Tag Archives: violence

General Posts

Patriotic Ramblings

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Dear Mr. Bin Laden:

I’m not sure how much time Satan will give you for Internet surfing during your stay in hell, but on the off-chance that you get the opportunity to read this, I thought I’d drop you a note to express my sentiments as an ordinary American.

We’re not a perfect nation; yes, we have our issues.  We sometimes bicker about trivial issues while major problems fester.  To outsiders, we may seem immoral and unruly because of the opportunity to self-govern, which does at times manifest itself in peculiar fashions.  Yes, we sometimes overvalue materialism and come across as crass and unsophisticated.  Few of us would deny that we are still a work in progress.

But Mr. Bin Laden, you underestimated us as a collective.  While we may bicker amongst ourselves, sometimes viciously, when our way of life is threatened, we will rally together and defend each other to the death.  We are not Democrats and Republicans; we are Americans.  When someone attacks us, we will protect ourselves, and we will pursue our enemies as far as we have to go.  We are not a weak collaboration of backwards tribes cobbled together to resemble a country.  We are the United States of America, the nation that gave birth to democracy for the world, the nation that turned the tide of WWII, and the nation that stared down the Soviet Union without blinking.  We are the nation of nations, the Great Experiment.

On Sept. 11, 2001, you thought we would fear that a coup was occurring and that pandemonium would erupt across the country, but that’s not how we do things here.  We vote.  We decide who leads us, and if those leaders don’t meet our expectations, we kick them out, not with bloodshed and violence, but with the democratic process.  On 9-11, despite the fear and chaos, we didn’t panic and rip apart at the seams.  We came together, rallied around our flag, and vowed to get you.

Yesterday, we made good on that vow.  Despite a political change at the presidency and two shifts of leadership in the House and a plethora of issues dogging our country, we maintained our resolve, just as we told you we would.  Despite our many flaws, we are still the greatest nation this world has ever known, and I still believe that we, the American people, have the ability to solve all of our problems because of our diversity, our self-governance, our determination, and our spirit that comes from the liberties we share.  To some, those words may seem hollow and empty, but for the vast majority of us in this nation, they have real meaning.

We are the land of the free.  We are the beacon of liberty in this world.  You underestimated us, Mr. Bin Laden, but yesterday, you came face to face with the best we have to offer.  Now, enjoy your time in hell.

Sincerely,

D. A. Adams

Humor

Tea Party Ramblings

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Following the lead of Utah in adopting the Browning Revolver as the official state gun, the state of Mississippi is moving to adopt a new symbol of its own.  While the majestic magnolia blossom is the official state flower, leaders in this proud and diverse state believe they need a new symbol to more accurately portray the state’s vision for the future.

“The time is right,” says Konrad K. Kristian, business leader and Tea Party activist.  “We Mississippians need to embrace our heritage and return this state to its once proud stature in this union, and we in the Tea Party believe that this symbol send the proper message.”

Curious to learn more, I pressed Mr. Kristian for more details surrounding the as-of-yet unveiled icon.

“Well, you don’t seem like one of them socialist members of the Jew-run liberal media, and you are blond haired and blue eyed, so I reckon I can trust you with this information.”

He reached underneath the counter and produced a picture frame covered by a velvet cloth.  Slowly, like a highly skilled exotic dancer, he pulled the velvet away from the picture.  Having covered world events as dangerous and threatening to world peace as the Grenada invasion, I thought I was emotionally prepared for anything, but even my hardened journalist’s sensibilities were shocked by the icon: On a dark background for contrast was a picture of a tightly drawn noose swinging from a tree branch.

“Ain’t it beauteeful?” Konrad asked, his eyes welling with tears.

“Um, do you think it might offend the African-Americans of this state?” I asked.

“Well, it might offend the sensitive ones, but in our new vision for America, them sensitive liberal types don’t have much say so anyway.”

Shocked and dismayed by what I had seen, I politely excused myself and rushed to Washington to speak with Rob R. Barron VI and Billy Joe Oilmoney, the two most prominent Tea Party members in the Senate.  After I had described the icon to them, both men stared at me blankly.

“Aren’t you offended?” I asked.

“Why would we be offended?” Oilmoney responded, his voice rising an octave.  “The folks of Mississippi have a right to embrace their heritage.”

“You don’t find this racist?”

“I knew you liberals would find a way to twist this around to racism,” exclaimed Barron.  “We in the Tea Party don’t hate minorities.  We’re not against minorities.  As a matter of fact, some of my favorite athletes and entertainers are black, and all of my servants are Hispanic, so I don’t know where you could get the idea that I’m racist.”

“Look,” interjected Oilmoney.  “That noose is just a symbol of the strength and vitality of the people in charge in Mississippi, and nooses don’t kill people.  Depending on the knot, it’s either a snapped neck or lack of oxygen that kills people.  A noose in the hands of law abiding citizens is harmless, so don’t go trying to demonize a piece of rope.”

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General Posts

Thursday Afternoon Ramblings

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It’s always staggering to me when people push things to an extreme but then act stunned when they have to face the consequences.  In this particular instance, I’m referring to Sarah Palin and the Tea Party.  For nearly two years, the far right has gathered in hate-filled rallies with signs that read, “We Came Unarmed…This Time”  and “Signs Today…Guns Tomorrow” and “Party Like It’s 1773” and Sarah Palin has inflamed tempers at these rallies with phrases like, “Don’t retreat. Reload.”  And then, of course, are her now infamous ads with Democrats lined up in cross-hairs.

Then, someone takes all of this hate to heart, goes on a shooting rampage that kills six and leaves a couple dozen injured, and suddenly Palin and the Tea Party seem outraged that anyone could possibly point the finger at them for their hate-speech.

This was the work of a deranged individual working alone, they say.

Bullshit, I say.  Words have meaning and power, and when you use hate and fear to stir people into action, you are just as culpable for the actions of those “deranged individuals” who carry out your message as they are.  I’ve written on this blog before that the reason why the right scares me is because people like Timothy McVeigh, Jim Adkisson, and now Jared Loughner all took the venomous, hate-filled diatribes of the far right’s elocutionists and followed through with horrendously violent actions.  Against hate and intolerance, there is no reasoning, there is no discourse, there is no civility.  Hate will always spawn murder, and those who spew hate for self-gain and political expediency have the same blood on their hands and the person who parked the van or pulled the trigger.

The far left is no less guilty of using hate and sensationalism as the right.  It’s simply a miracle that we haven’t had similar shooting rampages by a “deranged individual” from that end of the spectrum.  What we need is more of what we saw at the end of last year–cooperation and compromise between the two sides and less extremism.  In short, we need moderation.  Until both extremes of both parties realize that we’re all in this together and we all need to find a way to coexist, there will continue to be more “deranged individuals” who take the inflammatory venom of people like Sarah Palin and commit atrocious acts at their indirect behest.