Conservatives as Trapped Rats: My Fear

[Taverner]

Right now, the whole Bush administration is imploding. Bush gives perhaps the worse press conference in the history of press conferences, stopping for a full 20 minutes to gaze into the headlights with shock and awe. Condi testifies, and in less than 24 hours is completely proven inaccurate by a memo's release. Ashcroft ends up making no sense whatsoever, giving new meaning to the word 'buffoon.' Sure, pundits are trying to mop up, but mopping this mess up is like trying to mop up the spillage on the Titanic after hitting that iceburg.

Any study into rat's behavior shows when Rats are cornered, they lash out at anything and everything in their midst. This is when they are at their most dangerous and unstable. They do this when they see their world crumbling down around them - they see this as their death struggle, and will throw every last punch to survive.

Now American Conservatives are in the same place. Their plan for a world falling along their lines has been shattered. These are the guys who, amongst themselves, talked about *setting this country right* and getting rid of porn, birth control, dissent and undesireable elements. Ashcroft had started it too, using the Superbowl entertainment as his excuse to *clean up* the media.

Now all those dreams are going down the tube, as it appears Bush will have to pull off some kind of miracle to win in November. Diebold machines can only give him so much of an edge - and not every place in the country is using them. Chances are very slim that he will win then, so ending the Conservatives dreams of popping us all in Rex 84 camps....for now.

So when cornered, how will these rats respond? My fear is that they will react the way they always do - using fear, intimidation and violence. Tim McVeigh blew up a Federal Building when he was cornered, and the family holed up in Ruby Ridge started popping off at Federal Agents. Bush has done so much damage to the Conservative movement that they may not be take seriously again by their primary benefactors: businesses who want to turn a profit, not shut down the porn industry.

I fear there will be many Ruby Ridges, many McVeigh bombings and many WACO incidents - none of which will be the Democratic administrations fault but will be pinned on him. And expect the Fundamentalist Christians to be behind alot of it. They want their armageddon, and without someone who wants it too - chances are it won't happen.

Fundamentalist Christians want this armageddon to get back at all of those who lived lives of enjoyment, rather than living the fearful, wretched lives they do. They want to make sure anyone who wasn't like them are punished, and if a new administration doesn't share that view, they will take matters into their own hands.

[tom_paine]

1. You are correct to have that fear. many share it.

They aren;t all on DU.

I would say these Cornered Rats are going to try to steal another election. I would also say that, given the Manual Disenfranchisement and Ballot Stuffing Methodologies exposed in 2000 and the Electronic Fledgling Versions unveiled in GA and elsewhere in 2002, it may well be an undertstatement to say Kerry has to win by 10% to "win".

THAT is a valid fear, as well.

WWFMD?

What Would Ferdinand Marcos Do? It works for the Busheviks every time.

Be afraid. But also...be ready. Free America may be called upon to sacrifice in order to ward off Tyranny.

[Taverner]

3. Thing is I think Kerry just might win in a landslide

Bush's never have new tricks - everything Bush 2 has done, Bush 1 did as well. Right down to the mistakes and the order.

If Bush 2 was smart and wanted to learn from Daddy's mistakes, he would have held off until now to trot out Sadaam. But he jumped the gun and reacted to the Primary coverage, which would have blown off anyway.

[tom_paine]

12. Only if our voting systems are trustworthy and reliable

All indications are that they are NEITHER.

www.blackboxvoting.com

[Dark]

15. Not true

Bu$h I didn't force us to stay in Iraq. That was Dumbyass' doing.

[Taverner]

18. But Bush 1 made the quagmire mistake

Somalia - very similar to our current Iraq situation.

[BostonTeaParty04]

11. Mr. Paine... so, how does one do that?

"be ready. Free America may be called upon to sacrifice in order to ward off Tyranny."

How do you become ready? Is it just a matter of being 'willing' to ward of tyranny? I don't feel real prepared. Heck, I can't even fathom what we are looking at here.

To the original poster: important and good topic.... you are right; cornering them after having had ALL this luscious power? they are going to snap.... It's like mental instability became a moral virtue these last few years. They scare me.

