Monday, September 20, 2010

With apologies to Moderate Republicans, if you actually exist

A friend forwarded this to me ... and refused to accept credit for it; instead, he claims the Internets wrote it. I post it here with apologies to the four remaining moderate Republicans in America.

Did you know that the words "race car" spelled backwards still spells race car?

And that "eat" is the only word that, if you take the 1st letter and move it to the last, spells its past tense — ate.

And if you rearrange the letters in "Tea Party Republicans", and add just a few more letters, it spells: "Shut-up, you free-loading, progress-blocking, benefit-grabbing, homophobic, resource-sucking, racist, hypocritical jerks, and face the fact that you nearly capsized the country under Bush."

Thursday, September 2, 2010

How soon Republicans forget history

This argument that Bush & Co. deserve some gratitude, and beside, Democrats are just as culpable, is disingenuous at best, and stark revisionism at worst.

We should recall that the mood of this country at the time of the Iraq invasion was damned ugly and the Bush Administration fanned those flames with vigor. At the time, in rural Texas, at least, it was was considered unpatriotic to be a Democrat who believed in religous freedom and thought the concept of "pre-emptive invasion" was dangerous. Anyone who expressed anything that smacked of being "anti-war" was considered a traitor. I am not exaggerating. I ran a weekly newspaper in my small town and it was a very scary time.

But, in case you've forgotten your history, the Bush Administration ginned up evidence ("slam dunk!"), lied to the American people then used (and destroyed) the credibility of a fine American (Colin Powell) in their rush to war. While the events of 9/11 may have terified them and while they may have believed their own lies, they browbeat the rest of us into an unprovoked invasion of another country. And, the most we've gotten by way an apology is the political equivalent of "oops."

You're right, neither Party has all the answers. Neither are saints. But, in broad terms, this current crop of Republicans (dating back to about 1994) are some of the most hateful, racist, spiteful and spoiled politicians I have seen in my 35 + years of watching government.

I grew up in a Republican household. My father was a life-long Republican, a classic conservative (as opposed to the neo-cons). Because of my upbringing, I still hold many classically conservative beliefs, beliefs that today's Republican Party hasn't subscribed to since Bob Dole stepped down from the Senate to run against Bill Clinton. Those Republicans would have told GWB to get a grip when he and Cheney and Wolfowitz started beating the drums of war. They would have stood against the divisive, thinly veiled racism and anti-government vitriol of the Tea Party. There are no Republican leaders today with the courage to stand up to these cranks. Not even one. Not even John McCain (who I used to admire and respect).

And now, GWB apologists want us to give him credit for bringing this shameful episode to a close? They want Dems to acept the blame for believeing GWB's lies and manipulated intelligence? WTF?!

Not no, but hell no!