’s Government shut down, or all three at once.”  Don’t take responsibility for your own stupidity and stubbornness.  This game move has worked before too.

So how do we respond to their games?  We stand strong in “Chicken” and force them to back down as businesses scream at them for bringing down the economy.

We find slogans that promote ObamaCare and mock the foolishness and anti-patriotism of the Hypocricans.

We keep our grass roots networks strong and active at all levels.  We may not have as much money as the Koch’s, but we can see that our people get to the polls despite Hypocrican attempts to restrict voting.

We yell “Republicans made the mess!” long and loud and don’t stop.

Are You a Racist? Take This Quiz and Find Out

by muon

I was told last week that suggestions of racism among Romney supporters is highly offensive. I was told this by someone who was more of an Obama non-supporter than a true Romney supporter. He stomped his foot and shrieked while making his point, so I know he was sincere.

Okay, I agree, generalizing is never a good idea. Thus I invite everyone, no matter whom you support, to take this quiz, add up your score, and see how you do.


A) I believe President Obama was born

1-  in Kenya, and is therefore not a citizen and not qualified to be President.
2-  possibly outside of the US, but he has an American mother, so it doesn't matter (as in the case of George Romney, Mitt's dad, who was born in Mexico, yet no one questioned his citizenship when he ran for president)
3-  in Hawaii, and he should have been believed even before producing 2 birth certificates, but now that he has produced them, get over it.

B) I believe President Obama

1-  is a Muslim, and that's a bad thing.
2-  might be a Muslim, but in a country where we have freedom of religion, what does it matter?
3-  is a Christian, specifically, a member of the United Church of Christ, like more than one million Americans.

C)  I believe

1-  candidates for president should have American-sounding names.
2-  if a candidate has an odd name, it doesn't mean he wouldn't make a good president.
3-  that all Americans have American-sounding names. It's that melting pot thing.

D) I believe Mitt Romney's welfare ads

1-  show that lazy black welfare recipients have been released from their work requirement by Obama, and are taking tax money right out of the pockets of hard-working white people.
2-  not sure what the ads show, but I'm sure not all welfare recipients are black and not all workers are white. Even if they were, shouldn't we help those in need?
3-  are proven lies. Work requirements have not been dropped, only moved to the states, which is what states requested (including Republican governors). The states in turn have to meet a set of federal regulations to keep their right to make their own reforms. Moreover, as of 2011, nearly the same number of white and black families (about 38%) were receiving welfare. The remaining 20-some% went to other minorities.


If you scored

12 -  You're not a racist and are well-informed to boot.
8-11 - You're not a racist; your heart's in the right place. You just need to get your news from reliable sources and don't believe everything you hear. Go to factcheck.org, which checks statements and ads from BOTH sides.
5-7 - Try the reliable sources mentioned above for two weeks and take the quiz again. Put all political ads and right-wing talk shows on "mute."
4 - Sorry, you're a racist. No getting around it. If this offends you, think of how much more you offend me.

PSEUDO CHRISTIANS?

by Ruth Sheets

As a Christian minister, I am appalled with the way Christianity is being tossed around by the Republicans these days.  It seems that claiming Christianity as the center of one’s life is all one needs to prove one is a “real American.” 

The candidates stand before the American public and declare that they believe in the Bible word for word and “know” that creation is just as described in Genesis (although which creation story, they are not always sure since there are two quite different accounts).  These candidates are also sure there is a “Second Coming” as described in psychedelic dream that is  the Book of Revelation.  In between, they also are committed to the one verse in Leviticus that condemns homosexuality.  So, we know they accept Genesis, Revelation and a verse of Leviticus, but what about the rest of the Bible? 

If one looks at the “deal” the Congressional Tea Partiers proposed and examine their plans for the future of America, it is hard to see that the gospels, for example, are any part of their public considerations and actions.  (I cannot speak for their personal lives.)

The conservative Republican proposals support the wealthiest Americans, yet, Jesus says that it will be harder for a rich person to enter heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.  He also told the rich young man in Mark, to sell all he has and give it to the poor and follow Jesus.  That doesn’t exactly sound like it meshes very well with what is happening among these professed believers and their relationship with the top 1 percent of American earners.

