Long time reader, first time poster. Please don't hurt me.
Grew up in that part of the Southeast Chicago suburbs known as Northwest Indiana and have never quite gotten over my love of Chicago politics, pizza or the Cubs. I'm a Democrat first because my family was and now because it makes sense to be one. And a progressive one at that.
Live in California now, a state that has managed to make direct democracy via ballot initiative look worse than Daley Machine politics.
Every so often I'll look at two apparently unrelated news items and have an "A-ha!" moment. Today's moment comes courtesy of the birther lunacy and the sad bastard in Pennsylvania that went on the shooting spree in the gym.
Reading what appears to be the shooter's diary, I'm struck by how strong the tone of privilege runs through it all. Here he is, a reasonably good-looking white fella who hasn't had a bit of nooky since the Reagan years and he makes it sound as if he's entitled to the sexual favors of women that he deems "good enough to eat." What's his solution to his lack of amorous attention? Does he do some solid introspection to see how he can increase his chances? Does he try changing his pick-up lines, attire or dental hygiene?
Nope, he ignores self-improvement and grabs a gun to kill that which he cannot have. That which he thinks supposed to have.
Which brings us to the birthers. At root, theirs is a bitter, old racist approach: a Jim Crow law for the new millennium. "You can't provide the document that proper [read "white"] people can; you must not count! Give us a proper [white] President!" And when their claims are dismissed as factually wrong (read the rules on U.S. citizenship), do they look at what their own party has to offer in terms of leadership or ideas and say, "Hmmm, maybe it's time for a change?"
Nope, they crank up the looney, shout "Conspiracy!" and try to win the argument by being louder.
I just hope that their arguments are not punctuated with the same violence as we saw in Pennsylvania.