Cognitive dissonance is the ability of certain brains to simultaneously hold contradictory beliefs. OK, I think there oughta be enough $5 words in that first sentence to scare away the trolls. Now I should be able speak freely to my intended, progressive audience. ;-)
Earlier this week, Senate Republicans rejected a UN treaty on the disabled, with some of them saying that signing onto the treaty would be a blow to "America's sovereignty". This treaty is, in fact, based on the American With Disabilities act, which is already the law of the land, hereabouts. It states the opinion that OTHER nations should treat THEIR disabled at least as well as we treat ours. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we spend much of the last 3 months listening to Mittch-A-Sketch and Gilligan, telling us about how Obama is trying to make the US more like the rest of the world, and that ain't right, because we SHOULD be trying to make the rest of the world more like us?? I can see only ONE situation in which signing on to this treaty could have any effect on American Sovereignty is if the Republican'ts are eventually hoping to find an opportunity to ELIMINATE the American With Disabilities act. Then, perhaps, their position makes SOME sense.
This morning, I hear that the Senate is taking up the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement, and that the GOP can barely restrain their enthusiasm it! So, what does this agreement do? It allows transnational corporations to effectively challenge any and all regulations set in place by the duly elected representatives of any signatory nations, if said
regulations might impact their bottom line. In other words, it essentially DESTROYS the sovereignty of any nation that signs on to it.
So why is it that our "friends" on the right find the first agreement TERRIBLE but the second one ESSENTIAL? I guess it's because the first agreement might actually cost their lords and masters a couple bucks, but the second could save them BILLIONS!