[tom_paine]

13. Given that I am speaking in a Nonviolent Sense

it cannot be predicted what exact shape future events may take nor what will need to be done.

Wildcat Walkouts, major post-"election" protests like the Russian when the Commies tried to re-enslave them (poor bastards, little did they realize then that 10 years later, Comrade Putin would bring them Bushevik-style "Managed Democracy").

As to further, I cannot say. With a monniker like yours, perhaps I don't have to.

And yes, half the battle is understanding we are the Jews of Nazi Germany (albeit "kinder and gentler") circa 1936.

And if you can't fathom what we are looking at, read the history of Stalin, Hitler, Ferdinand Marcos, Papa Doc, Chile, Imperial Rome, etc.

It is an old story, but one which clearly the human race is unable to escape from.

[WoodrowFan]

2. RNC Rat

I saw a RNC worker on the street just the other day...




(seriously, I agree with you, the RW is unstable and will resort to violence of some sort)

[RandomKoolzip]

4. I would LOVE to agree with you on the first part of your post....

but:

Bush still has a lot of support (people are really gullible), and soon the "underdog appeal" strategy will be underway, to make Bush look like the victim of unwarranted attacks (mark my words, Rove's on it right now). It's gonna be a tough fight.

They wouldn't allow themselves to look so vulnerable unless they had an ace up their sleeves, methinks.

[Dark]

16. You are frighteningly right. I, too, am sure that he's planning some

duplicitous strategy to dupe the American populace into voting for four more years of stupidity.

[July]

20. Do not fear Rove. That's what he wants.

Credibility is gone. They can scare people and threaten people and bullshit people, and only a little of it will take. Everything they say and do is being looked upon with a skeptical eye. Hard to get that trust back when you are talking about lost jobs, lost pensions, lost lives -- the really important stuff. Add in some reduced public services, a trashed environment, and limitations on civil rights. Higher local and state taxes. Unfunded testing of our children. It's all negative, and it's ruined their cred.

[ewagner]

5. I've wondered the same

There is too much at stake for the repubs to "go quietly into that good night". They'll pull out all the stops.

btw: You raised an interesting image. Was Janet Jackson Ashcroft's 9/11? The ultimate excuse to do what he wanted to do anyway?

[Maat]

6. I agree with you. I fear cornered right-wing rats.

I was thinkin' the other day, though -- this is a little off of the subject -- that I'm the biggest fan of separation of church and state that there is ... and I think that organizations that discriminate should have their tax funds and tax exemptions taken away from them. I'm a member of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, run by Rev. Barry Lynn, a UCC (United Church of Christ) minister (also a Juris Doctor/law degree). People are not aware that Fundies consider efforts to prevent their using the government to sponsor their religious beliefs. They are pushing through legislation (that will never stand constitutionally) to limit federal jurisdiction...and they regard taxpayer subsidies as their birthright (through their tax exemptions), and are trying to push through legislation to allow their organizations to be tax exempt, even when they pass out Voter Guides (we will subsidize their pro-Bush rants)(H.R. 235). I worry about what they will do when they are cornered. I do respect a Congregation's right to speak as they please -- issue advocate -- but if you mention a candidate's name -- I shouldn't have to subsidize your promotion of the Republican party.

[greenman3610]

8. like planting wmds

disclaimer: this report comes from an Iranian news source.
The claim is so serious that it needs to be widely disseminated, if
only as a deterrent to anyone that might be considering this
plan:
http://truthout.org/docs_04/041504I.shtml

New Reports on U.S. Planting WMDs in Iraq
  Mehr News Agency (Tehran, Iran)

  Tuesday 12 April 2004

  BASRA – Fifty days after the first reports that the U.S. forces were unloading weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in southern Iraq, new reports about the movement of these weapons have been disclosed.

  Given the recent scandals to the effect that the U.S. president was privy to the 9/11 plot, they might try to immediately announce the discovery of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in order to overshadow the scandals and prevent a further decline of Bush’s public opinion rating as the election approaches.

