Whither Wingnuttery?

[struggle4progress]

An era of cooperation is upon us, but we can't forget those who cheered Bush's disdain for the Constitution.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
By James Heflin

... Last Wednesday, I perused some right wing sites to see what was brewing. The farthest right among us are not just bummed. They are red-eyed, twitchy, convinced that America stands on the brink of death, destruction, or worse. That is their starting point, and the filter through which they will see the Obama administration ...

Somehow, even through the Bush years, the far right maintained an unmistakable sense of persecution and victimhood. Somehow they thought Republican domination and simpering "opposition" from Democrats still didn't mean they were in power. But my favorite right wing nutjob statement of the campaign season was "Americans aren't ready to give up their freedom yet." The last eight years argue otherwise, what with domestic spying, warrantless wiretapping, and a full-out assault on habeas corpus, the very cornerstone of Western democracy. Somehow, in the right wing mind, those things don't equal giving up freedom. And peaceful ganja smokers are violent and dangerous ...

We should embrace the spectrum of political thought, and try to gain a sense of unity after Bush's widening of divisions with endless fearmongering. We cannot forget, though, that some of our fellow Americans, that small but absolutist minority, will not join us. They cheered as Bush removed civil liberties, calling the result freedom. They cheered as we invaded a country that had nothing to do with Sept. 11 and called us traitors for opposing it. When Palin said Obama "palled around with terrorists," they embraced her as a new figurehead ...

While the vast majority of the country is basking in that glow, those who have openly opposed the most basic tenets of how a democratic society conducts itself are planning. Already, Impeach Obama groups are forming on the Web. We nearly lost our democracy, and it's a long way from healthy still. George Bush is not gone; he's busy with his executive orders and signing statements, sending us careening even farther rightward before Obama inherits his office. We can forgive, but we should not forget — eternal vigilance really is the price of freedom. We have seen that it can happen here. It's up to us to see that it never happens again.

http://www.valleyadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=8686

[Arctic Dave]

1. The sooner they pack up and head to their bunkers the better the US will be.

[PDJane]

2. If you think that they will give up without a fight,

You really and truly need to take a good look at history.

The era of FDR style reforms worked, and worked well. It brought prosperity to the general populace, spread the burden of government to the ones who could afford to pay, kept the infrastructure in good condition and kept most of the population from starvation and financial desperation.

The moneyed types have been trying to kill those reforms since FDR proposed them. In fact, they tried to kill FDR over them. (Fortunately, they were as clumsy about judging motivations then as they have proven to be now.)

Western-style capitalism, vulture capitalism, does not work for the general population, nor the environment. It does work for the very few at the top of the financial pile, but even that class is going to suffer in the long run. This way of life isn't sustainable, and the faster we learn that and teach our children that, the better the outlook for life on this planet.

[Enthusiast]

3. They aren't wingnuts!

They are Good Mericans! :sarcasm:

[Berry Cool]

4. I love that phrase "checking the kerning."

It belongs right up there with the concept of tinfoil hat-making, as the kind of useless activity in which these people engage that they somehow believe will result in their salvation and victory over us.

"Don't bother him right now--he's checking kerning."