In a discussion with a friend last night, she asked me if I’d ever seen anything like the recent threats and huffing puffery, coming from the outskirts of the Republican Party over healthcare reform. She was watching the cable television news and wondering how far the Tea Party and Obama-haters will go to vent their contempt and threaten Democrats. She asked me if I thought the person(s) who cut a gas line at the home of Rep. Tom Perriello’s brother’s home is a terrorist.
“Yes,” and “yes,” were my answers. Yes, I’ve seen politics get this nasty before. And, yes, whoever cut that gas line is just as much a terrorist as anyone else who uses violence and the implied threat of worse to achieve a political end.
Terrorism flowing from the radical rightwing opposition to healthcare reform is not all that different from thuggery stemming from the bitter opposition of court-ordered desegregation in the ‘60s. It’s not so different from the terrorism/thuggery that’s taken place in the name of being anti-abortion. It’s not different enough from blowing up a federal building in Oklahoma City to attack/threaten the government, or blowing up the World Trade Center towers to attack/threaten our society.
In the ‘60s we saw domestic terrorists from the right, who opposed the Civil Rights movement. And, we saw domestic terrorists on the left, who opposed the war in Vietnam. A lot of bad things happened in those days, because some saw their mission as above the law.
So, I suspect more bad things are in the making now. Republican politicians -- even Sen. John McCain -- are deploring the stunts of the radical right, with a wink and a nudge. Then they say the anger is justified … even if the acts aren‘t (wink, wink).
The Obama-hating that is bubbling just below the surface of so much of what is vexing the radical right is not going away any time soon. It is picking up steam. Yes, I suspect something bad is going to come from this dangerous game the Tea Party, the Dittoheads, and their ilk are playing.
Hoping for the best will only go so far. I’m old, I’ve seen this kind of crap before.
Since 1985, in various formats, SLANT -- an independent voice based in Richmond's Fan District -- has offered its readers original commentary on politics and popular culture, including cartoons and selected sundries. Warning: Sometimes that means satirical content. All rights are reserved.
2 comments:
Well said, Terry. We are old and have, in fact, seen this before.
Yes, it's been done before, and is done now, on both sides.
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