  Sources in Iraq speculate that occupation forces are using the recent unrest in Iraq to divert attention from their surreptitious shipments of WMD into the country.

  An Iraqi source close to the Basra Governor’s Office told the MNA that new information shows that a large part of the WMD, which was secretly brought to southern and western Iraq over the past month, are in containers falsely labeled as containers of the Maeresk shipping company and some consignments bearing the labels of organizations such as the Red Cross or the USAID in order to disguise them as relief shipments.

more....

[Howardx]

7. i loved this paragraph

"Fundamentalist Christians want this armageddon to get back at all of those who lived lives of enjoyment, rather than living the fearful, wretched lives they do. They want to make sure anyone who wasn't like them are punished, and if a new administration doesn't share that view, they will take matters into their own hands."

so true

[Steely_Dan]

9. Excellent Post

Taverner:

Excellent post! Your thoughts mirror my very own assessment of the current state of affairs with regard to the Republican party.

My only caution is that it may be a bit optimistic. While the Bush administration is in dire straits, they may not be as close to the edge as you indicate (but then again, they may very well be).

There are still hidden bomb shells that have yet to go off. You can only lie for so long until the lies come back to haunt you.

Yours is one of a couple of postings (articles) that have indicated the Armageddon theory as something more than a passing thought. For the first time in a while, I'm beginning to actually consider this as a serious aim of the religious right. Could it be? If so, it is probably the most frightening aspect of the mess we find ourselves in.

I have taken to peeking in on some of the religious programming that works its way into the homes of the fearful and elderly...the vulnerable. I'm constantly amazed at the blatant hypocrisy and dishonesty of these "people." Further, I have also taken to calling in on the prayer lines of these programs to (quietly and calmly) ask them how they sleep at night.

As a final note...I equate the "blind followers" of this kind of programming to those that refuse to see what the Bush administration has done to our country...or those who listen to Rush. As I have often said...It isn't Rush Limbaugh that scares me, it's the people that actually believe in what he is saying. Like those who follow professional wrestling refusing to admit that it is merely entertainment (so to speak).

Thanks for the posting.

-Paige

[yardwork]

21. I'm one of those getting concerned about the armageddon issue.

At first I dismissed it as too far out to be taken seriously, but I'm starting to wonder now.

The "Left Behind" series is a best-seller. We're talking millions of Americans who read every title in the series, which is all about the end of the world, the true believers going straight to heaven, and everybody else being left behind to be tortured by devils. The "true believers" are a tiny group of people. * keeps acting like he wants to start this armageddon thing and get it over with. Maybe his life is so miserable he can't wait to go to heaven. Maybe he's afraid he's going to hell and he just wants it to happen already. I don't know.

"Left Behind" reminds me of my childhood in an extremely conservative, right-wing, evangelical part of the rural midwest. I grew up with fundamentalist Christians, and they lived lives of abject fear and anxiety. The devil was a very real part of their lives - more real than God. One false step and the devil would pounce. This was not a New Testament, kindly, loving view of the world. These kids were raised in emotionally abusive households and exposed to constant psychological torture. What could be worse than being told you are going to hell?

The movement has grown since the 1960s. The people I know who listen to Rush aren't all fundamentalists, but they all self-identify as Christians of one kind or another, and they all suffer from severe anxiety. They usually have miserable lives. They yell at their spouses a lot. They're overweight. They don't get out much. They have serious health problems. Their kids hate them.

In other words, a lot of the folks who post on the freeper board and rant about how any criticism of * is treason are really messed up. They need mental health care. Instead they have *

[Taverner]

22. Exactly

"Left Behind" reminds me of my childhood in an extremely conservative, right-wing, evangelical part of the rural midwest. I grew up with fundamentalist Christians, and they lived lives of abject fear and anxiety."

I agree - they live in constant fear of the Devil. I lose count of how many stories I've heard of a fundie youth group going crazy because they think one of the kids is 'posessed' or that the Devil is amongst them on a field trip.

There have also been speculation that Fundamentalist Christianity can lead to OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) in that their fear of being 'left behind' drives them to overcompensate in dotting every spiritual and behavioral 'i'.