It is the “Good Samaritan” who stops to help the man along the road in Luke, not the wealthy religious travelers, and the Samaritan was of a hated race.  Jesus said “Go and do likewise. " I see no evidence of Tea Party support of anyone who is in need.  And, their attitude toward non-Christians is not particularly Christ-like.”

Jesus spent a lot of time teaching people, yet, education is certainly not a priority of the Republicans.  Well, sometimes it is, if they can introduce privatization, vouchers, and other destructive elements to “public” schools.  Who benefits?  It is rarely the children.

Jesus said “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  I don’t see the Republican representatives offering Americans the same kind of health care and pensions that Congress enjoys.  In fact, Republicans are doing everything they can to be sure American citizens never do.

Jesus fed the 5,000, yet the Tea Partiers would cut the programs that help to feed their fellow Americans who are not as privileged or lucky as they are.  Jesus never mentioned homosexuality, yet many Republicans across the country have eliminating gay rights as a centerpiece of their platforms, along with abortion which is also not seen as important enough for Jesus to mention either.

Instead of the gospel of love and caring, they read and understand a “Gospel of Prosperity” which tells them that they are receiving all the good things that America offers because they are God’s favored ones.  They pray loud and long in public so that everyone can see how pious they are.  It seems to me that if anyone chooses to claim Christ as their Savior, they must remember the saying of the Civil Rights Movement:  “You can’t just talk the talk, you have to walk the walk.”  We’ve all been hearing a lot of the “Christian” talk, but where is the walk?

American Fascists

By Ruth Sheets

I just finished reading the book American Fascists:  The Christian Right and the War on America by Chris Hedges.  This is one of the scariest books I have read in a long time. 

Mr. Hedges describes a group of Evangelical Fundamentalist Christians who preach and practice a “Gospel of Prosperity and rule of God’s law.”  If one is wealthy, God must have provided that as a reward.  If one lives God’s law, one too, might become wealthy.  Surrendering all to God (through God’s male representatives on earth) will lead to a life of peace and order.  And, surrender is required.  He convincingly compares this movement to those active in Germany during the 1930’s.

If the followers of this Gospel kept it within its narrow sphere one could say “let them do whatever they want.  It doesn’t affect the rest of us.  America is a free country.” 

But, this “Gospel of God’s law” has a political power component which is even more substantial.  You see, they want to control all aspects of government to make this nation fully “Christian.”  In their way of thinking, as a “Christian” nation, those  who do not confess Christ cannot be permitted to drain America’s resources.

This brand of Fundamentalists co-opts the language of freedom and Civil Rights, even quoting such figures as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  But civil rights and pluralism in any form are not part of their theology. 

Male absolute control in the name of God trumps freedom of speech, religion, press, or anything else that our founders stood for.  The strong, white, macho male as the ideal.  Women must be relegated to the home and spheres of limited influence.  The few exceptions (people like Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann, attractive and empty-headed) allow conservative women to think they are included.  The token black males can talk the talk, but are not welcome to actually walk the walk.

Right-wing Evangelical Fundamentalists prey on the most vulnerable among us, those whose lives have been difficult through poverty, divorce, unemployment, family dysfunction, etc.  People in personal crisis often value a system where someone else is in control and where there is a promise of something better.  Of course, they believe that “something better” occurs for these pathetic people after THIS life is over.

Mr. Hedges believes that the leaders in this right-wing Fundamentalist movement:  Pat Robertson, George W. Bush, et al, know exactly what they are doing and what they are supporting.  They are focused on their goal of power and there is little they won’t do to achieve it.

The Tea Party arose after this book was published, but I suspect Mr. Hedges would include them in the right-wing movement he described in his 2006 book.  Tea Partiers might resist such inclusion, but their words and actions would place them squarely within that group.  They fought for cutting programs that enable people to live a decent life in the name of lowering the deficit.  Their proposals are designed to help the rich become richer and businesses to do whatever they choose despite environmental problems.  Women’s rights are being challenged at all levels. Their leaders claim their FIRST goal is to remove President Obama from office. They were willing to take America to the brink of economic disaster to prove their political power.  Sounds like they fit right in.

What does Mr. Hedges suggest we do to protect our democracy?  He recommends that we become vigilant.  We must not tolerate the actions of this movement.  We need to stop being so “nice” to them, smiling and giving in to their demands.  We should stop saying “it’s a free country.  They have a right to their beliefs."  They do have a right to their beliefs as long as they don’t force them on the rest of us, and that seems to be what they intend.

