Some Mad People

I know I've talked about this before, but I needed to touch on it again.

As I was perusing newsprint to lay down under my cat's litter box, I saved one local paper in our house from such a fate.  It's an issue of "Lake Chatter," our local Lake County free newspaper, from the week of April 20, 2009.  Because of the timing of its release, this particular issue's front page story was about local TEA Parties.

On the front page is a picture of someone identified as Nancy Marra of Mayfield Village holding a sign that says (I shit you not) "Taxation without Representation."  Apparently the democratically elected President of the United States does not represent representation.  Perhaps we should develop a system on a smaller scale by which states can be individually represented in legislative decisions.  Oh wait, idiot, that's what the democratically elected Senate is for.  Is that not enough representation for you?  Perhaps we should go to an even smaller scale, dividing the whole country up into districts from which representatives are drawn in order to decide on legislative decisions.  Guess what, you clod, that's the House of REPRESENTATIVES.  However, thank you for giving me the opportunity to use the word "clod."

Even better than that is when you open up the paper to read the rest of the column.  There is yet another big picture of someone identified as Curtis Early of Willowick flying the Confederate flag - you know, the flag of a nation that led us into one of the bloodiest wars we've ever fought - and holding a sign that says (again, I shit you not) "The South Succeeded Over Taxes."  I don't even know how to address this.  First of all, anyone who flies the Confederate flag is an idiot in my book.  Secondly, did he misspell seceded, or is he honestly of the impression that the Confederacy, a nation that hasn't existed since 1865 and lost a war due (in part) to its inability to continue to fund its army represents a successful nation?  Either way, dude, since when is the Confederacy - a nation built on the idea that racism is awesome - a model for brilliant governance?

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Bender:  "Oh God, get a room!"

Couple:  "This is our room!"

Bender:  "Then lose some weight!"

A Mad TEA-Party

`Have some wine,' the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.

Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. `I don't see any wine,' she remarked.

`There isn't any,' said the March Hare.

These TEA parties happening around the nation right now (TEA stands for Taxed Enough Already) - responses to Santelli's call for a Chicago Tea Party back in February - smell mighty fishy to me.  One of the fishiest things comes from chicagoteaparty.com itself.  This website was registered back in August of 2008 - before Santelli called for a Chicago Tea Party, before Obama introduced his economic stimulus plan, before Americans had decided on the administration for 2009, even before Obama had been named the Democratic Presidential Candidate.  It is also registered to Zachary Christenson - a Chicago area right wing radio host.  What a lucky turn of events that when "grass roots" Republicans begin a movement of tea parties in Chicago, the domain name has already been bought and paid for by someone who is a spokesperson for the American conservative movement.

On top of that, these people who are screaming because they've been "taxed enough already" seem to not be aware that 95% of America has seen a tax cut.  They also don't seem to be aware that taxes are still lower than they were during the Reagan administration.  So, how could so many people turn out to protest something that affects only the top 5% - the wealthiest and most well off and equipped to handle this economic crisis?  Surely not because they were paid to do so.  Surely not because corporate funded organizations contacted these people via Facebook and offered them money (up to $1,000) to come out and say something bad about the administration.  No, that never happened.

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"I did not bare myself deliberately, but I tell you:  I wish now that I had!  Because it is not me that has been exposed, but you!  For I have seen the nipple on your soul!"