Of T.E.A. Parties and Right-Wing Extremists

Here it is, the day after tax day and the results are in; everyone who attended a T.E.A. (Taxed Enough Already) party in protest of profligate government spending and unfettered bailouts of irresponsible financial institutions, not to mention the impending "socialization" of America, is a 'right-wing extremist.' That's what Janet Napolitano, our head of the Department of Homeland Security and her superiors at the White House say anyway. Not to be outdone, the left-leaning Southern Poverty Law Center has branded the venerable American Legion as a "hate-group" because it advocates secure borders and immigration law enforcement!

On April 7th, the DHS sent out a memo to all law enforcement offices titled: "Right-Wing Extremisim: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment." Within that report is a broad definition of the people they are talking about;

"Right-wing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements and adherents that are primarily "hate-oriented" (based upon hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups) and those that are mainly anti-government, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups or individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration."

Are you in there? I am. Oh, not the hate group part, even though I belong to the American Legion (who, by the way, are some of the most pariotic, charitable and compassionate people you will ever meet, anywhere...ever). People who hate others because they are different from them are usually, but not always, ignorant bigots like the Aryan Brotherhood, Neo Nazi's, Ku Klux Klan, some of the "O" man's advisors like our current attorney general, the reverend Wright, Louis Farrakhan, Maxine Waters, Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson and their ilk. No, I'm a member of the other category. I'm a member of the class of American citizens who has read the Constitution of the United States of America. Especially the part about what powers are delegated to the Federal government BY the states! There are only a few areas of politcal power that the federal government is granted by the consenting states, most notably;

• Provide for the common defense
• Regulate Interstate Commerce (this includes currency counterfeiting, banking, etc.)
• Foreign affairs
  
  

All other rights and remedies are retained by the STATES! So if you, like me, believe that the federal government has overstepped it's charter in meddling with everything from tobacco to the salt content of your Big Mac, congratulations! You are a "Right-Wing Extremist!" Believe in the second amendment? You're a "Right-Wing Extremist!" Believe in the right to peaceful assembly to air grievances against the government? You're a "Right-Wing Extremist!" Disagree with turning a capitalist society into a socialist welfare state? You guessed it, you're a "Right-Wing Extremist!" In fact, if you do not whole-heartedly embrace the "O" man's CHANGE mantra...you might be a "Right-Wing Extremist!" (apologies to Jeff Foxworthy)

What is particularly troubling about the new 'doublespeak' coming out of Washington these days is the left-leaning media's rabid parroting of it. Somewhere in their ranks, there must be at least one thinking journalist who recognizes the danger of this type of broad stroke condenmnation of 50% of the nation's citizenry, but then again, I've been wrong before. If the government inside the beltway continues along this path for the next four years, what do you think the landscape of the nation will look like? Hell, it will make Tim McVeigh, Ruby Ridge and the Branch Davidian debacles look like cordial disagreements at a cocktail party.

As much as the present administration and congress doesn't give a rap about half the country, the half that pays for the government by the way, they are ignoring an even larger issue; the disgruntled and disenfranchised bulk of the American tax paying citizenry do not believe in their socialist programs. We object, vehemently, to the usurpation of our sovereignty as U.S. citizens. It's bad enough that our elected officials want to give our hard-earned capital to folks who not only didn't work for it, but who demand it as their due without any intention of paying it back or doing anything other than asking for more, but when we protest their rape of our resources they brand us as "right-wing extremists," criminals or worse. This situation cannot last for four years. I think the line from "Network" says it all "I'm mad as hell...and I'm not going to take it anymore."

Maybe that ought to be our rallying cry. Maybe if enough people say it loud enough and long enough even the left-wing extremists will hear us!

But that's just one man's opinion.