Ugly Americans Stay Home, Soiling Our Nest – Why Does the Unhinged Fringe Hate America? by Robert S. Becker

By Robert S. Becker
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
www.beyondchron.org
rbecker@cal.net
Oct. 20, 2009

We’re growing strange species of anti-American reactionaries these days. Earlier, arrogant Ugly Americans strutting abroad were always brash cheerleaders for their Homeland. Today, scores of deluded, unpatriotic numbskulls equate good citizenship with debunking America, especially: (a) our legitimate elections (despite pushing remote “democracy” wars), (b) majority rule (taking over “their” government), (c) the President (subversive alien), (d) government programs (rank socialism), and (e) free-market media except FOX “News” and rabid talk radio. How do teabaggers with infantile hoaxes hope to get “their country back”?

Thus frustrated fringes get fringier every week, like crazed chickens bloodying their own. South Carolina whiners blasted hardcore Lindsey Graham for not being hardcore enough, crying out “fake Republican,” “traitor” and “war criminal.” Unhinged mass hysteria likewise turned senators into mulish fools. Simultaneously scorning fair play or common decency, 30 very ugly GOP senators condemned Sen. Al Franken’s successful amendment denying government contractors the right to block remedies by duped, abused employees. One case involved a woman gang-raped – and held captive by Halliburton staff on its premises – whose contract forbade legal recourse.

Historic Ugly Americans, bragging the U.S. of A. was God’s gift to mankind, would look with horror on unpatriotic ingrates. For them, America was perfect, so blameless any crank nations daring to oppose our global manifest destiny invited retribution – producing harangues on evildoers, boycotts, even assassinations and uprisings (Chile and Iran). Typically, our government fabricated threats or disruptions before sending in armed troops to “restore peace.” The pre-emptive “Bush Doctrine” long preceded Iraq, in Panama, Somalia, and elsewhere: others just did it better.

What Cheneyism did was institutionize invasions, all corralled within anti-terrorism, and turned frenzied Yankee exceptionalism into the new Ugly Americanism. Of course, Cheney had to terrorize vulnerable, ignorant Americans, though perhaps not anticipating lunatics would become mobs, fabricate delusions, and transform utter mass cluelessness into sedition, disowning their own government. That’s what happens when the unhinged take their own leaps of faith, revealed in this classic testimonial launched at Sen. Graham, “God does not compromise.” Who’s God? So much for democratic majorities, open exchange, negotiation of differences, even logic itself. Where does Jesus outlaw compromise – when rendering what is Caesar’s unto Caesar? Where did God consecrate every two-bit, self-proclaimed oracle?

What Cheney Pushed, Palin Parrots

“God does not compromise” merits top political “blunder” status. That’s when a speaker inadvertently reveals a big truth, here scapegoating foes as illegitimate, sinners or enemies. We’ve been here before, when the Queen of Ugly Americans, Sarah Palin, committed her most revealing campaign “blunder,” isolating “the real America:”

We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation. This is where we find the kindness and the goodness and the courage of everyday Americans.

This is coded language: “we” isn’t us, not even McCain, but born-again brethren. If small-town evangelicals (maybe 16% of everyone) are the real, “best of America,” what about the rest, the other 84% pigeonholed into less good, bad, and worst? For this ugly American, city folks are collectively suspect, less patriotic, kind, good, or courageous – certainly less God-fearing, anti-abortion and anti-gay rights. Note no issues or policies here, just dividing “good” (white, Christian, rural) first-class people from all others, undermining the entire American ideal of religious freedom and cultural diversity.

What Me, a Secessionist?

With this framework, one wonders if Palin’s poison embraces small-town, “courageous” goons from the Alaska secessionist movement she “palled around with” for years? Or virulent, like-minded secessionists in the Texas Nationalist Movement? Take “Christian activist” Larry Kilgore: “I hate that [American] flag up there. I hate the United States government … They’re [sic] an evil, corrupt government. They need to go. Sovereignty is not good enough. Secession is what we need!” Perhaps Palin “compromises” with Texas Rep. Brandon Creighton, whose House resolution simply divided Texas’ “sovereignty” from Washington’s? Or sides with her buddy, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, toying with secession at a tea party, “if Washington continues to thumb their [sic] nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that.” Governor, who’s thumbing whose nose at whom?

Beyond outrage, anti-tax, anti-government hysteria and imbecilic delusions, don’t such rebel yells define sedition – to incite mutiny, resistance, or rebellion against a government or lawful authority? Defiance against the American melting pot draws most good and kind Republicans, like North Carolina’s Robin Hayes. An 2008 Congressional loser, Hayes finished Palin’s tirade, “Folks, [Palin’s] a great American. Liberals hate real Americans that work and accomplish and achieve and believe in God.” Well, losing saved him from representing liberals, those lazy, “real American”-haters who defy God.

No Left Balances Spiteful Right

Politically, despite big media’s fantasy of a leftwing fringe offsetting the right, there’s no comparable sedition, treason, or rejection of American ideals among progressives. On his worst day, Michael Moore is no Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Michele Bachmann, or Palin. Where are any shrill leftwing demagogues stalking America like the predatory right? Where are “progressive” birthers, truthers, tenthers, tea party screamers, or armed militants who dishonor rallies? What liberal voice corrupts like FOX propaganda? None, none, and none, period.

Has one notable leftist gone to jail for decimating government offices (like Oklahoma City), or advertising, then murdering abortion doctors (in churches!), or shooting down a security guard at Washington’s Holocaust museum? Leftwing stridency, even lawlessness, doesn’t parallel major crimes by fanatics who won’t “compromise” with laws or the Constitution, public consensus and elections, even conservative defenders of civil rights and liberty?

A year since the election, what measurable political results justify relentless GOP-extremist-teabagger bashing of America, our President and institutions? Is there method to right-wing madness? No. A poll Monday from Pollster.com showed self-identified Republicans fell to 22.5%, vs. January ‘09 findings by USA Today/Gallup when 27% stood by their white men. Meanwhile, Democratic stalwarts fell from 36% to 33.7%, not bad considering progressive complaints and the shine off the newcomer. Embracing radical obstructionism and Ugly anti-Americanism is only firming up what appears permanent minority status for the Party of No. If more than 11% of Americans continue to call themselves Democrats, a President still getting his sea legs won’t be shipwrecked after 2010.

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