"'Go fuck yourself,' I replied, always the lady. "'I'm staying here.'" -Ava Gardner
Clearly being civil and raising valid points is a lost art. Relying on facts has become passe. So let me break this down in language Tea Party "conservatives" can understand....
Increasingly, self-described Tea Partiers are commandeering the debate in this country, behaving like unabashed fascists and attempting to employ double standards when it comes to political discourse in this country. Their hypocrisy knows no bounds. And of course they're obnoxiously screaming over everyone, silencing them and bullying away any reasonable disagreement or attempt at intelligent debate.
A common example of the brazen hypocrisy and double standards would be the pervasive answer given at a recent GOP presidential forum.
The question asked: if it was okay for the federal government to deny funding to "charitable" organizations that openly discriminate against same-sex couples, specifically couples looking to foster children.
Their answer? Yes.
Ya found the punch line yet? It's okay for taxpayers to fund organizations that openly practice discrimination, but it's not okay for the federal government to "discriminate" against those organizations that practice discrimination. Simply calling that hypocrisy and an absurd double standard isn't adequate... it's just fucking crazy.
We also see it - albeit in a passive-aggressive form from right-wingers - when it comes to how we debate public policy. Countless numbers of them seem fond of spewing the most irrational, illogical, fundamentally flawed arguments - many of which unfairly target or stereotype others. Yet when anyone dares to call them on their bullshit, they waddle up their cross and portray the victim, invariably screeching like a colicky baby and claiming they're being "attacked" or "harassed." And yet bearing false witness against everyone in sight, belittling, intimidating and bullying any person who isn't white, wealthy, Protestant and heterosexual and brazenly slandering everyone equates to what exactly?
A screaming, glaring example would be conservatives' knee-jerk response to Teamster leader James Hoffa's remarks at a Labor Day gathering. Noting how the rightwing fringe has engaged in an assault on working Americans, repeatedly trying to kill collective bargaining rights, etc., Hoffa turned the tables on Tea-Baggers, giving them a taste of their own rhetorical medicine, speaking of how he and labor supporters need to participate in elections: "Let's take these sons of bitches out and give America back to America where we belong."
Of course, this variety of verbiage pales in comparison to the overly-heated, incendiary, divisive and arguably threatening language we've seen since the inception of the woefully mislabeled Tea Party. At nearly every "gathering" of Tea Partiers, we're inundated with calls for violence, brandishing of firearms in a threatening manner, inexcusable, over-the-top portrayals of the president of the United States as a "Socialist," the anti-Christ, as someone born in another country and therefore "illegitimate" as president, and poorly-veiled racist and race-baiting insults.
And yet one little remark by Hoffa - a drop in the proverbial bucket when compared to the avalanche of venomous, riot-inciting, rabble-rousing, hatred-fueled bullshit coming from the Tea Party every hour of every day, and these people have the nerve to cry like little bitches about it and demand the president, Democratic National Committee and other ranking Democrats condemn Hoffa's remarks. Seriously. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Congresswoman from Florida and chair of the DNC had the most sincere and telling response to the calls from Tea-Baggers to condemn the speech: "Are you kidding me?"
And the most pervasive example plays out when we observe how the sitting president and his predecessor are treated. When George W. Bush was president, you couldn't pose the most civil, valid, innocuous questions or share a sincere concern without being labeled a "traitor" and having your patriotism questioned. Now, the same people who questioned countless Americans' patriotism and loyalty to this country, openly, unapologetically and with defiance question the president's patriotism, his loyalty to this country and absurdly enough his religion... oh yeah, and his birth certificate! And of course if you're bold enough to agree with the president on anything you get dismissed and insulted by being told that you're "drinking the Kool-Aid." I happen to like Kool-Aid, assholes... and it's invariably better tasting than the poison they're passing around.
It's painfully simple.... You don't get to set the rules then break them. You don't dictate what we can and cannot discuss. You don't get to set a standard and demand we adhere to it while you refuse to follow it yourself. You don't get to spew the most hateful, insidious false bullshit then cover your ears and refuse to listen when someone verbally scalps you for it. And you sure as hell don't get to bully, intimidate and harass the rest of us then whine when we hand your ass to you for it. You don't get to question others' patriotism with impunity yet conduct yourselves as though you'd kill our country's leaders - or anyone who dares to disagree with you. You don't get to question our morality while committing the most immoral acts. You don't get to criticize others' religions when you clearly don't give a damn what's in that Bible you keep slinging around unless it serves your own selfish, greedy purposes. And don't wave your damn guns around at your Obama-hatin' conventions and tea-bagger rallies because by God, I will wave back. And as long as you question my patriotism for merely disagreeing with you based on reason and facts then I'm rightfully going to question your damn sanity.
In summary: Fuck you and the double standard you rode in on. Mark your calendars because the unfair fight, the rampant hypocrisy and ridiculous double standards stop today. I'm staying here and I'm not going to put up with it anymore. Stick that in your tea bag and dunk it.
About the author: Joseph O. Patton is the editor-in-chief and founder of the Capital City Free Press. He is a former news editor for the Coosa County News, lead reporter for the Montgomery Independent and editor-in-chief of the AUMnibus, the student newspaper of Auburn-Montgomery. Patton is also the creator of and writer for the satirical news radio segment "Goat Hill Gossip," which previously aired on WAUD in Auburn, Alabama and has appeared on several Central Alabama radio programs as a political analyst.
Copyright © Capital City Free Press
Copyright © Capital City Free Press
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