We have been reading a lot about patriotism and tyranny lately. The usual suspects, who contribute to the Times-Union, love throwing words around such as socialism, communism, dictator and treason when discussing anything related to the duly elected president of the United States of America, Barack Hussein Obama, and his attempts to finally address issues that were ignored by the Bush administration while trying to lift the nation from an economic disaster created by that same administration and their lackeys in the Republican-controlled congress.
They speak of a fear of tyranny as they continue to lob verbal bombs at the president. Although it's ironic that these so-called patriots, defenders of freedom and liberty, who now line up with the Tea Party groups, The Republican Party, and the right-wing organizations that fund them, fail to see the truth in front of them. That truth being that tyrannical dictatorships do not always come from the left-communist end of the political spectrum but that they rise from the right-fascist end as well.
They speak about democracy but support a party who under President George Bush, during a time of great tragedy, decided to ram the so-called Patriot Act down the throats of the American people, called those who dissented traitors, began the process of eroding our civil liberties that are guaranteed to us by the constitution, and who chose to go to war in Iraq without just cause and discouraged debate on the issue. And they used the same "special interrogation techniques" used by the communist Vietnamese against American soldiers during the Vietnam War. Except back then it was called torture.
These Tea Party patriots call themselves champions of democracy, a political philosophy that encourages debate. But as they speak about democracy and the right to free speech, they storm town hall meetings, shout down those who hold a different point of view, intimidate members of other political groups, and disrupt meaningful needed debate on any issue and in effect denying their political opponents of the right to free speech.
They voice support for religious freedom while they impose their religion on others by passing laws that restrict a women's right to choose and prevent fellow citizens from marrying who they choose to marry, while denigrating anyone who follows a different faith. That used to be called religious oppression. Now it's called Christian conservatism. Where does that fit under our democracy? Once upon a time Jews and Catholics were the targets in this country. Now it's the Muslims. Who's next?
Now let's sum it up. The Tea Party patriots support conservative Republicans who in the last eight years have eroded civil liberties, squelched debate, imposed their religion on others, and supported torture. Hardly sounds like the work of a party that supports democracy. It's time that the so-called patriots realize that if this country is on the path to a tyrannical dictatorship. It was their Republican party and the actions they supported that laid the groundwork for it.
