WingNuts United in Their Lies, Looking Foolish

After Saturday's WingNut Parade in Washington, DC, and the pictures of them all with their signs and costumes on display for all to see, they have now attacked everyone who called them out for their hypocrisy.

These people slept through the last 8 years of the squandered surplus that Pres. Clinton left for Pres. Bush 43, and never said a word, when he passed his Trillion, yes that is Trillion dollar tax cuts for the wealthiest in our country, then again when he passed the Medicare part D supplement which also added to the deficit and left us in debt to the tune of 1.3 Trillion, again that is TRILLION dollars..

Then we have the wars, of course, not very many and I do mean almost no one disagreed with the war in Afghanistan. However, Iraq was a very different story. Pres. Bush ginned up the intelligence, lied to the American people and to his own staff and administration and pushed Congress into a war with Iraq.

There were protests all over this country and the world against this, yet no one, the media, everyone ignored it. We were considered unpatriotic, treasonous and disloyal for speaking out against the President.

It was estimated there were 6 and 10 Million people in 60 countries around the world. From Wikipedia:

Some of the largest protests took place in Europe. The protest in Rome involved around 3 million people, and is listed in the 2004 Guinness Book of World Records as the largest anti-war rally in history. Opposition to the war was highest in the Middle East, although protests there were relatively small.Mainland China was the only major region not to see any protests, but small demonstrations attended mainly by foreign students were seen later.

Yet, now, since November 4, 2008 and most especially Jan. 20th, 2009 it has become almost popular to speak out against the President. The more hideous the better. Signs, posters, blogs dedicated to putting him down, preachers calling for his death, radio and talk show hosts calling him Hitler, a socialists, a Marxist, a Communist and every other thing or name under the sun. Some even saying he is the Devil, the Anti-Christ, the personification of evil.

All during the 8 years of the Bush Administration it was considered unpatriotic to speak out against the president, after 9-11-01, and especially after we went to war in Afghanistan. Almost all of the talking heads on Fox Noise, because I refuse to call it news.. said so..

Even the Dixie Chicks were basically run out of the country because they dared to criticize the President.

Music superstars the Dixie Chicks are finding out that criticizing President Bush's plans for war in Iraq can cost you air play, big time.

Country stations across the United States have pulled the Chicks from playlists following reports that lead singer Natalie Maines said in a concert in London earlier this week that she was "ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."

Station managers said their decisions were prompted by calls from irate listeners who thought criticism of the president was unpatriotic.

The group, which got its start in Texas, was one of the darlings of this year's Grammy Awards. The three-woman band that blends blue grass and pop hooks has spawned legions of fans who embrace the ideals of strong women celebrated in some of the trio's songs.

One station in Kansas City, Missouri held a Dixie "chicken toss" party Friday morning, where Chick critics were encouraged to dump the group's tapes, CDs and concert tickets into trash cans.

Houston country station KILT pulled the band's records from its playlist -- at least temporarily -- after 77 percent of people polled on its Web site said they supported the move.

"We've got them off the air for right now," said Jeff Garrison, program director at KILT, which is owned by Viacom's Infinity Broadcasting Corp.

"People are shocked. They cannot believe Texas' own have attacked the state and the president," Garrison said.

Lead singer Maines said in a statement she felt the president was ignoring the opinions of many in the United States and alienating the rest of the world by pushing for war with Iraq.

That's just a portion of the article from CNN.. but you get the picture. If you want to read the rest, click the link above.

As you see, you weren't allowed to criticize the President during the Bush Administration. Oh, there were random people who did, and they were promptly trashed, run out of the country, see above, or literally swept up and put in jail, to be never heard from again.

Yet, we never heard a word from these so called Tea Partiers then. They were perfectly fine with everything that went on. During the 8 years that George Bush was President, lets look at some things that might have gotten someone's attention and lead to a protest.

First lets start with ignoring the intelligence memo of Aug. 2001 which warned him of the impending attack on the United States by Bin Laden.

Then there is the Iraq War, which we have already discussed. Again, never budgeted, never paid for.

Then we have the Tax Cuts, for the wealthy, which put us into massive debt, especially when combined with the Medicare overhaul which gave us Part D, he didn't bother to pay for.

Then, we have the crimes of Torture and imprisonment of innocents from all over the world, even our own citizens. Wiretapping of our own citizens and military members speaking to their spouses.

I could go on but I think that is enough.

Now, we have elected Barack Obama, and he walked in the door with a HUGE deficit, 1.3 Trillion Dollars. An economy on the verge of and in collapse. Upon advise of economists he urged Congress to act and they did.. with very little support from republicans.

He didn't do this because he wanted to, but because he had to.

Pres. Bush, is the one who bailed out the banks with no oversight, Pres. Bush is the one who bailed out the Auto companies with no oversight, not Pres. Obama.

Pres. Obama then came in and cleaned up after this mess he was left, and tried to make it better. He is calling for oversight on the banks and on the stock markets, and he has forced the Auto companies into bankruptcy so they can restructure and stand on their own.

Since, these wingnuts think I lied about all the pictures and about the numbers I want to point out that Politifact rated the pictures as Pants On Fire wrong.. Matter of fact, the picture they are using to try to show it was 2 million at the wingnut rally, was from a rally in 2004.. maybe it was even a war protest.. that would be about how smart most of them are.

