Wingnut propaganda just floors me.

A good buddy sends me the daily gush of wingnut email propaganda, and some of it is funny, but some of it is just ... disturbed.

Here is a sample of something going around (like an STD), supposedly by Bill Brown of the Billy Graham team. Besides being the same neocon BS we've seen for years now, it amazes me that someone can associate themselves with a famous Christian, yet belch out a list of positions that would have Jesus flipping over tables and chairs were He here in the flesh to respond.


Anyway, here's the propaganda. My retorts in bold.
________________________________

The Obama Tidal Wave

We are witnessing a political phenomenon with Barack Obama of rare magnitude.

His speeches have inspired millions and yet most of his followers have no idea of what he stands for except platitudes of 'Change' or that he says he will be a 'Uniter'.

The power of speech from a charismatic person truly can be a powerful thing. Certainly Billy Graham had charisma. Both his manner of speech and particularly the content changed millions.

On the extreme other hand, the charisma of Adolph Hitler, too, inspired millions and the results were catastrophic.

Barack Obama certainly is no Hitler or a Billy Graham, but for many Americans riding on the Obama Tidal Wave it is just like a surfer who might be ecstatic and euphoric while riding a tidal wave, but the reality of the ride is what happens when it hits shore.

Ah, we start right off the bat by invoking Godwin's Law: "once a comparison to Hitler is made, the discussion is finished and whoever mentioned the Nazis has automatically 'lost' whatever debate was in progress." Starting off so low, it's hard to believe we will continue to go downhill, but here we go....

Just Some of What Defines Barack Obama:

• He voted for partial birth abortion.
• He voted no on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions.
- Abortion kills babies. That's just a fact. However, having a brother with multiple birth defects, including severe mental retardation, who lives in extreme pain because the doctors wouldn't let him die when he was born practically dead (against the wishes of my mother), and the fact that I carry a genetic anomaly that can cause this condition to be passed on, I don't want the govt. preventing legal abortions. I personally would rather go to hell then allow another human living the life my brother has. I think it's insidious that people use abortion as birth control, but taking that right away would also take mine away. This is known as choosing the lesser evil. If it wouldn't be a slippery slope, I'd prefer we didn't allow partial birth abortions. Anything much past the first trimester is barbarian. (Hell, it's always barbarian, but it's worse when they have mostly formed.) And I'm tired of this being a litmus test issue.

• Supports affirmative action in Colleges and Government (quotas).
- Affirmative action has led to quotas, that can't be denied. But, it also can't be denied that it has helped a lot of people who wouldn't have gotten access the way things were. It's imperfect, but it's mostly good.

• In 2001 he questioned harsh penalties for drug dealing as being too severe.
- Good. The drug war is ridiculous, particularly since it put a lot of people who just smoked pot in prison, and has cost us bazillions in tax dollars. Our efforts should be keeping it out of the hands of kids, like we do with booze. End the stupid drug war, please.

• Says he will deal with street level drug dealing as minimum wage affair.
- Because a large proportion of the reason behind it is just that. See "stupid drug war."

• Admitted his use of marijuana and cocaine in high school and in college.
- If someone gets through college WITHOUT trying a joint, I find THAT suspicious. And for a while in America, people viewed doing coke as benign as taking a vivarin. Now we know better, of course, but this is WAY less damning than being a draft-dodger who never showed up to duty because he was too drunk (and snorting coke). I think Georgie-boy's past has made this a non-starter from now on.

• His religious convictions are very murky.
- Bullshit. He's a Christian Protestant and has been very clear on his religious beliefs. Including disowning his nutball ex-pastor whose views are more about Malcolm X than Jesus.

• He is willing to meet with Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Kim Jung Il and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
- And this is a problem? Have you read a history book? Start with Nixon - you may be shocked.

• Has said that one of his first goals after being elected would be to have a conference with all Muslim nations. Why?
- Dunno. Why bring it up if you don't know either?

• Opposed the Patriot Act.
- Good. Hope he reestablishes habeas corpus, too. This is supposed to be America.

• First bill he signed that was ever passed was campaign finance reform.
- And that's a problem?

