Enough With the Wild West Politics Already!

Sarah Palin's Crosshairs Map and Hit List

As you all know by now, a gunman opened fire at an outdoor political Meet and Greet in Tuscon Arizona on Saturday, resulting in the death of a nine-year-old girl, a federal judge and four others. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords remains in critical condition after being shot in the head. Eleven others were wounded by the shooter, Jared Loughner, who was tackled at the scene and taken into custody.

In the immediate aftermath, news agencies and bloggers everywhere desperately scrambled to be first with breaking news, alternately reporting that Giffords had died or was in surgery. Within a matter of minutes, the web was inundated with lists of right-wing politicians and pundits to blame for the incident.

The graphic you see here is from Sara Palin's FaceBook page. The half-term, half-baked Alaska ex-governor turned reality TV star removed the graphic, but not until after it was copied, pasted and used by every liberal with internet access to point the finger of blame directly at her and those in her party who use the language of wild west violence to motivate the weak-minded to vote for them.

For the last two years we've seen stories and news video of Tea Party activists attending rallies with guns shouting racist and homophobic slurs while their leaderless party leaders brush it off as nothing more than the actions of the lunatic fringe, but simultaneously attempt to justify those actions with the excuse that "Americans are angry". How much of a loony do you have to be in an organization made up of nothing but loonies, to qualify as the lunatic fringe?

Violence is the last resort of the desperate. People turn to violence when they lack the communication skills to express what they want. When Sarah Palins says "Don't retreat, reload" and uses the Mamma Grizzly metaphor to plant the suggestion in the empty heads of her sheeple that desperate times call for desperate ~ and violent ~ methods, it should surprise no one when the weakest of the weak-minded act on that suggestion.

But Palin is not alone in fanning the flames of violence. There is a laundry list of the who's who of the right wing who also have blood on their hands this morning. No matter how hard they attempt to back away from their own statements, Michelle Bachman, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and the rest all share in fanning the flames of intolerence and violence. Keith Olberman said it best last night on his special broadcast, "Violence and threats have no place in democracy."

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Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor Rally: Fueling the Fear of the Future (Video)

Beck addresses the unwashed masses at his "Restoring Honor" Rally.

I haven't written about Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor Rally" up to now, because I usually don't like to shine a  spotlight on the insanity that's taken hold of the country, especially among the dwindling numbers of  desperate and terrified refugees of the Culture Wars. Seriously, these folks are pathetic. But now I'm thinking I should shine that spotlight and as often as possible.

These are the frightened, lost sheep who feel abandoned by the Republicans and who are turning to nut-jobs like Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin to fuel their fear of the future. With neither the Democrats or Republicans showing strong leadership, the disillusioned masses are falling prey to Beck and Palin and their ilk and to the leaderless Tea Party.

We are at a cultural turning point in this country. Liberal/progressive causes have been kept at arms length for four decades, because the Democrats have failed to lead. With LGBT rights groups and other liberal orgs pressuring the president to move decisively forward on repealing DADT and DOMA and to pass ENDA, the Obama Administration has been overly-cautious, so as not to offend a deflated and leaderless Republican Party. A Republican president, as we have seen, would never have dragged his/her feet for nearly two years to get his/her agenda through.

The Neo-Con movement is dead and buried and as the Republicans struggle to redefine themselves, without the help of the religious right, whose political leadership died with Jerry Fallwell, those on the extreme far right, who are by and large undereducated, extremely conservative, extremely religious, blue-collar families,  are easy prey for scheisters like Beck and Pailn, who have taken the snake oil medicine show to new heights for the gullible, pathetic masses.

The future is coming whether we like it or not. The Tea Baggers, the Evangelicals, Pentecostals, the all the other Fox "News" loyalists are simply reacting to their fear of the unknown and allowing themselves to be taken over by Mob Mentality and being led, blindly and deliberately by opportunistic charlatans who are only too happy to pass out the torches and pitch forks.

