dean kesler

Thoughts and ravings from Dean…

A new Harris poll says that 57 percent of Republicans (32% overall) think Obama is a Muslim; 40 percent of Republicans (25% overall) agree with the birthers in their belief that Obama was not born in the United States and is therefore not eligible to be president; 38 percent of Republicans (20% overall) say President Obama is doing many of the things that Hitler did; 24 percent of Republicans (14% overall) say Obama may be the anti-Christ.

I find it absolutely staggering that any rational, semi-intelligent person would believe any of this garbage. It is beyond my admittedly limited comprehension that people could be that batshit crazy. Let me be clear that I am not attempting to squelch freedom of speech or stifle people’s opinions. What I am trying to do is STOP THE BULLSHIT and I want you to help me. Help all of us really. This vitriol directed at our legally and decisively elected president seems to be a symptom of a much larger, more troubling movement.

Point #1 – Where this starts for me is allowing patent lies to be spread with impunity. When people that know better or are in a position of influence (media, politicians, leaders, and yes, even you & me) just sit by and don’t challenge or refute these things, they become “true” by virtue of their existence and often escalate into crazier thoughts and sometimes violent actions (more on that in later points). Let me present a few examples…

A) Sarah Palin talking about Obama setting up death panels. We heard deafening silence from the mainstream of the Republican Party. The party she represented in the last election and hopes to again in the next election. Chuck Grassley got in on the “death panel” act too.

B) Michelle Bachman, the congresswoman from Minnesota, talking about how Obama is setting up secret political re-education camps goes essentially unchallenged.

C) Glenn Beck, of Fox News, spent three shows speculating on whether or not FEMA had constructed a set of secret concentration camps. This ludicrous idea with absolutely no basis in reality is plugged over and over. This jackass has something like 3 million viewers. By the time he gets around to “debunking” the FEMA camps in the 4th episode, literally hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of these sheep, either believe this is true or suspect it may be true and aren’t going to be convinced otherwise. Beck accomplished exactly what he set out to do.

The Christian Science Monitor did an enlightening Op-Ed piece about Apocalyptic right-wing rhetoric going mainstream. If we sit by silently when we know something is false or wrong, we are aiding and abetting by tacit approval. We become part of the problem. I’m starting to connect some dots and I am gravely concerned by the potential escalation cycle that appears to be evolving. Which leads me to…

Point #2 – The Southern Poverty Law Center’s magazine, Intelligence Report published a special edition: “Rage on the Right: The Year in Hate and Extremism“. Some interesting findings: Anti-immigrant vigilante groups soared by nearly 80 percent last year and in 2009, militias and the larger Patriot movement grew with 363 new militias and related groups, an increase of 244 percent.

Seems a lot more people are paraphrasing or wearing T-shirts paraphrasing the Thomas Jefferson quote: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants”. Many of you may have forgotten those were the words on the back of the t-shirt Timothy McVeigh was wearing the day that he blew up the Murrah building in Oklahoma City April 19, 1995, and killed 168 people. Not coincidently the anniversary of the day that the first shots were fired in Lexington in the Revolutionary War.

How about a school bus full of second and third grade kids chanting assassinate Obama on the way to school in Idaho.

Sensing a theme here? I am, which brings us to …

Point #3 – How about some recent new developments in extremism like the threats against people in Congress who voted for the health care reform bill:

A) Several have received death threats, including Bart Stupak of Michigan, who thought the bill didn’t do enough to prevent federal funds from being used for abortion but voted for the bill after the president’s executive order re-affirming a ban on federal funds for abortion.

B) James Clyburn, the highest-ranking African-American congressman, received a fax with the image of a noose.

C) A Tea Party activist posted the address of Virginia Congressman Tom Periello’s brother, thinking it was the congressman’s address, and suggested that protestors drop by. After the posting, a gas line to the brother’s home was cut.

D) A brick was thrown through the office of Louise Slaughter, chair of the House Rules Committee, who also received a voicemail message referring to snipers.

Mike Vanderboegh, a former Alabama militia leader, is the person who put up a call on his blog for people to throw bricks through the glass windows of Democratic Party offices and then celebrated that brick throwing. Clearly, people complied.

Where is the condemnation from the “Opposition Party”? Is this civil debate? True political discourse? It is outright fear mongering and the Republican leadership is complicit.

Final Point – To me the tyranny here would be to sit idly by and continue to create and foster an environment more and more conducive to things getting completely out of hand. I think McVeigh is a brutal reminder of where some of these kinds of angry lies and dystopian ideas can lead. We have to speak out. We have to stand up.

Its just a good thing there is no huge rally scheduled in Washington soon on the anniversary of the first shots at Lexington and largest domestic act of terrorism that would attract a lot of gun-toting extremists at a time when tensions are heightened…

Oh, fuck.