Everybody’s doing it, just in a different way. The way that best fits their own interests.
“It” is attacking. In their own words, “fighting.” Mostly – to hear them tell it – for “us.” Sarah Palin is fighting liberals. Common Cause is calling on Sarah to “cease her violent rhetoric,” while calling on Americans to “fight” Citizens United.
Washington’s full of politicians who say they’re fighting for us. And the wannabe Washington pols – including Obama, when he was in the wannabe ranks – promise to “fight” for us when they get there.
Then we wonder why militia exist? Like the one in Michigan that just got busted by the Feds. If those who believe America’s being not nice to terrorists is what causes them to be bad, how about following that logic to “since our leaders in Washington are always fighting each other, we need to fight them?”
It’s all about having enemies. If you don’t have one, create one. That’s the way you choose up sides and attract people to your side, either to vote for you or give you money for your cause. Or both. Daddy-O and his gang have the common enemy of Big Business and Fat Cat Bankers. Not original. There are always con-men and women looking for people who can be duped into following somebody who’s fighting the big bullies. Never mind that government is by far the biggest bully on the block.
Ahh, but never fear, folks. government isn’t using guns in this fight. It’s only words. And we all remember the kid saying, “sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.”
But hang on. Government words are ultimate power. Power to selectively tax the unfavored, and lavishly reward the favored with the money taken from the fat-cat enemy. And it’s power to pass all manner of laws to protect itself from the people it’s supposed to be by and for.
Give me the sticks and stones any day. I can protect myself from those. But words? Words of the mightiest bully on the biggest block? Words of unlimited pages and power to control lives? That’s hard to fight.
It may someday take a militia to do that. Remember. It did to get America started. And many considered that noble only in hindsight.
