It's amazing to see the kind of discourse that emerges when people start opening their mouths and demonstrate how ignorant they truly are.  I'm not referring to anyone in particular, by the way.  All this current protesting is led by a crew of scared, ignorant and power-hungry conservatives who see their imminent demise and have no idea how to "reform" their party, especially after "leading" the country so horribly through eight years of the second Bush debacle and making complete fools of themselves during last year's presidential election.  Any party who would stand behind Palin and make an empty-headed plumber their poster child has to be a robot or clueless.  And the fact that the conservative movement is doing everything in its power to thwart progress and the healing of the economy is indicative of what the party now seems to be all about: manipulation, self-interest and hypocrisy.

I'm neither a strict Republican or Democrat and I fall on both sides, depending on the issue.  This is because I tend to think for myself and don't let my "party" dictate my belief system to me.  However, I am open-minded enough to allow people to do their job and support the efforts of those in government who truly want to improve a less-than-desirable situation, such as the one in which we currently find ourselves.

What I do feel strongly about for both parties is firstly removing all the God references in our political discourse.  I'm a Christian and I capitalize the word "God" because I believe there is one.  I also believe that science, government and religion all have their place here, but all three of them need to stay separate, period.   Oh, I'm fine with tax breaks for religions non-profits and the government funding of science, but I don't consider these to be examples of the type of mixing to which I am referring. 

Science has as much a right to be here as religion--they were both created by man.  However, it seems that government is "tolerated" by religion because religion can conveniently use and manipulate government to further its agenda to change the laws that govern all the people in the land, including those people who don't believe in the same said religion as those who manipulate the government that rules over all of them.  Therefore, it's obvious that since everyone has their individual rights, no one can force belief systems on others who do not and don't have to believe what someone else believes.  If I were a Buddhist, then I certainly wouldn't want some Christian telling me that I have to say a Christian prayer in public school or learn about intelligent design in lieu of evolution.  In other words, worry about your own life, your own beliefs and your own family--don't butt into my business, as long as I'm not hurting you or violating your rights in any way.  And while we're on the subject, leave homosexual people alone and let women get abortions if they think that's best for their bodies.  Let's stop trying to police the lives of other people and let's stop trying to manipulate the world to conform to our own.  I don't want to live like you and I certainly don't want to be you.  Worry about your own life and leave other people alone.  Get the picture?  We already have laws that, for the most part, are designed to keep us safe and well-protected.  Personal rights and the right to choose need to be maintained.  Separate church and state.  Separate church and state.  Separate church and state.  We really need to get this one right, once and for all if we're to elevate ourselves as a nation and evolve.  Yes, evolve.  For example, if some citizens believed that circumcision was cruel, fell under "genital mutilation" and was only a misguided fanatical religious ritual, then I don't think a lot of Jews and Christians would feel too happy about a movement trying to pass legislation outlawing circumcision.

Back to the Teabaggers...what fascinates me is that the Republican movement chooses to stage protests to supposedly show how badly Obama is doing in office right now, after he basically inherited an overwhelming mess to clean up left by the last administration.  Conservatives want to pin our current problems on Obama and "energize their base" because they know people are unhappy.  Of course, people are unhappy because our economy is a mess because of everything the Bush administration supported and had their hands in.  It reminds me of how the Bush administration conveniently transferred the blame for 9/11 on Saddam Hussein and Iraq.  Everyone was riled up, remember?  "Yah, let's lynch someone!"  Sound familiar?

The majority of these people protesting the bailout and taxes make UNDER $250k/year and are actually going to pay LESS on their taxes but basically follow a party rhetoric in their rants.  They have no clue as to what's really going on or much less, what they're protesting about.  All they know is that there's an African-American President and they're mad about something--must be his fault.  If you ever walk up and talk to the Teabaggers or hear them in interview, you'll might think you're listening to a third grader or someone just released from an institution.  At least, that's how it made me feel about the ones I've heard.  And these are the best people the Republicans can get?  They need to put the first string out in front of the cameras.  Like Joe the Wanna-Be Plumber, I get the feeling that Republicans want their mainstream image to that be of a really uneducated "Average Joe" who stands for "freedom" and all that other obligatory American idealistic pre-programmed value hype, but has no idea what's actually going on nor has any real opinion on anything...that is, until his party leader tells him what to think, say and do about any given issue. 

American values are great, but right now, we're not worthy of trying to lead the world based on the way we HAVEN'T been setting a good example, especially over the last eight years.  And yes, I'm talking about what the rest of the world thinks of America.  We need to really start listening to how the rest of the world feels about us.  We need to get along with as many other nations as we can and improve our image, mainly because most of America is owned by other countries right now and we're not half the nation we once were.  We need to humble ourselves and start acting mature and not like the fifth grade bully on the playground who maybe once was more admired and more big than the other kids, but is quickly being surpassed in size by even the girls he used to tease and bother.  I'm sick and tired of all the people who complain about Europe and the French and whoever else they can target for speaking out against America or who haven't supported our imperialist approach to diplomacy during the last administration.  What people fail to remember is that we are a NATION OF IMMIGRANTS.  The only people who should be speaking on behalf of America are the Native Americans if you want to get technical.  Furthermore, we really ought to start learning something from "other" countries, especially ones in Europe that provide free health care for their citizens and have much better standards of living for their common citizens than even the best areas of our country.  And it seems the only ones in America who think Canada, Europe and the rest of the world don't know what they're doing are Republicans.

