{"id":71307,"date":"2013-10-25T17:31:45","date_gmt":"2013-10-25T21:31:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/?p=71307"},"modified":"2013-10-25T17:31:45","modified_gmt":"2013-10-25T21:31:45","slug":"let-the-stupid-burn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/fe-911-2\/let-the-stupid-burn\/","title":{"rendered":"Let the Stupid Burn"},"content":{"rendered":"

“I cannot even stand to look at you” — Purported statement by Congressman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) to President Barack Obama during a meeting over the federal government shutdown earlier this month.<\/em><\/p>\n

Even after witnessing the Republican shutdown during the Clinton Administration of the 1990s, I have to say I’ve never seen such an overt display of childish petulance from purportedly full grown adults in Congress such as with the Tea Party Republicans this last month.<\/p>\n

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These are the same “adults” who it seems have no idea they’re at the wheel of the engine that holds the fragile economy of the world together, while talking trash to one of the most powerful leaders on the planet. And that is why today I rejoice, breathing a sigh of relief.<\/p>\n

Its almost easier to handle a person’s racism, born of ignorance, when its in your face. At least you know who your enemies are rather than letting them shiv you furtively, behind your back. It also lets you navigate the geography between you and them, so you don’t have to suffer the pain and embarrassment of another’s stupidity.<\/p>\n

So now that the Republican Party’s far-right wing branch of Tea Party leaders have 1) admitted their stone-cold hatred for America’s first black President; 2) go apoplectic<\/a> whenever they’re confronted by the media over misstating facts about Obamacare; 3) have a conspiracy theory hissy fit<\/a> when a woman faints during President Obama’s speech, I know that the party of elephants have cut their moorings and their boat is tragically listing off to sea.<\/p>\n

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It was highly synchronistic for Amanda to post the Karpman Triangle<\/a> earlier this week. It was a perfect portrait of America’s socio-political malaise, embodied by Congress today. It’s a pyramid of denial. The implosion of young brown voters is coming like a tsunami a few miles offshore, and bastions of white entitlement are shaken. This is why I think there has been such lax regulation by Republicans in Congress over the shamelessly lame mouths of its own Tea Party members, whose offhanded public statements give permission and empowerment for racists and misogynists around the country to continue to feel that way and propose policies that back those feelings.<\/p>\n

The stupidity in this country, especially isolated to this one very public place — our government — is not over by a long shot. Starting with Ronald Reagan’s administration, evolved through Newt Gingrich’s “Contract With America”, furthered through the Bush\/Cheney administration’s infrastructural racism and classism, it continues to this day.<\/a> All this has been in reaction to the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s, which was the last time Uranus-Pluto was in aspect. That was a time when we all wanted and fought to finally be better than we were. It was rough, but we made it.<\/p>\n

Its rough now. But I think we’re going to make it through again. The “Do or Die” planet Pluto, in Capricorn, the sign of government is helping us identify and isolate cancerous lesions in American politics, based on ignorance and greed that refused to die the last time those two planets were in aspect. That is healthy. Bearing the onslaught of today’s news of so much government-sanctioned stupidity, we may not often feel or sense or even be aware that something good is happening in this time of chaos, but in so many ways, it is.<\/p>\n

With all its faults technical or otherwise, Obamacare is providing health coverage for those who have a hard time affording it. State by state, despite pleading by DOMA advocates and right-wing conservatives, gay marriages are being sanctioned by law. Voter suppression of African-Americans in red states is being called out. And people on the streets who are feeling the pain caused by heartless politicians in Washington DC are damn mad.<\/a> The recent government shutdown drama to try to stop Obamacare has resulted in a terrible price for the party of God, guns, and rich white males like the Koch Brothers. It is now in turmoil.<\/p>\n

When I cook, and I do cook well, I need to know the ingredients I am working with, backwards and forwards. It helps to know how the bitterness of one ingredient works with the sweet, salty, sour and the toothsomeness of others while the element of fire works its alchemy. Like a rich strong stew, our democracy is a powerful blend of bad and good, moderate and extreme, and lots of skirmishes in between. It is neither peaceful or cordial. It is a cauldron.<\/p>\n

For what its worth and for as long as they’re here, the Tea Party now is a catalyst for change that will take years to work through. In witnessing the evolution of the former party of Lincoln to the Party of Reagan and now the party of Cruz, the nation is in the midst of deciding whether it must root itself deeply in the past or accept a broader, more diverse future which seems ultimately and demographically inevitable. I think, hope and believe the latter is true.<\/p>\n

Before that happens, we need to stay vigilant to make sure that things fall into place with justice for all, across all the social, economic, cultural and racial lines that keep us from succeeding. The flame is getting hot, lighting up and cooking away all that excess that needs to go. Awakening time is over. Time for us to get up, get into the kitchen, and watch the pot burn.<\/p>\n

Have a great Samhain, everyone!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“I cannot even stand to look at you” — Purported statement by Congressman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) to President Barack Obama during a meeting over the federal government shutdown earlier this month. Even after witnessing the Republican shutdown during the Clinton Administration of the 1990s, I have to say I’ve never seen such an overt display … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":""},"categories":[1740],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71307"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71307\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}