Can we please stop calling The Tea Party a "movement"?
The Tea Party is a "movement" the same way masturbation is a "movement": a self-fulfillment of an utter fantasy.
Check out their
core values. Their ultimate goal is a return to a "constitutionally-limited government", as laid out by the founding fathers of this country.
While there may be some sense behind their core values, the timing of this "movement" is questionable. The Bush presidency ran up huge federal deficits (after beginning with a budget surplus), ran two expensive (and possibly illegal) wars, and implemented an even larger stimulus bill than the one passed by the Obama administration, all on top of a series of irresponsible tax cuts. If anything, the Tea Party indignation should have began many years ago; instead, it looks largely like sour grapes, and rings of a prejudiced outlook.
In the aftermath of the health care reform bill, there may eventually come a point when the Supreme Court is faced with questions regarding the constitutionality of the so-called "individual mandate" as possibly a tax on
"economic inactivity". Rather, we need to look at this as a piece of legislation that demands social responsibility: it ensures someone does not end up in the emergency room without insurance and without a means to pay for it, which will result in a bill for the taxpayers to pick up, anyway.
Folks, this is a democracy, which doesn't mean the individual desires of every single idiot in this country should be protected; rather, it means we put into place policies that benefit the majority of people. That is what our elected representatives our sent to Washington to do, and this legislation is simply the first step in a process that should eventually benefit the
majority of Americans.
By the way, Tea Party,
here's what the guys you're voting for in November are up to with your campaign donations.
Meanwhile, sexual abuse scandals by Catholic church leaders
continue to pop up.
Stunningly, the Pope has not directly addressed these, and referred to the scandals as "the gossip of dominant opinion".
Whatever eventually comes of these cases, I find it stunning that in this century there are those who would still attempt to sweep under the rug crimes against the innocent. Even worse, they are
defending themselves for these cover-ups.
Stated differently, if you were hanging out with a buddy, and he told you he was having some legal problems, like a speeding ticket, issues with his tax return, or getting busted for possession of marijuana, you'd probably say, "hey, everyone makes mistakes".
On the other hand, if your buddy told you he had been watching over a friends' sons, and had decided to engage in sexual conduct with them, what would your reaction be? If it is anything but utter revulsion, then you're probably a cardinal in the Catholic church. Even in prisons, child molesters are viewed with the utmost scorn, and are often treated as the worst of the lot.
I don't mean to single out the Catholic church for such a scandal, but they're certainly in the news. Many religions have long-standing traditions of abusing the innocent. Don't take my word for it; check out Christopher Hitchens' "God is not Great".
And I haven't even gotten to the
Christian militias...
Is it really 2010?
Well, maybe we ARE
making progess, slowly...