Now, I'm sure there are SOME intelligent Republicans out there, but even the so-called leaders--Michael Steele (oh yah I forgot, he's Black and doesn't count, right?), Eric Cantor, Tom DeLay and others--STILL make me tilt my head to the side and grimace whenever I hear them speak on the news.  I think to myself, "No, he did NOT just say that, did he?"  They seem even more stupid than the Average Joe protesting against gun control at an intelligent design rally.  And every time they get on the air, they say yet something else that effortlessly eclipses the last idiotic point they tried to make or defend.  For example, Tom DeLay was trying to defend the Texas secession movement made popular by its governor over the past few days and made such a fool of himself that I felt sorry for him.  As far as I'm concerned, Texas can secede and take all these unhappy conservatives with them.  They'd be great militia material to keep the drug cartels from moving into New America, since they'll probably have most of the guns, NRA members, hillbillies and Christian radicals.  I think by now, Texas would be big enough (or small enough) to fit all the people who would still follow the Republican movement.

Every day that passes, more and more reds fall off the truck and put on blue shirts simply because of how the Right is putting themselves out there.  They are no longer a party of, by and for the people and they haven't been for a long time.  Republicans are all for BIG BUSINESS and for helping the wealthy get more wealthy (or at least keep their wealth).  If anyone with half a brain would take a look at what Obama is really trying to do, then they will see that he's trying to shift the balance of power and money back to the general population.  Of course, this will take time, but it's understandable after YEARS of corruption and playing up to the benefactors of big government as opposed to regulating their influence in Washington and in politics, in general.  The Republicans in power know this and that's why their seizing the opportunity to pull yet another fast one on the American people...or at least all the people stupid enough to still believe the latest blah-blah from the conservative mouthpiece--meaning all the people who are doing all this protesting and blabbing about things they haven't a clue about.

And the truly sad part of this equation is that I'm completely aware of the fact that most of this is racially motivated.  Oh my, did I actually say that?  And I'm a white man!  That's right, people.  Not just sour grapes about Obama-Biden beating Grandpa McCain and Miss Airhead Alaska--racism, pure and simple.  Hey, it's what this country was founded on, right?

-White settlers land on our shores.
-They decide that "brown natives" are heathens, evil, non-Christian, dirty, etc.
-They take it upon themselves (because whites are BETTER and more "civilized") to dominate the natives and take their land.
-They do this all the way across the country (Manifest Destiny--more religious-infused criminal behavior).
-They do this to the Hawaiian people, as well.

And I didn't even mention the slavery component to our history, even though Africans weren't indigenous to America, they have rights and were brought here illegally (and brutally) by white men...white men who still hate people of color to this day.  So, you think some people aren't mad that an African-American is now our PRESIDENT?  Of course, a lot of these people won't admit to not liking President Obama for his color and struggle in vain to offer some intelligent argument against one of his policies.  But people, we all know why this is happening the way it is and I just told you.  And so do the right-wingers running the show of protest.  I know racists who won't even admit to it either because they really don't KNOW that they are racist or deny it completely because it wouldn't be PC or "would not be very Christian" of them.

I'm sure a teeny tiny part of the current Republican party would like the entire movement to be known as a well-informed, organized, unbiased, moral, intelligent, and focused group of honest individuals who want to bring America closer to the dream our founding fathers had when founding this nation, but unfortunately, I've come to learn that the further right you go in the political spectrum, the more bigoted, ignorant, fanatical and immoral you get in the spectrum of humanity.  It pains me to say this because I look at someone like John McCain and I respect his wisdom, humility and approach.  Who he became during the campaign was a product of his handlers, I'm well aware.  But who he really is represents a departure from the lack of integrity and purpose displayed by almost everyone who speaks with that right-wing mouthpiece today.  There is no one out there that I really respect in the Republican party now (other than McCain) and I find this truly sad.  And the more these sorely-lacking-NeoCons open their mouths, the more I wish they would all move to Texas and secede just to get it over with.

I think we all need to lay back and support our new leader.  He's a good man and quite frankly, worthy of more respect than any president we've had in the last 100 years.  I can base this on just the way he has run his campaign.  If anyone has ever taken the high road, then it would be President Obama, DESPITE all the stupid, foolish things that have been said about him during just his first 100 days in office.  The fact that Obama is against trying to prosecute Bush and all his cronies who were responsible for war crimes and legal pads full of criminal activity which invariably lined the pockets of all these corporations who STOLE money from all of us during the last eight years is a clear indication that he is a better man than the rest of us.  I personally want to see Bush, Rove, Cheney and the whole lot of them hanging from the rafters for all they got away with.  Do some research and find the truth.  No conspiracy theories here--it's all out there.  Powell might be the only guy involved worth exonerating for speaking his conscience and for trying to do the right thing, even after being strong-armed/manipulated into going along with the game for a period of time.  Obama is actually is trying repair America while forgiving the mistakes of the past.  That sounds pretty big to me.

I want him to succeed and I have faith that he and his administration will ease us out of this mess that he unfortunately has to clean up.  I think the only truly "American" thing to do right now is to take care of our own families, be kind to our neighbors, help each other when we can and support our government in its efforts to stabilize the situation and bring us back into the economy of surplus that President Clinton left us with at the end of the last millennium.  We need to stop focusing on the lines that divide us and start finding more common ground here, people...and think for ourselves.