Now is the time to stand up.  If we don’t start moving to block their insanity, their garbage, we may not have the free country we cherish.

Want a Tax Cut? Create a Job

by muon

Here's a simple little plan that all of Washington ought to like.  They won't, though, because the plan doesn't make the other side of the aisle look bad.  That's pretty much all they'll consider these days.

They've now decided that marriage isn't just between one man and one woman, but is now between the truest love match you can find in nature--Congress and tax cuts for the wealthy.  No divorcing one from the other, no matter what the political affiliation.  The Tea Party, in particular, will defend their nests to the death. Tax cuts, they say, are needed to create jobs.

So let's create jobs with them.

Instead of across-the-board tax breaks for all folks who can already afford things like late-night cravings for imported lavender honey, I say let's make tax cuts contingent on whether taxpayers have created jobs in the past year. Create a new job for an American in 2011, get a tax cut in April 2012.  Create 2 new jobs, get 2 tax deductions. Eliminate American jobs, get penalized.  And no cheating: you can't downsize one year, then recreate those jobs the next and claim tax cuts for them.

That simple.  Give an American a job, get a tax cut.  Hoard your money, get squat.

Instead of giving handouts to our deadbeat millionaire brothers, I say, let's make them earn their keep by putting America back to work.

WHAT’S IN A WORD?

by Ruth Sheets
 

Have you noticed that in the past few years, twisting language to fit one’s own agenda has become very popular?  “Experts” are hired to say things in just the right way.  It is a form of deception that often happens without people even realizing that they are being manipulated.  It will be extremely difficult to drive the new language from their minds because of the power of the words used.  Here are some examples:

In the past decade, elected leaders have determined that the wealthiest Americans need protection.  For generations, states and the Federal Government have collected “estate taxes” to help limit family dynasties and to help the haves contribute to the general good.  When tax cuts were being considered for the well off, during the early 2000s, estate taxes were targeted as unfair.  Most Americans approve of such taxes, so they had to be renamed.  Estate taxes became “death taxes.” 

What is the image you get of a death tax?  To start with, it is not a pleasant thought. Our natural fear of death includes our aversion of the word. Tie the word to taxes, and presto, a tax that must be ended because it is abhorrent.  How can we tax a person’s death? If anyone questions this move, actors are hired to portray people of moderate means who complain that they worked so hard and should be able to pass everything they made on to their children, (even if those children earn more than the parents).

Staying with the word “death,” we come to “death panels.”  What image does that conjure? It is certainly not a positive one. This term was the Republican response to the concept that a patient might want to discuss end-of-life issues with their doctor. Because these discussions will take a significant amount of time if done properly and with compassion, it was recommended that doctors be fairly compensated for their time.

If a legislator or candidate has the goal of stopping a plan that makes sense to a lot of people, the language must change to induce the proper amount of fear and/or loathing.  The term “death panel” does that beautifully.  Even though there is no panel involved and the whole process only involves discussion and consultation, it doesn’t matter because death panel sounds so horrific few people will want to analyze it.

Within the past few months a new term has come forward.  It seems that it is no longer acceptable to refer to the wealthy or rich in those terms.  The new Tea Party term is “job creators.”  One can logically put a case forward that the wealthiest people should pay their fair share. But call them "Job Creators"-- imply that they are the only folks who will pull us out of this economic mess --and of course it would be wrong not to give them more money.

The tax cuts in the Bush administration predominantly benefited the top 2% of Americans and we are in the deepest recession since the 1930’s.  The wealthy have been getting tax cuts for nearly a decade now.   Where are the jobs they were supposed to be creating? 

There will always be people out there ready to misdirect us with the words they use.  Our task as thinking human beings is to look behind what they are actually saying and see who benefits from the misdirection.  Maybe instead of worrying so much about how well our students do on standardized tests, we should change our focus to developing effective critical thinking skills. 

Do you think the Tea Party and their friends would like to help fund that? 

Peace,

Ruth

DEEPER CUTS!!

by Ruth Sheets

Every news report this week has begun with the information that no compromise has been reached in raising the debt ceiling and the economy.  And, every report has an interview with at least one of the “Tea Party” congressmen who just keep saying that the spending cuts need to be deeper with no tax increases of any kind.

