Stuff and Nonsense

While the LA Times beats an insane drumbeat to publicly vilify teachers whose students score poorly on high-stakes tests, President Hopey-Changey's mouthpiece nods his head up and down like Jerry Mahoney, saying what a great idea.  By this time next year teachers will be wearing scarlet letters when they go out, so their neighbors can pelt them with rotten fruit.  It's discouraging for many of us, lifelong Democrats, that our party is run by lunatics jumping through hoops for Bill Gates.

The only positive side I can find is that the Republicans not only support these ideas, but have actually come up with some that are even worse.  They're now spinning the 14th amendment, which allows babies born here to become naturalized citizens.  This concerns them.  That the economy is in a tailspin, that no one knows when it will stop circling the drain, that despite recent news we're still heavily invested in two pointless wars--these are of no importance.  The important thing for Republicans is to establish a scapegoat, someone to hate, and that will be penniless immigrants working miserable jobs for next to nothing.  What's vital, apparently, is to make their lot even worse.

The other important issue is that of a mosque being built on the World Trade Center site.  Perish forbid we should show tolerance for other cultures and religions.  How awful it would be to make a gesture of good will and welcome this.  I've actually read people complaining this mosque is unsuitable because it looks like a building, and the WTC was also a building.  Personally, I find it obscene that there's a McDonald's nearby, as its sale of unhealthy garbage symbolizes everything that's wrong with this country to me.  However, I won't be starting a campaign against them, let alone a campaign against a major religion.  To judge an entire group by the actions of fringe lunatics is stereotypical nonsense.  Were we to apply such judgment to all religions, few if any would come out smelling like a rose.

 So congratulations to the GOP for holding onto its proud tradition of being narrow-minded, diversionary and intolerant.  As useless as the Democrats have become, you still make them look better by comparison.