A letter to the RNC in response to a survey/contribution request.Chairman Steele –
I received the RNC survey this weekend. It was disconcerting, yet depressingly expected, to see the questions phrased in the spirit of “do you support wife-beating, like the Democrats do?” This survey was not a tool to collect information from me; it was a tool to influence me, aka ‘propaganda’. Using an example you must be familiar with, since I hear it so often lately from my fellow GOPers –“The Nazis used propaganda to vilify the Jews.”
As for the contribution request attached to the ‘survey’, I believe the RNC owes me money for damages to my reputation as a sane person whenever I admit I’m a Republican.
Also, I deserve a refund for all the Republicans we have elected into office who are being paid for nothing but obstructionism and peacocking for political purposes. While they are honing their skills as bombastic blowhards, and doing deep knee bends to gain the strength and flexibility necessary to kiss the buttocks of whichever shrill radio host they might offend (remember when you did that to Rush?), they are too busy to perform constructive work toward Solving Problems we non-elected Americans all share.
But wait, there’s more! Not only are we getting nothing – we’re getting Worse Than Nothing in the form of the lewd, lascivious and sometimes illegal actions of our elected representatives. Let me count the ways… SENATOR David Vitter, GOVERNOR Mark Sanford, SENATOR John Ensign and, in my own state, ASSEMBLYMAN “Hot Mike” Duvall. These fine Republican pillars can’t keep their pillars in their pants – yet still feel entitled to tell the rest of us how to live. Some even broke the law – but that appears to be fine with the RNC. As long as the perp (or perv) has an “R” attached to his name, it seems that’s all the GOP requires of someone they lift up to represent the character of the American People.
I will let you determine how much the RNC owes me in damages and failure to perform their duties. I’m sure the amount will be ‘zero’ – because at this point, ‘zero’ is all I expect from you.
I sincerely remain humiliated to be a Republican,
TL Chin
PS – In case you are unfamiliar with Propaganda, here is a little history. I did some fact-checking, at the level I’m sure you’re accustomed to there – using Wikipedia.
Propaganda is communication aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience. Propaganda often presents facts selectively (thus lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or uses loaded messages to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of the attitude toward the subject in the target audience to further a political agenda.
Called "Sinead's Hand" - this video ad about gay marriage is making the rounds on YouTube. Personally, I think it's brilliant. You can decide for yourself... the video is at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ULdaSrYGLQ
Well, it had to happen sometime, I guess.
When I was 9, I was reading my Bible books on missionaries in Africa. They were picture books, with lots of angels and little African children. But the missionary and all the angels were White - and I wondered why God didn't have any Black angels, especially for the African kids. Noting the underlying racism in the angel corps as a symptom of a larger underlying problem, I put the book down and walked away from religion.
I lived happily away from God and God's local social networking group - Christianity - until my 30s. Then I started developing a relationship with something - a God of my understanding. And years after I put down the angel book I picked up another book - "What's So Amazing About Grace?" It talked about how the concept of Grace was unique to Christianity. Well, I liked the concept of Grace - very much. So I threw caution to the wind and took a leap back into the Christian faith. (Well, it was more a slow wading in, and always staying near the edge just in case.)
I settled into Christianity and I stayed there... still uneasy, but trying to take the good with the parts that still didn't fit.
And then Obama was elected President of the United States - and people across the country started going batshit.
Now there are Nazi pictures with Obama's face, and 'good Christians' packing guns to rallies to protest health care reform.
You know, when I studied the Bible, I learned that it mentions the poor and helping the poor about 600 times. Jesus even tells his followers to give up everything to follow him. But you'd think the protestors never read any of that by the way they are acting - "I gotta keep mine, and F the rest of the folks. I'm not going to help out any losers... my taxes might go up or I might have to wait in line. So what if they have NO care; I want a same-day appointment!"
I thwacked myself on the forehead for being so gullible, and promptly apologized to that 9-year-old me - she had it right. Just as there were no Black angels for the little African children, there is no grace in the current Christian public face.
So I'm back to conversing with the God of my understanding - a God who remembers the poor and the planet and stays out of politics. And from what I know of Jesus, I think he's is right there with me, wondering how his message got so twisted - and just what happened to that amazing grace.
There's a new drug of choice making big inroads in the world - and not only where you expect drugs to be, but smack dab in Real America. It's dangerous and addictive - but no drug czar can or will ever be able to touch it. The Taliban and other groups will be able to use it to support their causes - it will make some people very rich and undermine governments - wreak death and havoc en masse, and destroy families and friendships and communities at the local level. It's dangerous indeed - but if I got caught with it right now, I could not be arrested. I might actually be raised up, quoted, get a TV or radio show - because using this drug is encouraged through American media and other outlets around the world.
What is it?
Righteous Indignation.
"But righteous indignation is not a drug" some say. I disagree.
Righteous Indignation (or RI) alters the chemistry of the brain - like drugs do. Try talking sense to someone who has just taken a big hit of RI. They can go on some badass trips. One person may decide to blow himself and any number of innocents up. Another might kill a doctor in church - totally confident that he is doing the 'right thing.'
Someone high on RI can go for hours and hours - like on a crack binge. Excited talking, arms gesturing, oblivious to the signs of others around them who are slowly backing up toward the doorway to make their escape, focusing only on those real or imaged persons who are sharing the same trip.
The other reason RI qualifies as a drug is that - like alcohol, narcotics, etc. - it affects families. I've lost a few family members to RI. Interacting with them, when necessary, I can see them reaching for the next hit – sidling up to me to see if I'm holding, if I want to share. They posit a topic close to their hearts - "I heard Obama is a communist" - and wait for me to respond. If I'm on board, our shared indignation feeds the other - and we both get a hit of RI. Up on our high horses, we pass it around and get revved up, maybe go listen to Rush to add to our rush.
It's a strong and powerful high that gives a person a lot of energy - and I admit I have partaken from time to time. I mean, I get juiced on RI whenever I hear someone speak against gay rights. I go nuts on my high-horseyness. So I know that it's hard to get off that RI once you're on it.
The sad fact is – there is more than enough heartache in the world, more than enough relationships and positive progress lost because so many are partaking of one drug or another and spending their energy either getting high or looking for the next hit. And unfortunately, this ‘new’ drug - this RI - is going to be tough to deal with because we all partake and sometimes we self-medicate with it. We might, however, learn more about overcoming the usual addictions by addressing the damage of RI addiction. After all, addictions are but a symptom of a deeper disease of the spirit. Maybe by working to move away from the anger and bitterness of RI, we can find a model to better combat addictions to other mind-altering substances.
It could happen.
In the meantime, "Hey, Mom, I'm not holding... okay?"