By the way.. Here are more pictures from the TeaParty WingNut Rally.. You can see them here. And then again more here.

Nowhere do I see a crowd near the size of what was in DC on January 20th, when the estimates were of 1.5 million people. Again, the DC Fire Department and the Park Police say the size was maybe 60 to 70,000, and that is a generous estimate.

These pictures are not random, these pictures are all through the crowds.. anyone who says they are not all over is a liar.. they are the ones who aren't being honest. Not me.

Something else for your viewing pleasure.. a video presentation..

More on the Max Blumenthal Book From Frank Schaeffer

Sunday I posted a video from Democracy Now with an interview of Max Blumenthal about his new book Republican Gommorah. It is a must see and the book is a must read.

Rachel Maddow has been talking with Frank Schaeffer quite often about the Republican's and the Religious Right and the fringe of the party and how polarized they have become. The group at "C" Street that Jeff Sharlet has written about that has been on Rachel's show quite often lately and I have written about is part of that group.

So is James Dobson of the Focus on the Family fame. You know that name of course, if for no other reason, than he endorsed Sarah Palin, remember, not John McCain, but Sarah Palin.

Frank has a new blog up and in his post today he writes about Max's book. Of course Frank knows the religious right very well, since he was one of the founders of it. We can't really call him a founding father, but he is a founding son...lol

One of the best parts of Frank's piece today was this little gem...

But with a few exceptions (like my late father) most of the people described in Blumenthal's book have no "other side" to them. They are the sick bedrock of what, at any moment, may become a full-blown American fascism. (Sharlet has done great work on showing how these Religious Right folks have also invaded the US Military, especially the chaplaincy ranks.)

My one -- very slight -- criticism of Republican Gomorrah is that Blumenthal neglected to do something that would have bolstered his arguments and given them deeper credibility: introduce a bit of paradox and nuance into his book. He could have made a better case for the left by frankly looking at some of the extremism on the left that has played into the hands of the cynics who control the Religious Right

-snip-

Why should Blumenthal's book to be taken seriously? Take it from this former "insider" he knows what he's talking about. His thesis is less about politics than about the deviant psychology that people like Dobson have cashed in on by feeding delusion, victimhood and failure as a means through which to build a political movement. What Blumenthal reveals is the heart of the most dysfunctional and truly dangerous -- not to mention armed -- darkest reaches of our country.

What should we "do"? Read the book! Then fight like hell to keep Republicans out of power come what may. And maybe (note to progressives!) be a little less critical of President Obama and a little more grateful that he's in the White House!

Once in a while a book comes along about which one can say: If you love our country read this! Republican Gomorrah is one such book. One other thing: if you know any sane Republicans that would like to save what's left of their party beg them to read this book. If you have to beg them in the name of Jesus!

Of course that is my emphasis, but I felt it needed to be pointed out, we have been so critical of Pres. Obama lately. You can read the rest of Frank's blog by going here to Frank Schaeffer. He calls this entry, At Last Dobson is Done in by the Truth.

Frank has done several other really great blog posts and I have mentioned him before. As I said he has been on Rachel's show several times, and he is a great source for all things in the religious field.

With the problems facing our country, with the attacks on our President, now more than ever we need to learn and understand what is going on with the people on the right side of politics. This is something we can do by reading, studying and watching these people. This book by Max is just one more example of the things we are up against.

Be advised, this is a fight, a fight for our lives, for our jobs, for our country. Look what was done to Van Jones, look what they have done to the Health Care Reform battle. Look at the fight we are facing for the ACES bill to even get past committee in the Senate... All because of the so called religious right fighting it.

That's what we are fighting... and we have to be informed to fight and win... So it's time to start preparing. It's a scary thought, but we can't let them win... we have to stand strong and keep fighting them.

Democracy Now Interviews Max Blumenthal

Democracy Now has a wonderful interview with Max Blumenthal that is a must see. He has a new book out called "Republican Gommorah" and it sounds like a must read.

From the introduction to the show:

Fifty years ago, Republican President Dwight Eisenhower issued a warning against the rise of extremist movements within his own party. During his presidency, Eisenhower had endured attacks by Senator Joseph McCarthy, the radical right John Birch Society and others. In a 1959 letter to a World War II veteran, Eisenhower wrote, quote, “Many prominent officials, possessing no standing or expertness as they themselves claim it, attempt to further their own ideas or interests by resorting to statements more distinguished by stridency than by accuracy.”

Half a century later, in a summer of town hall disruptions and birth certificate controversies, what Eisenhower had warned against has come true: that the Republican Party has been captured by its extremist wing. At least that’s what award-winning journalist Max Blumenthal argues in his new book, Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Shattered the Party.

The book examines the transformation of the GOP from the party of Dwight Eisenhower to the party of Sarah Palin and how this sets the stage for the future of American politics. Max Blumenthal is a Puffin Foundation writing fellow at the Nation Institute. He joins us today for his first extended interview about his book, Republican Gomorrah.

Like I said, the book sounds like a must read..and the interview is great. This is why the attacks are so strong on the President, this is why the Republicans are so deep into the religion and this is why they are so involved in "C" Street. This is another glimpse into the mind of the party that thinks Sarah Palin was Presidential Material.

This is what we are fighting.