Missing The Obvious.

Recently, Fox News host Sean Hannity said on his show that he "can't find any" examples of "any Tea Party members [saying] anything racist... [or holding] any racist signs" in a conversation regarding the passing of a resolution by the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) condemning the inherent racism of the Tea Party movement. Really, Mr. Hannity? You have the resources of one of the biggest news organizations in the world at your disposal, and you can't find any? Allow me to help. After a very quick Google search I found some! Here they are:

Is anyone really going to tell me, with a straight face, that there is nothing remotely racist about these signs? Could it be possible that Hannity's inability to find these easily locatable images is politically motivated? Of course it is. Fox News is an advocacy organization. They are currently in the business of unseating President Obama, and the Tea Party they clearly see as the best way to achieve this end. That is why they cannot say a word against it, even in the face of easily refutable claims like the one made by Hannity.
The Tea Party is bizarre in itself. It is an expression of anger. It claims to be against big government, federal spending and the deficit. Which is odd because there was none of this anger during the Bush administration; which took a surplus and turned it into a debt with massive tax cuts for the rich, deregulation and two wars. Where were all these people during the Bush years? In fact, I remember that these 'fiscally responsible' Tea Party members were the same people defending Bush from the liberal protests. Why is that? It seems odd that the national debt has suddenly become such an important issue for people. What has changed? The only thing I can identify is that there is now a black president. A coincidence, surely?

Although the more one looks at the Tea Party, the more this seems like a very suspicious coincidence. Go to any Tea Party rally and you will hear denouncements of high taxes that the Obama administration has levied on the working class. The only problem with that is that, on the federal level, taxes have either stayed the same or gone down for the majority of the US. So if their taxes are not being raised astronomically, maybe they have other policy objections to Obama. But when you look at what the Tea Party is proposing you will find a total vacuum outside of the very vague and not at all helpful slogans like "Tax cuts!", "No big government!" and "We want to take our country back!". They have no policy goals at all. This cartoon sums up the lack of policy behind the Tea Party in a brilliantly succinct way:

So they have no specific policy goals, they are protesting non-existent tax increases and the things they are most angry about they were silent on during the last administration. Suddenly it ceases to look like a coincidence that this anger has surfaced during the first African-American presidency. No examples of racism in the Tea Party, Mr. Hannity? The entire movement is soaked in it.

The Birth of a Nation.

With today being 4th July it seems appropriate that I briefly touch upon what this day commemorates. On 4th July 1776 the United States of America officially declared itself independent from the British Empire. Its independence and founding as an official nation unto itself have a lot to do with my enthusiastic interest in the United States.

The thirteen colonies of the New World were unwilling to serve under the British crown and obey the laws of the British parliament. One of the points of contention was the fact that the colonies were being taxed by parliament despite no representation within the House of Commons. This led to James Otis defiantly stating that "taxation without representation is tyranny"; a phrase which has become famous in American history and culture. This, interesting though it is, is not the reason for my interest.

The men who made the case for, and fought for, American independence were presented with a unique opportunity. They could found a brand new nation completely from scratch. What they did with that opportunity is, in my opinion, one of the greatest social and political achievements of mankind. That may sound hyperbolic but I assure you that I am genuine in that view.

While General George Washington (who would later become the first President of an independent United States) is rightly credited with much of the success of the revolution, the founding of the nation as it stands should have its proper dues elsewhere. One man in particular Thomas Jefferson. A deist, scholar, musician, architect and inventor (among other things) who was a fervent supporter of the revolutionary efforts was one of the principal architects of America's founding. He was the lead author of the Declaration of Independence, which stated in no uncertain terms that the new nation would be founded on certain "inalienable rights", namely "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness". It is this ideal that would later inspire one of the greatest leaders the nation would ever see - Abraham Lincoln. The Declaration of Independence still retains its power to inspire generations of people centuries after it was written.
That was not the full extent of Jefferson's contribution to the United States. Far from it. When it came to the writing of the Constitution he had a great deal of influence. In fact, the First Amendment to the Constitution was greatly influenced and shaped by Jefferson's own Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom, which essentially guaranteed the free practice of religion for anyone in the United States (including the freedom not to practice any religion). Jefferson's ideas established a firm wall of separation between the church and the state: something which a lot of religious apologists today wrongly contend is not true when making their fatuous arguments that the United States is a Christian nation by virtue of its founding documents. This amendment was a huge departure from the laws of Britain, which firmly establish the Church of England as the official religion with a hereditary monarch at its head.

It is in the Bill of Rights that also guarantees freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to a trail by jury and the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. The founding of the United States is a secular one, but more importantly it is the first nation conceived with human rights at its core. Obviously other nations have incorporated human rights into their laws but it was the United States which made it the bedrock of their republic. These were the wonderful ideas that gave rise to what would become the most powerful country in the world. I will be the first to admit that the United States is not perfect, but its potential for greatness will always exist because of its core. It is my fond hope that I will be able to contribute to that potential from within before long. I would be happy to do so.

Happy Independence Day, America!

Some Unfortunate News.

Today I learned that a man I greatly admire, journalist and author Christopher Hitchens, has been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer (I imagine years of being a heavy smoker was probably a contributing factor) and will undergo chemotherapy in order to treat it. Apparently the five year survival rate for this particular disease is less than 5 percent, so it is with great displeasure that I write this entry. I have been an admirer of Hitchens for a while now as a writer, an orator and a debater. While I do not agree with everything he says, he often makes compelling arguments for his positions, which is definitely admirable. I sincerely hope that I will not soon have to write an entry wherein I refer to Hitchens in the past tense. All I can do in the meantime is to read as much of his writing as I can get my hands on (something I have already started with great enthusiasm). I am currently in the middle of reading his book Why Orwell Matters, and I hope to soon get a copy of his memoir Hitch-22. Not that this message in a scarcely read blog will find its way to him but I will close by saying: Get well soon, Hitch.