Something I probably should have done long before now

OK, so I’ve finally reached a point where I feel as if reason and common sense is taking over. Why it took so long is beyond me, but here goes: WWJD is as of today a Tea Party-free zone. I’m tired of the lunacy, the rampant, aggressive, and willful ignorance, and the truly egregious, world-class hypocrisy. Listening to ignorant racists whine about being over-taxed as they suck from the teat of government-financed Social Security, Medicare, and other services is a sickening exercise in overt and over the top cynicism…and I’m sick of it. I’m tired of the negative energy, and I would much rather focus my attention on REAL problems and REAL solutions…or at least what I perceive them to be. Taxes are not the problem. Government is not the enemy. It’s about time that we focused on using government to address the very real problems we face today, problems that government is singularly capable of fixing. Road don’t pave themselves, bridges don’t maintain themselves, and services don’t magically appear out of thin air. It’s time that we stopped paying attention to people who think in such fantastical terms, and my resolve is beginning with what I can impact directly: me.

I’m not going to hold forth about how teabaggers have nothing to add to the public discourse or that their views are little more than an exercise in self-parody…though in many instances that’s an apt description. I believe strongly in dissent…otherwise, there would be no point in me blogging for as long as I have. Dissent without substance and seriousness, though, is merely a recipe for bad comedy. Having unwittingly done my part to perpetuate the silliness, I’ve decided that I wilI no longer grant the Tea Party the seriousness and respect they demand (and the media has granted) for themselves. On balance, they conduct themselves in a manner that’s disrespectful of the political process and grounded in the soft sand of their own comical and fantastical conspiracy theories. No one has proposed taking their liberties (or their guns), no one is planning on killing Grandma, and they demand smaller government while simultaneously insisting that Medicare and Social Security are somehow untouchable. Simply put, these people are idiots, and I for one am tired of what psychic energy and column inches on them. Their beliefs are based on selfishness, racism, and an utter inability to maintain anything resembling a grip on reality.

If the Tea Party maroons should ever decide that they want to have a debate with those of us in the reality-based world, and they come to the table with REAL ideas based on truth and fact, I’m willing to listen. Why not? Ideas aren’t the enemy- but hypocrisy, lunacy, and unfocused rage and ignorance most certainly are. For now, I’m simply refusing to continue inadvertently lending credibility or legitimacy to these mental midgets by continuing to acknowledge them…because they’re wholly undeserving of being discussed as a serious political movement. I’d rather talk about things that actually exist, problems we actually have, things we can actually address and (hopefully) resolve. I’m no longer will to discuss Obama’s birth certificate, or how he’s planning on taking away the God-given right to fish, or Socialism, or any of the other faux problems created and propagandized into the public lexicon by ignorant racists (abetted by Fox Noise Channel) with far too much time (and far too little common sense) on their hands.

WE DESERVE BETTER…and until we get it, these maroons can wallow in some well-deserved obscurity. I’ll take them seriously when and/or if they demonstrate themselves worthy of such consideration. You’ll note that I’m not holding my breath on this count….