The video below is an interview segment done at the rally. These people are very scary. Notice how they all talk about taking back their country and "going back" to some imaginary point in time when they think things were so much better in this country. Fear of the future is what drives these people. It's a sign that we are finally poised to achieve our goals, if our leaders will only lead. Are these the people you want running your country again? With GOProud's HomoCon Convention scheduled for the end of September, dangerously close to the November mid-terms, LGBT Rights is quickly becoming a bi-partisan issue and the Democrats had better be worried.

When you are confronted by right-wing nut-jobs spewing their ignorance, stupidity and hate, let them rant. In fact, hand them a microphone and point your cam at them. The more they rant, the more they drive rational Americans to become more tolerant.
 

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When Conservatives Eat Their Own

Image via WikipediaI've always maintained that if you don't believe in evolution, you don't evolve. Today's post indicates that there may just be a glimmer of hope for the right wing nut-jobs out there, as three highly visible conservatives show some tacit support for gay rights, or at the very least, are beginning to realize that being a homophobe isn't as lucrative as it used to be.

In the last two weeks, Ann "The Ice Queen" Coulter, Glenn "Cry Baby" Beck and Elisebeth "The F'ing Idiot" Hasselbeck have each indicated their support for varying degrees of gay rights and are catching holy hell from the holy rollers for being traitors in the culture wars.

First up in the holy cross hairs is ultra-conservative author, columnist and frequent talks show guest Ann Coulter, who famously referred to former presidential candidate John Edwards as a fag and to former VP Al Gore as a "total fag".

A couple of weeks ago Coulter, who proves that, like an appendix, you can get by just fine without a soul, agreed to speak at next month's HomoCon convention in New York. The event is sponsored by GOProud, the oxymoronic political action committee of conservative gay Republicans. Coulter's acceptance of the speaking gig cost her in invitation to speak at WorldNet Daily's Talking Back America Conference

This morning conference organizer and evangelical zealot Joseph Farah writes on the WorldNet Daily web site, "Coulter is a political activist, a pundit, a satirist. She is not Jesus. And she is not an evangelist. No one is likely to get saved at Homocon because Ann Coulter gives a conservative stump speech. I'm glad Farah understands that Coulter is not Jesus. It could get very messy at Christmas.

Farah continues his rant, "What will happen as a result of her appearance is that a compromise will be made with sin. Sin will be condoned or appeased. A conservative icon will find accommodation with a sin that would undermine the foundations of Western civilization, the Judeo-Christian ethic and the most basic biblical standards of sexual morality."

For her part, Coulter says, “giving a speech is not an endorsement of every position held by the people I'm speaking to.” She called Farah a "fame whore" and said on the Fox "News" show, Red Eye, “These are fake Christians trying to get publicity.” She oughtta know.

The American Family Association's Bryan Fischer has weighed in on Coulter's move as well as Glenn Beck's recent comments about gay marriage, saying, “Count Ann Coulter and Glenn Beck as the latest deserters in the culture war and in the battle for sexual normalcy.” He adds, “They have flinched at 'precisely that little point which the world and the devil … are attacking, and so have forfeited the right to consider themselves any longer culture warriors.”

Beck told Bill O'Reilly on The O'Reilly Factor recently that he doesn't discuss the "culture wars" on his TV and radio programs. Beck hasn't really endorsed same-sex marriage, so much as he said he doesn't have a problem with it. In essence, he's just washed his hands of it by calling marriage a religious issue, not something the government should be involved with. By embracing the Libertarian philosophy, he can avoid the issue altogether.

The View's token conservatroid, Elisebeth Hasslebeck is also being hassled by the religious right. "Porno Pete" LaBarbera, of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality took exception to Hasselbeck's statement a few days ago that she supports same-sex marriage and that, although she opposes abortion in principle, she supports a woman's right to choose.