My question, which has never been answered by a Fundie, is if God is all just, why would he leave salvation up to a crap shoot ("Oh you chose First Church of the Bretheren...wrong answer, straight to hell! The correct answer is the First Church of Reformed Bretheren...")

[Steely_Dan]

23. Yeah...I hear ya, Yard

Nice post as well. A lot to think about.

I would only mention that their is a hint of "generalization" in your post. Not to say that that is what you intended. I know plenty of "right-wing fundamentalists" that (at least) appear healthy...Of course, if it is purely the mental aspect you are talking about...well, I'll probably agree. Something went wrong...horribly wrong!

Who was it that said: "Liberalism is a mental disease?" Was that Dr. Laura...Ann Coulter???

But then I digress...
More people have been killed in the name of God in human history than for any other reason. I mean...there isn't even a close second. And people wonder why I have (well hidden) disdain for the religious right. If religion works for someone...great. For me, it's a horrible affliction that hurts the individual as well as the whole.

If people want to delude themselves into thinking that there is a heaven and/or hell...I suppose that is there business. The problem arises when they try and push their beliefs on others that have no interest whatsoever.

I mean, this is exactly what is happening in the Bush administration. This is the most religiously blatant president (and administration) that I have seen in my lifetime. In this way, they are pushing their religion into our lives. It is nothing less than offensive to me that "religion" is embedded with policy. It's a little like Microsoft embedding Internet Explorer into their Windows system.

I mean no disrespect to those that find their "salvation" in religion. In fact there are times that I wish I had a crutch to lean on. But...unless and until I lose all sense of reason, I will never give my soul...my very essence to a figment evolved through fear. In fact, I would think that any diety would be pretty upset with me if I abandoned the one unique quality that separates me from other animals...my reason.

Sorry I rambled...got off the subject. Must be a part of that Liberal disease.

-Paige

[LibertyorDeath]

10. Perhaps

"Bush gives perhaps the worse press conference in the history of press conferences"

No perhaps about it. It was incomprehensible. The major media still have not taken the gloves off yet.

It was abysmal & embarrassing in the extreme I still can't believe I heard what I heard and saw what I saw.

This guy is certifiable and the American news media KNOWS IT.

As far as trapped rats goes I wouldn't expect anything less from Americas aspiring fascists.....

[pretzel4gore]

14. 'nothing fails like success when working for the devil'

and the 'pukes can see: it's working! this is fun in one regard.....all the bloody lying isn't for us, the dems /libs/left etc. it's for the true righteous believers, and their survival instinct is pulling them back from abyss as their mob mentality fox/cnn/nbc/pbs etc drags them forward.....
lol

[Hamlette]

17. more like in a trap than cornered in which case a rat

will chew of its own foot.

It's possible republicans will begin to distance themselves from Bush like they did from Nixon in the end.

Remember they want to get reelected too and if it looks like the whole ship is sinking, they will throw Bush overboard rather than lose Congress.

[Ysabel]

19. they were like this going in...

Quote:

..."Any study into rat's behavior shows when Rats are cornered, they lash out at anything and everything in their midst. This is when they are at their most dangerous and unstable. They do this when they see their world crumbling down around them - they see this as their death struggle, and will throw every last punch to survive."...

they were this way going in - they were already lashing out at anything and everything - from the very beginning...

but - this isn't something that has just suddenly happened...

think about how a number of neo-nazi groups, etc. not only popped up all over and flourished under reagan and bush senior - these groups were tacitly nurtured and encouraged by those admins. by the build up "state militias"...

this is all very telling - yes - this is their death struggle...

bush has a wish - hell yes he does - put that in psychiatric terms...

---------------------------------

am i worried...?

a little - but - not really too much - their numbers are hardly legion...

----------

har, har, har - it's almost like they have to be paid...!

LMAO...

------------------------

p.s. i live a life of enjoyment - why yes i do - and i've never had hardly any money at all - i'm broke as hell - and loving it - money is not the answer - sex comes close...

whee heeeee heeee ha - i'm on a roll...! :)