The ”Other”
Mentality of Republicans
Who Will Reap
The Reality Of Their Policies.
People who call themselves
progressive always seem surprised at Republican can callousness about human need
and human suffering. Brian William’s
asked a question about executions in Texas at this week’s Republican debate. The crowd broke into applause at Perry’s
seemingly insensitive remark; Williams tried to continue asking his question,
the crowd broke into applause, prompting Williams to pause. Williams then continued: “Have you struggled
to sleep at night with the idea that any one of those might have been
innocent?” Perry responded, “no, sir.” “I’ve
never struggled with that at all,” he said. “The state of Texas has a very thoughtful,
a very clear process in place of which — when someone commits the most heinous
of crimes against our citizens, they get a fair hearing, they go through an
appellate process, they go up to the Supreme Court of the United States, if
that’s required.”
How could this well dressed and
seeming well mannered audience so immediately share the joy at hearing that
people in Texas are executed so cavalierly?
One can imagine that all of those in that audience consider themselves
devout Christians and great Americans.
The answer of course is that those executed are considered to be members
of that large group that they see as “OTHERS”.
It is likely that the Extreme Right
wing of the Republican Party has the where with all to win the next
Presidential Election and to sweep into Super Majorities in both
houses of the Congress. They have the
money and they control the apparatus of political spin and rhetoric to a point
where victory seems more and more inevitable.
Once they have the ability to control
the government completely it is likely that a number of groups that they believe
to be “Others” will be subjected to
their policies. Policies which will be
focused specifically against people they consider not to be “real Americans”.
The certainty that Rick Perry displayed in his answer about executions will be a part of all of their policies. It is the same certainty available to all It is the same certainty invoked by the followers of Hitler and Stalin. It is not really of the left or the right, it is the certainty of the zealot.
The following groups are some who will likely reap the whirlwind of religious certainty.
1. Gays
2. Progressives
3. Those who
have not been “Personally Responsible” enough to have saved the money for
retirement are medical coverage in their old age.
4. Public
Schools that refuse to teach; creationism, anti-science, and Reconstructionist
history (i.e., Public Schools).
5. Unions and
Union members.
6. Non
entrepreneurs
7. The children
of people who have not been “personally responsible” enough to have the money
to purchase nutritional food or medical care.
8. The working
poor
9. The homeless
10. Those who have or are still working for the
government (except for themselves).
11. Non-Evangelical Christians
12. Those who believe that there is a place for
good government in our everyday life.
13. Those who believe that the quality of our food
and drugs should be regulated.
14. Those who believe that our environment is
threatened by the activities of man.
15. Those who do not believe that Corporations and
the Market Place are not naturally self-regulating for the common good.
16. Those that believe that the Wealthy should pay a
fair share of taxes.
17. Those that
believe that wealth should be fairly distributed amongst the citizens of this
country.
18. Those that believe that the government should
be of the people not the corporation.
19. Those that
believe we should not be engaged in endless and objectiveless foreign wars.
20. Those that believe that Humans have a right to
be valued regardless of their wealth.
21. Etc., etc., etc., etc., ad absurdum.