LaBarbera wrote to the former reality show star saying, "I know you take a lot of grief on the show for NOT being a liberal (on most issues) — and I respect you for that. But caving on “same-sex marriage” only hurts your credibility as The View’s  repesentative, as it were, for millions upon millions of conservative and pro-family Americans who resent the liberal media’s and Hollywood’s secular Left bias. Elizabeth, there are many EX-gay men and FORMER lesbians  who have overcome homosexuality in their lives (most by becoming born-again Christians). You should be championing them instead of counterfeit 'gay marriage'!"

The circular firing squads are forming. Ready, aim, FIRE!

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First Bill O'Reilly, now Glenn Beck back Gay Rights (video)

Image via WikipediaSomebody check the weather report for Hell, because it must be getting pretty icy down there. Two of the right's loudest mouthpieces are now stating for the record that they have no problem with the gays wanting equal rights. About three weeks ago, commenting on Dan Choi's discharge, Bill O'Reilly's giant forehead told Jay Leno that he is in favor of repealing DADT. Now Right-Wing, Nut-Job/Cry Baby, Glenn Beck tells Bill O'Reilly that does not oppose same-sex marriage (via The Huffington Post):

Why doesn't Glenn Beck cover gay marriage? Because he doesn't believe it's a threat to the nation.

In a conversation with Bill O'Reilly on why he avoids culture war issues, Beck admitted that he doesn't think marriage should be a political issue.

"Honestly, I think we have bigger fish to fry," Beck said. "You can argue about abortion or gay marriage or whatever all you want. The country is burning down...I don't think marriage, that the government actually has anything to do with...that is a religious right."

"Do you believe gay marriage is a threat to the country in any way?" O'Reilly asked.

"A threat to the country? No, I don't," Beck said, laughing, adding mockingly, "Will the gays come and get us?"

Beck quoted Thomas Jefferson: "If it neither breaks my leg nor picks my pocket, what difference is it to me?"

Massa Resigns over "Tickle Fights"

There are some stories that are so bizarre that when you first hear about them, your first instinct is to just ignore them, but the story of NY congressman Eric Massa resigning under the cloud of an ethics investigation over what amounts to accusations that he sexually harassed male staffers is too titalating to ignore for long. Massa stepped down over the weekend citing health concerns and made the accusation that Democrats, including White House Chief of Staff Rom Emmanuel, forced him out due to his opposition to the current health care reform package.

Last night Massa appeared on the Glenn Beck Show and confirmed two things. First that the allegations are true and second, that he is completely out of touch with reality.
The Washington Post reported this morning:

Just seven minutes into Glenn Beck's hour-long interview of Eric Massa on Tuesday evening, things had already gone very wrong.

Conservatives had hopes that the now-former Democratic congressman from Upstate New York, who resigned abruptly under an ethics cloud, would deliver the goods about corruption and strong-arm tactics in the Obama White House and Congress. But instead, Massa served up an icky new confession.

"Now they're saying I groped a male staffer," he volunteered. "Yeah, I did. Not only did I grope him, I tickled him until he couldn't breathe and then four guys jumped on top of me. It was my 50th birthday."

Beck looked aghast. "Was your wife at that one?" the Fox News Channel host asked.

"No, this was in a townhouse; we all lived together, all the bachelors and me," Massa explained. "My chief of staff had a conniption and said, 'You can't live there, that's not congressional.' "

Beck tried to move the conversation in a different direction, but his guest resisted. "Let me show you something," Massa proposed, proffering a book with photos of bawdy Navy rituals from the days when he was a sailor.

"You're going to show me tickle fights?" Beck inquired.
"I'm going to show you a lot more than tickle fights," Massa promised. Beck put on his reading glasses, then judged that the images should not be shown on television. "It looks like an orgy in 'Caligula,' " Massa asserted.

I wish my 50th birthday party had been that much fun. We're supposed to believe that after-hours life on Capital Hill is like one of those 1950's "physique" magazines where oiled up young men in posing straps were photographed innocently rough-housing in elaborately staged settings that usually included such macho staples as sailor hats and lots of rope, cowboy hats, boots and cap guns or Grecian columns and lots of draped faux satin, as if it's an every day occurrence.

If that's true, I'm moving back to DC.

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