From Log Cabin to Muddy Waters

I hope that anyone paying attention appreciates this little diddy.


Abraham Lincoln was a poor, motherless (at the age of 9) grandson of a murdered (by an Indian—excuse me “native American”) grandfather and the son of a father who raised himself. Lincoln received no formal education and taught himself through books. Oh the unfairness of life! By all accounts, Lincoln shouldn’t have survived. There was no free healthcare, no compulsory school, no parents to love him through his development from child into a man and no national Honor society scholarship (which is now going to be awarded on the basis of economic status OVER scholarly achievement). Someone from CPS should have rescued him. He was such a victim. This is just one example of the mindless drivel Lincoln was able to write with a substandard home school education.


Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration, will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation. We say we are for the Union. The world will not forget that we say this. We know how to save the Union. The world knows we do know how to save it. We -- even we here -- hold the power, and bear the responsibility. In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free -- honorable alike in what we give, and what we preserve. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth. Other means may succeed; this could not fail. The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just -- a way which, if followed, the world will forever applaud, and God must forever bless.


Oh, but those scholarly people in Washington, D. C. today! So noble, so evolved, so civilized, so full of honor. Just look at how far we’ve come—from Reagan not removing his jacket in the Oval office to Clinton removing his pants. From a government designed to have its powers lended by us to a government who seizes power from us. And from brief stays in office to now employ for decades (inexplicably) by Californians, a representative like Maxine Waters who said some very interesting things just three days ago.


I don't remember the show and I don't remember the exact quote. What I remember is this. Waters wore a patriotic robin's egg blue jacket over a black silk shirt. With the capitol steps behind her, aided by an ever willing MSNBC anchor, she decried the racist, homophobic epithets hurled at our dignified congressional representatives as an aggregious assault on our honorable public servants.


And then, this “dignified” pillar of moral propriety used the words “Tea Baggers” to attribute the blame to the Tea Party movement. There was no follow up question challenging Ms. Waters language. (Kids, this is a really good time to major in journalism!)


I wonder, I just wonder, what would Lincoln say?


I also wonder this. Having had to turn off the television today as the stories and myths grow so predictably surrounding the most grass roots group in America in modern day history, I have become almost this cynical. I would like to pose a question to the media. But first, some facts.


Our current government is staffed and surrounded with, not only radicals, but corruption—Barney Frank (who still has a job despite bankrupting Fannie Mae), Chris Dodd (but at least he’s leaving), Tim Geitner (who can’t compute his taxes but may now control the entire U.S. economy), Charlie Rangel (tax fraud), Nancy Pelosi (fraud on every level from her accusations of the CIA to “we need to pass the bill to know what’s in it” to her “let them eat cake” stroll through the protestors to show them her power), ACORN, SEIU, Jeremiah Wright, William Ayers, Van Jones (self-avowed communist) Anita “I most often turn to Mao” Dunn, Valerie Jarrett (Van Jones watcher and admirer) and Eric Holder, who in my view, is dangerous to our country in ways that we will sustain for years to come because of his belief that America is, "for the most part, a nation of cowards." And then there are David Axelrod and Rom Emmanuel. No words needed to qualify their many attributes. The American people know their tactics.


Here’s the question. Is it conceivable that with all of the above people surrounding our president that our president, “who always has a plan” instructed anyone to pay off some poor SEIU or former ACORN schlubs to get to the front of the line where the cameras were to scream comments out to set up the tea party? As I write this (and as I have shut off the television, I'm going with what I've seen SO FAR). I see a lot of video from a congressman's POV. But I see no footage or interviews of the witnesses of these perpetrators who have caused two of the three major news channels to perpetuate as truth a sudden pattern exclusively on the RIGHT to react to last weekend's vote with violence.

In the day of video cell phones, where is the audio or video? Where are the interviews right after it happened of bystanders who were next to these people? After all, the cameras were there, right? Having been to the first (modern day) tea party in San Antonio, Texas on April 15th 2009, I am certain that if someone would have done this then, the deafening boos and shouts to “shut up” would have overpowered anyone who did this. So I'm just sayin'—where are the interviews of those in the crowd who WITNESSED what happened?


As for the brick with a note being hurled through a window with “conservative” quotes scrawled on a piece of paper, is it not conceivable that the same thing COULD be happening in this type of ditch and run attack? If you want to discredit a movement, just write a note that neatly packages that it's a crazy RIGHT wing radical, right? It all seems so Murder She Wrote. Again, NOT saying it CAN'T happen but I want to know MORE.


And here is the third thing which I have not heard anyone suggest—of course I thought of this after I wrote this blog yesterday afternoon and then awoke in the middle of the night kicking myself for not mentioning it before I hit the "publish" button—what IF these attacks are actually being perpetrated by the far LEFT who believes the bill didn't go far ENOUGH? Has anyone pondered this possibility?


The above is all so cynical but we are living in times where we are not being told the truth on any level in our government and for the most part, our media. To me, this all smacks of a political distortion to distract the American people from keeping their eye on the ball.


Here is what I’m saying before anyone labels me a conspiracy theorist or apologist for kooks! I do NOT believe that there are NOT random kooks who attend and infiltrate ANY good group. I do not condone violence of any kind. The crazies exist on the bell curve of the human behavior spectrum. However, the recent fervor of "threats" without substantial proof that automatically assumes that it is exclusively from the RIGHT warrants some sort of investigation. The sudden overnight wall to wall coverage immediately after THIS vote vexes me.


Ronald Reagan (a conservative!) was the president in my lifetime who was actually almost assassinated. President Bush received constant death threats, impeachment threats and calls for imprisonment for war crimes for almost his entire presidency. I received a Chinese Menu Christmas card one year insulting President Bush from a former, well known producer friends who I once viewed as a mentor—it just made my heart sink. The media NEVER gave so much of actual death threats, protests and parades the coverage a few nasty phonecalls and stupid people hurling WORDS, not bombs are getting. Where is the investigative reporting? Joe “the plumber,” upon innocently being thrust into an impromptu encounter with candidate Obama, was investigated and maligned by the media as to whether he was even a plumber simply for illustrating that President Obama was a wealth redistribution advocate because of Obama’s OWN answer to his question.


Fair and balanced means that if the media is going to investigate an innocent American citizen, then I expect an investigation into these "allegedly" crazy people who hurl rocks and shout at congressmen. The camera’s POV ONLY showed the congressman’s reaction and NOT the person who did it that he was pointing his finger at. It also didn’t show any protestors “booing” which is inconceivable to me, knowing FIRST HAND what the tea party stands for. So WHO are they? Show me. What groups do these random hecklers and hurlers really belong to and how did they find themselves at the front of the line at this particular tea party march? It's too convenient for me to just buy it. Isn’t that a fair question? At the same time, if these people are for real and growing in number, then a responsible journalist needs to get to the bottom of it. As proponents of free speech rights, shouldn't the media seek to protect the free speech of expose these people so we can prevent them from dragging down a a patriotic, pro America group? I don't see it, but in my lifetime, I have certainly seen the media do the same for those who are against the country.


Journlism is dead in America. Corruption is alive and well. Americans have a right to know the WHOLE truth and as Paul Harvey always said—“the rest of the story.”