• Voted to allow law suits against gun manufacturers.
- Hey, I support private ownership of guns; I'm all about the 2nd amendment (hell, I'm all about all of them). This was a silly attempt to fight things the way we fight the drug war. You can have this one. Bad choice on his part.

• Supports universal health-care.
- Thank God! Now maybe kids can get all of their inoculations. Maybe people won't die of simple diseases, or be saddled with a life-long issues because they couldn't afford help.

• Voted yes on providing habeas corpus for Guantanamo detainees.
- Gosh, he actually voted that America should act like America? The scandal!

• Supports granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.
- A lot of these emails have stuff in them that's just wingnut echo chamber shite. This smells like that. Show me how or where he did this. Not saying he didn't, but prove it. (And, btw, if illegals drive around without licenses now, what makes anyone think they'll go into a govt. office, admit they're here illegally, and then pay for that privilege in hopes of being (at least) a legal driver? Seem a little far-fetced?)

• Supports extending welfare to illegal immigrants.
- Ditto re wingnut echo chamber stuff.

• Voted yes on comprehensive immigration reform.
- So did most of the Republicans. This is a neocon/wingnut issue; ya'll should be happy he voted with you.

• Voted yes on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security.
- Prove it.

• Wants to make the minimum wage a 'living wage'.
- Good. You do realize this is about people, right? WWJD? Kick you square in the ass if you were to show him this list as representing Christian values.

• Voted with Democratic Party 96 percent of 251 votes. (241 votes Demo, 10 votes Republican)
- Hello? He's a Democrat.

• Is a big believer in the separation of church and state.
- As were all the founding fathers, and anyone who's not a Southern Baptist. Why is this even an issue?

• Opposed to any efforts to Privatize Social Security and instead supports increasing the amount of tax paid into Soc. Sec. Tax Increase.
- Good. Privatizing social security would just be a windfall to Wall Street, and then they'd slowly chip away at what retirees got, then we'd have old people dieing of starvation and poverty like they did before we had social security. Social Security is a program that works, and it should stay that way.

• He voted No on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax which now hits middle income brackets. Tax Increase.
- "Hits middle income brackets." Suuuuuure. If by that you mean someone making over $100,000 grand a year - and even in this economy, that's the way upper register of the middle class. You really can't hide the fact that the middle class carries much more than its fair share of the tax burden. I think that's wrong.

• He voted No on repealing the 'Death' Tax. Tax Increase.
- Good. I was one of those who was for the repeal of the inheritance tax because I believed the lie about it affecting the middle class, and because it smacked of taxation without representation. But, the middle class angle was a lie, and I can be convinced that a trust-fund kid giving up a million when daddy dies isn't necessarily a bad thing. One less yacht? Bummer.

• He wants to raise the Capital Gains Tax. Tax Increase...
- Good. It's income. Why should the primary income of the wealthy not be taxed like the income of the middle class? Notice a theme here? Wingnuts don't want a middle class. Unless you are a multi-millionaire, this means YOU.

• Has repeatedly said the surge in Iraq has not succeeded...which is not true.
- Wha? You've got to be kidding. Wingnut echo chamber BS.

• He is ranked as the most liberal Senator in the Senate today and that takes some doing.
- Oh my! He's liberal! Hide the kids! Roll up the sidewalks! Where's my mommy??!?!?!

</propaganda>


What a silly, silly piece of propaganda.

It's pretty clear that the neocons/wingnuts want to decimate the middle class of America. When Wal-mart feels it can lean on employees at work to vote Republican, you know something's wrong.

The jaw-dropping thing for me is they fooled so many of the very people they fucked over (that being the Republican middle class) with lies about war, how taxes burdens are really distributed, and false religious issues. Now the economy is in free-fall, and even basics like food are getting to be luxury items.

I'm glad I learned a lot about cooking cheap as a kid (the ole Irish heritage coming into play outside of St. Patty's day), because it's coming in handy now. Cabbage and potatoes are your friends. Throw in a little bacon and butter, and you've got yourself some nutritious meals.