Call Me What You Must

These days Tax Day Tea Party goers and others displeased with our government are called right wing extremists, rednecks, racists, hate mongers, sore losers, and the list goes on. What actions are deserving of such disdain and ridicule? To question the government of the people? To demand the ear of a civil servant? Or is it because some people in this great country actually feel that they have a right to help shape public policy? It takes little effort to remember that these of course are rights that our founding fathers thought fit to include in our Constitution.

If we think back in our history there have been countless times when the people got together to fight injustice and prevailed. We celebrate these times. While attending school, our children learn about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and the rest of the civil rights struggle. We look on these victories with pride, we don't belittle those that struggled or talk about how their anger was fake.

Sense I've mentioned children in school, let me take the time to examine ridicule. Children take the time to ridicule and belittle each other. This is done to establish dominance, assassinate the character of a "threat", and to isolate another into a group set apart from the "accepted." We call this immature in children but when the elitist is guilty of such behavior he claims that he is just "stating the facts" or "exposing the truth."

Now, at times among each other, we all participate in such practices. It is only natural when we are angry about such things to revert to old habits at times, but shouldn't our leadership be held to a higher standard, especially with the responsibility that comes with the voice that we give them? After all their job is to protect our right to express ourselves, not to participate in it's suppression. Do the politicians not understand that their mockery of civil opposition is tyrannical?

Well I am a member of that civil opposition, call me what you must. Right wing extremist? Fine. I'll be all the way down here on the right along with The Constitution. Call me what you must. A sore loser? Sure. Obama said that his election was not his victory but the victory of the people. Well as it has turned out my view is that it was a loss of the people and we are continuing to loose, but the game is not over my friends. Harder fights have been won by Americans. I invite more of you to join me in not settling, or in being just a little bit "sore," but if not that's fine too. It is your right. So, I'll continue to question and to challenge and you can just continue to call me what you must.