Party Down

I love when I hear that people are annoyed that Obama hasn’t done enough about the unemployment rate, so they want to vote Republican in the next election. I’m also irritated at Obama’s reluctance to do anything, but when have Republicans ever cared about helping people find jobs? Haven’t they made it clear that their thing is to make sure the rich stay rich, and if the rich care to trickle down any money to the peasants, that’s their business? And, really, I don’t know that the Democrats are all that different at this point. Perhaps the term “compassionate conservative,” which our last president was so fond of claiming, is more apt for today’s Democratic party. They seem to actually care about what’s happening, but are reluctant to do anything aside from maintaining the status quo. For all Obama’s talk about change, didn’t Bush actually make more changes? They weren’t GOOD changes, but they were certainly changes. While the Republican leadership might be conservative, the mouthpieces they use to address the public tend to be radicals. I mean, turn on Fox News and see how long it takes for someone to start calling for an end to the separation of church and state. I’d say wanting to destroy one of the nation’s founding principles that’s guaranteed in the First Amendment is pretty radical. Much more so than government-sponsored health care, which those same mouthpieces insisted would cause massive chaos.

With the Democrats determined not to do anything that a Republican might not like, it does seem like a viable third party might be the best option, but I haven’t heard any evidence of anyone being all that serious about developing one. I’m not necessarily saying the current parties aren’t capable of changing to reflect the times. Hell, if the Democrats can change from the party of institutionalized racism to the one more devoted to civil rights, anything is possible, right? I’m not sure the leaders major parties WANT to change, though. They’re pretty comfortable where they are. It’s those of us who DON’T control political parties who aren’t. But really, people who want to put the Republicans back in power, do you happen to remember the Bush administration? It wasn’t exactly an excellent job market, was it? Here in New Jersey, the recently elected Republican Governor Christie’s idea for dealing with the crisis is to cut MORE jobs. Smart move, dingbat!

Speaking of radical right-wingers who won’t shut up, Dr. Laura Schlessinger has finally quit her show, due to the fact that people are actually offended when she spouts racial epithets. Guess what? Just because the First Amendment gives you the right to say what you want doesn’t mean it guarantees no one will be offended. Really, though, I have to wonder how that harpy has lasted on the air as long as she has.

Doesn’t everyone know by now that her doctorate is in a field unrelated to the advice she gives, and her supposed family counseling is totally based on supporting a specific family model that allows no deviations? I remember when my wife, who used to intern at a radio station that played Dr. Laura, told me about an episode when someone called in for advice, and our friend the physiologist refused to even give her any because she was “shacked up” with her boyfriend. Yes, Ms. Schlessinger, getting a marriage certificate causes magic to happen. The nagging ninny apparently still wants to have her voice heard, which I’m hoping means she’ll start yelling out the N-word through a megaphone on the streets of Compton. Hey, Glenn Beck, maybe you should also quit and regain your First Amendment rights.

Okay, I’m savvy enough to know that, if Beck is fired, he’ll be replaced by someone just as crazy. But I wanted to transition into talking about his rather odd position on the Religious Right. Mind you, MOST of his positions are odd, and I get the impression he doesn’t actually believe anything he says. He’s a doomsday preacher without the passion, and I have to wonder what his religious views actually are, or even what he’s pretending they are. Yes, he’s a Mormon, which probably explains a fair amount. Joseph Smith basically founded the Church of Latter-Day Saints on pillars of prejudice, being racist, anti-Jewish, and anti-Catholic. Perhaps that’s why his compatriots in the right-wing media will yak about “Judeo-Christian values,” but I’ve heard Beck totally leave out the “Judeo” part. There’s no room for Zionists in his new world order! What I found even weirder was when he said something about demanding that God do certain things for us as a nation. Isn’t the general belief of Christians, including Mormons, that you’re not supposed to order God around, because He’s the one in charge? Then again, this is the same guy who said you should leave your church if they believe in social justice, that compassion is bad (funny, I’ve read both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, and as much nasty stuff is in both, they repeat over and over that compassion is an essential component of a pious life), and that God is directing him in writing some screed against the disenfranchised. I have to wonder WHICH god. Considering that he told people to pray over whether or not to invest in some gold-buying scam, I’d say Mammon is a strong candidate.

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