Since the Federal Government is so abhorrent to the Tea Partiers, I suggest that the deeper cuts begin in their own districts and states. If these super conservative, government-hating congress people received votes from more than 50% of those voting in their districts in 2010, my modest proposal is as follows:

1. Close military bases in their districts.

2. Cut Social Security payments to everyone in those districts who earn more than $100,000.

3. Increase the amount people in those districts have to pay toward Medicare up to the full cost of the insurance depending on their income.

4. Eliminate all subsidies to farmers, corporations, oil companies, etc. in those districts.

5. Eliminate the pensions, medical insurance, and other perks their retired Congress people and senators receive from the Federal Government.  They should have to be part of the same system everyone else depends on.  This is for every representative from now on.

6. Eliminate most contracted jobs in the military that soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen used to do.  If we don’t have enough military personnel to do those jobs, we can’t deploy.

I understand that none of this is in the “Tea Party” plan because their philosophy is “cut the government, but don’t cut my parts of it.  Everyone else is draining the system, not me or mine.”  This is hypocracy, of course, but isn’t that the subtitle for their whole movement?  We are paying less in taxes by percent than we have in generations, yet they cry “Taxes are too high."  The citizens in their districts benefit significantly from Government services and subsidies, yet they insight fear of the Government in the people

Tea Partiers refuse to see (or, perhaps are even glad to see) that the income gap between rich and poor continues to increase.  They can’t even imagine that fairness would demand the wealthiest Americans help to support the nation that gave them the opportunity to be where they are. 

Of course, it is easier to support the wealthiest and most powerful than to champion the most vulnerable.  You can just guess where the money for their next election is coming from.  And, an unmoving “pledge” not to raise taxes is easier than actually thinking about what is best for America, even what is best for the people of their own districts. 

Maybe the deeper cut we need is to cut them out of the Congress next year.  In the meantime, perhaps the media should place less emphasis on their childish whining and ranting.

Ruth

What's In It For You?

I saw a Clay Bennett political cartoon yesterday (view it by clicking here).  It was a mouse in a Tea Party T-shirt, holding a sign that read "Support the Fat Cats."

If you get it, you don't have to read this blog.  Go have a nice day.  If you don't get it, let me explain that it's not in the mouse's personal interest to support cats at all, let alone ones who like to eat.  And yet, this mouse is.

I'm not picking on the Tea Party specifically.  I've been seeing this phenomenon elsewhere--people supporting groups and causes that are completely adverse to those people's self-interests.  If you're poor, it doesn't make sense to support the very policies making you poor.  If you're bullied, you don't help the bully. If someone's stepping on your foot, you don't put your head on the ground so they can tromp on that, too.  If you're being attacked, you either run away or fight.  You don't start beating yourself up.

From what I see, though, the Tea Party does seem to have a lion's share of those committing self-interest suicide right now.

I get the cartoon, but I don't get that.

muon

BORN ON THIRD BASE

OK, now Congress has passed the minuscule part of budget needed to manage the debt. I have not yet heard just how much the poor and lower middle class will suffer from the spending cuts in place due to the deal made by Congress. I suspect that bits and pieces will trickle down to us in the next few weeks. The only certainty we have is that the distressed wealthy few will have to wait just a little longer to have their terrible burdens relieved. Ah!!
 
When the Tea Baggers helped their Republican sponsors get their desperately needed tax cut extensions for the wealthiest 2%, they moved on to breaking every kind of opposition to their self-deceiving, socially-dividing proposals for spending cuts. These “Baggers” and their sponsors believe that they are entitled to everything they have and since they “did it all by themselves,” they make the assumption that anyone who is not a “Have” is that way because of laziness, lack of intelligence, or some other factor that could be controlled if one tried hard enough. So, why should society “pander” to those pathetic fools?!

At the “Rally to Restore Sanity” in Washington in October, my favorite sign was “Americans, born on third base, but think they hit a triple.” That certainly applies to our top 2% who are so unaware, they truly believe that family, luck, right-place-right-time, and various other factors out of their control played no major role in their achievement. Many of the wealthy are hard-working, but can one honestly say that they work harder than the people who clean their offices and homes, or the teachers and public workers whom they disparage?

One gets the feeling these days that the “Baggers” and their wealthy supporters think they can channel the Founders, the “Christian” Founders. It is hard to imagine, though, that our founders would have sacrificed so much to benefit so few.

Peace,
Ruth