I saw this posted on Facebook:
“The leftist media has really been effective with its disinformation about the Tea Party. We are against bail outs, crony capitalism, and big government. The only thing that separates us apart from the occupy movement is that we do not want to turn the USA into the USSA. This country already “spreads the wealth” more than any other country in the world. The communist labor party was behind the Occupy movement. The top 4 Communist goals to ruin America are- 1) Hijack media and education, 2) Demoralize a nation, 3) Create a crisis, 4) Take power.
(The post ended with:) For the love of God and country, don’t let these bastards (the Communist lefties) win!”
I actually get a little giddy when something that can be so easily destroyed is laid in
front of me. Let’s go point by pseudo point—-
1) The leftest media? Sure there are left wing media sites, but not as many as there are right wing media sights, at least when you scour the internet. Fox News unabashedly promotes a right wing bias and while Clinton called MSNBC “our Fox News” because their editorial content leans on the port rudder, their accuracy in reporting receives higher marks. If the sentiment above is an indictment of CBS, NBC, or ABC, I cannot see a historical record of left wing agenda in their reporting. They are, after all, owned and operated by Corporate America.
2) “This country already spreads the wealth more than any other…” Pure myth. We are the largest economy and we are the largest democratic nation and we have more accumulated wealth than any other nation, but the discrepancy between rich and poor reveals the greatest divide within industrialized nations. Our taxes are relatively low (of the 30 nations in the OECD only 4 are lower), yet a larger and larger percentage of our nation’s wealth is centralized within an increasingly smaller percentage of people. 1% of American’s at the top make 25% of the all the money and control 40% of the accumulated wealth. The wealthiest Americans have successfully implemented neo liberal economics that have increased their stake in America by nearly 250% over the past 30 years. No one has “taken from the rich and given to the poor” but quite the opposite; today the top 10% control over 90% of America’s wealth according the Federal Reserve Board.
3) The Communist Labor Party? First of all, there is no CLP anymore, they became the Communist Party of America in 1929 (I must be a Communist to know this!!) and in recent years they have dwindled to only a few thousand members and have, in fact, defaulted on office rent. Does anyone seriously believe they have the money or the muscle to fund Occupy Wall Street? No, I mean SERIOUSLY! I’m not looking for laughs here.
4) “The Top 4 Communist Goals to Ruin America…” (The writer basically took these from the 1933 National Socialist agenda in Germany to make his, or her, point)
a) Hijack Media and Education. Who’s hijacking who? The hijacking of media is evidenced by Fox News and right wing talk radio and the movement to marginalize education is the work of conservatives, particularly Christian Fundamentalists who are working hard to take science out of the curriculum and replace it with theology. They want to privatize education and while public education in America may not be perfect, it is the first and last line of defense against the growing anti-intellectual and pro-ignorance movement being fostered by the likes of the Tea Party and other extreme right factions.
b) Demoralize a Nation. Who’s demoralizing a nation more than those who put a Hitler mustache on our President and frighten their own ignorance with cries of “Socialism”? Who has demoralized America more than those who mock our President by questioning his faith, his patriotism and his place of birth? Who demoralizes a nation more than those who demonize peaceful demonstration against corporate tyranny, such as Occupy Wall Street?
c) Cause a Crisis. Do they mean like the “Debt Ceiling” crisis? The crisis that had been abated 13 times during Bush’s presidency alone, not to mention how many times Reagan lifted the ceiling so that he could borrow against the deficit he created. Today, because people fell for the political scam, our credit standing is diminished. Republicans in Congress proved that the interests of the American people are not as important to them as their mission to seize power.
d) Take Power. Which party has stonewalled a Job’s Bill simply because their agenda is to see that Obama loses so that they can “take power”?
I don’t mind disagreements and arguments; it’s healthy to argue and to find peaceful compromises on common ground, but I can’t stand positions founded on ignorant claims or political dogma created from a hypocritical thesis. The writer of the Facebook post above may seem fringe to some, but I believe that the “fringe” is infringing on more sensible conservative ideology and moving the needle toward lunacy. After all, even to this day over 20% of Americans polled still think that Obama is a Muslim and that he wasn’t born on American soil. That’s a LOT of voters and frankly, I don’t want them tanking my country….AGAIN!
The “disinformation” about the Tea Party is not created by “left wing media” but by the Tea Party itself; from their words, placards and contradictory statements like the one above with their misaligned facts. To be fair, the post writer was in agreement with the Occupy Wall Street protest up to, “The only thing that separates us apart from the occupy movement is that we do not want to turn the USA into the USSA.” With that statement they betray their own premise and divert from reality with “spreading the wealth” and the subsequent list of left wing “communist” agenda. The turn is such a profound misunderstanding of the Occupy movement that my critique falls short of the disgust I actually felt.
Keep the spirit of Occupy Wall Street alive! Occupy Main Street! Occupy the Merchandise Mart! Occupy Wal-Mart!- Occupy the political rhetoric and fill it with truth so that voters can challenge the greed and the tyranny that follows when money drives our system of government.
For the love of God and country, don’t let those bastards (the plutocracy creating, wealth pandering, sycophants) win!!!
