If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stomping on a human face — forever.
- George Orwell
I’ve tried to tamp down the amount of time, effort, and column inches I’ve devoted to obsessing over the Tea Party. There’s understandable debate, of course, over the size and influence of this allegedly “grass roots” movement (in reality, it’s a wholly-owned subsidiary of Koch Industries), but the time is approaching when Americans can and must make themselves heard. It’s called Election Day, and it’s tomorrow. It’s important because this Election is about the kind of America we want to live in.
My feelings about the Tea Party, and the cretins who cower underneath its umbrella, are not exactly a state secret. Let’s just set that aside for a moment, though. Tomorrow is an opportunity for ALL of us to weigh in on the future and direction of this country. If you can’t be bothered to vote, you have no right to piss and moan when events take a turn for what you might think to be the worst. You have a voice; use it or shut up. You don’t have to agree to me, you don’t have to think I’m witty, intelligent, or God’s gift to women (that’s another post for another time)…but you do have the exact same amount of influence over this country as I do- your vote. Whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, or Packers fan, this is what democracy is all about.
From where I sit, I’m tremendously concerned that we’re on the verge of putting the inmates in charge of the asylum. We’re at a point in our history when we sit on the precipice of determining what sort of country we want to be. Do we want to pull together and get through our difficulties together? Or do we give in to our darker angels and turn over the reigns to those who would rule by fear, ignorance, and religious fiat? Do we recognize that government is and can be a force for the common good? Or do we succumb to the unsubstantiated and dangerous fear that Government IS the problem?
I could make a lot of arguments in this respect, but watch the video…and LISTEN to what Keith Olbermann has to say. Strip away the passion and the (I think justifiable) outrage, and pay attention to where these Tea Party zealots want to take this country. If you want to throw things into reverse, then I suspect you’ll be voting for some of these cretins. If you want to move this country forward, if you want to see this country survive and prosper and rebuild itself, then vote for those who will help to get us there. I can promise you one thing and one thing only: the Tea Party is not about the future, at least not a future that I think bodes well for this country. That’s not to say that those running under the Tea Party banner aren’t committed in their own way; it’s just that their vision of America reads like the script from Idiocracy.
WE DESERVE BETTER. VOTE, DAMN IT!!
