States rights/Big Government:
This implies that the government is so big that it won’t allow individual states to govern themselves. It’s a term yelled from the rooftops when the government won’t allow a state to do something, or forces them to do anything they don’t agree with. If the government didn’t have this power, southern blacks would never have gained the right to vote, attend whites-only schools and colleges, eat at a “whites only” restaurant, marry someone of another race or gain equal employment. Big government is only needed by the angry Tea Party/GOP to protect gun rights and overrule state legislation protecting legal abortion or granting gay rights.
Running up the American debt for our children:
Something the former Republican president and congress had no qualms about doing after Bush conned the country into thinking that Saddam Hussein had something to do with planning 9/11 and was about to use “weapons of mass destruction” on our helpless children. Those trillions of tax-payer dollars were justified regardless of the national debt or not. Nor does it matter that a Republican administration initiated the billions in bank bailouts that the GOP is trying to pin on Obama and counting on the short memories of voters.
2nd amendment rights are threatened!:
The NRA doesn’t want to let slip their control over the Republican Party, so they convince normal Americans that the federal government is about to take their rights to own hunting rifles away from them. To quote Robin Williams, “The NRA says that you have the right to use armor-piercing bullets if you're a hunter… WHY? How many deer wear bullet-proof vests?” Someone please inform me of any time during his administration when President Obama has suggested taking the right of gun ownership away from everyday people?
“The NRA says that you have the right to own armor-piercing bullets if you're a hunter… WHY? How many deer wear bullet-proof vests?”
Patriot:
Only those who strictly worship the Flag, the Bible, and any denomination of the Baptist Church as a holy trinity, which is quickly replacing "Baseball, mom, and apple pie". You must worship all three equally or be branded unpatriotic, traitorous, liberal, unchristian and/or a deviant.
Example of their hypocrisy: the "Patriot Act" has nothing to do with being patriotic in the literal sense of the word.
In God We Trust:
What this phrase means is their god to the exclusion of anyone else’s god. If you actually pressed a religious/political fanatic into explaining the phrase, you’d be appalled to discover that most “god fearing” people believe that unless you belong to their specific fundamentalist sect, you won’t make it to heaven, nor if it was up to them will the U.S. Government guarantee your right to worship (or not worship) as you please… or haven’t you noticed there are no officially recognized U.S. religious holidays that aren’t celebrated by Southern Baptists; nor are there likely to be.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - roger nowosielski
Good show, Jet.
I'm still puzzled by the recent NYT poll according to which, the teapartiers are better educated than most Americans.
Scary!
2 - Jet Gardner
Thank Roger. as for the poll... your guess is as good as mine
3 - STM
I love the bit about "racially balanced". Lol.
That means enough weight from uppity whitefellas on one side to counteract the opposite arguments from uppity blackfellas, hispanics and other non-WASP/anglo-celt/northernm European-descended folks on the other.
It's one thing not to want to give your country away willy-nilly, another to base it purely on race.
4 - roger nowosielski
"Racially balanced" - Dave Nalle's favorite expression.
5 - Jet Gardner
Tread lightly Roger, Dave edited this piece and was damned fair about it, making next to no changes.
6 - roger nowosielski
Dave's always fair when wearing an editorial hat. In fact, he's fairer than most of his own writings indicate.
It's just that by his own admission, he's engaged in political action here, and fairness has no place.
7 - Jet Gardner
point taken
8 - Jet Gardner
I'm sorta disappointed though, if Arch doesn't post a snide and disapproving remark on an article it's not worth writing.
Maybe I'm just being impatient
9 - Jeff Forsythe
Give him time Jet. Exceptional article if not a bit lengthy. I like a piece that doesn't pull any punches and enjoyed it. Unlike Palin you are not one to talk out of both sides of your mouth
bravo
Mr. Forsythe
10 - roger nowosielski
Well, Archie is a horse of another color. He's a straight shooter, though, have got to give him that.
11 - Jet Gardner
Maybe he took a trip to Mt. Everest?
12 - Cannonshop
#1 Well, Roger, it could be a demonstration of the false utility of NYT polls (i.e. if you want a specific outcome, hash the questions until the answers bear zero resemblance to reality), or the poor state of American PUBLIC Education.
13 - roger nowosielski
I think you're right on both counts, Cannon.
14 - roger nowosielski
Yes, Jet. He joined the gay parade.
15 - Jet Gardner
Well Cannon, consider that Palin had a college education and look how that turned out.
That and her whiney voice just cuts right through me.
16 - Jeff Forsythe
Jet the next time one of your antagonists spout off about how liberal the U.S. media is you should reiterate your point in the opening of this article about how much coverage they have given the so called angry Mrs. Palin
Mr. Forsythe
17 - Jet Gardner
#16-I'll jot that down on a post-it note and stick it to my monitor Jeff.
18 - Ruvy
I was honestly amused by this article, Jet. I didn't think much of its editorial slant, but you did turn out a good piece of writing. Looks like you really shined up that hatchet before using it. I guess the "tea baggers" piss you off, eh?
I'm so glad I'm not an American anymore. I'd be so full of despair if I were.
19 - Ruvy
Hey Bing!! The Philistines in the Temple of Dagon are calling for you to come out so they can make sport of you!
20 - Ruvy
Heck, I fergot. Bing's an atheist. He's liable not to understand the context of that comment....
21 - Jet Gardner
I doubt he'll understand the whole article
22 - Jet Gardner
Maybe he fainted while reading my Mt. Everest article in the culture section?
23 - Jet Gardner
I did, however manage to mention the exploitation of American Jews Ruvy, on several occasions.
24 - Glenn Contrarian
Jet -
I'm grinning from ear to ear! Well done!
The only sad part is that when you slam the Right with unassailable fact or logic, they tend to pick up their toys and go home. If this article doesn't get so many comments, that's why.
25 - Jet Gardner
No problem Glenn, with the new digg tool/link I can track the number of readers on my Adsense report-in about 12 hours since it was published this article's been read by 103 people vs 24 comments vs only one Digg, so I'm not discouraged in the least.
I'm more proud of my gay athletes article from five years ago that brings in about 1400 readers a week without new comments.
Glad you enjoyed it.