It really comes down to two fundamentally different ways of looking at the world—and the framers of the Constitution (Jefferson, for instance) themselves often embodied both poles.. You either believe that it’s right and natural that a wealthy, elite class of people should rule the world or you believe that the people who do all work in the world ought to have a say in how things are run.
This is the crux of the problem…you can choose to see it…or not to. ‘He is further from the truth who believes what is wrong, than he who believes nothing’ -Jefferson (paraphrase)

Mekhong Kurt,
You asked me where it says in the Constitution health care is a basic right? Well, you got me there. It doesn’t. It doesn’t mention anything about Social Security, Medicare, or Unemployment Compensation. It also doesn’t say anything about dropping the bounty on killing Native Americans, freeing black people from slavery, giving women the right to vote, preventing children from working in factories or coal mines or instituting the eight hour work day. Democracy, it would seem is an on-going, evolving process, and we determine what is right and in the public good as we continue to grow as a society. The Constitution isn’t a static and unchanging document and it’s framers didn’t intend it as such. It really comes down to two fundamentally different ways of looking at the world—and the framers of the Constitution (Jefferson, for instance) themselves often embodied both poles.. You either believe that it’s right and natural that a wealthy, elite class of people should rule the world or you believe that the people who do all work in the world ought to have a say in how things are run. These are questions about 1) what is civilization for? and 2) what is to be the fate of the mass of humanity? Should the human race call the shots for what is in the best interests of the largest number of people, or is the human race simply there to carry a small number of people in wealth, power and luxury? You can find defenders of both viewpoints everywhere, including here, and they both quote the Constitution to support their positions. Not unlike how right-wing Fundamentalists and Liberation Theologists both quote the Bible. Will the real Constitution please stand up?

Why are ALL the posts on this thoughtful and considered, EXCEPT for ‘freedom2010’, who seems to ‘LOL’ at anything he cannot understand—-obviously a holdover from tha Raygun Era…what a loser…

Well said, Village Elder!

The rise of these hate groups, extremists, religious righters, anti-gay, racist, anti-abortionists, various and sundry other fringe groups is the result of the Nixon/Agnew political strategies which were refined under the guidance of Lee Atwater.  Ronald Regan served as the kindly spokesman enunciating the validity of these views.  The Gingrich contract on America, and related campaigns indulged in the politics of personal destruction until compromise and rational discussion were all but impossible.  The
Bush/Cheney campaigns for office and policy adoptions continued the politics of fear encouraging extremist views.  Rove, Turd blossom, is the latest practitioner of these techniques which promote the political balkanization of America.  That we have a rise in extremists and fringe groups should come as no shock.

Can we do anything in these comments to tone down the rage?  And should we?

Ah, another foaming-at-the-lips rightie who has managed to add 2 + 2 and come up with 22. Massive unemployment and a crashed economy…but Liberals are to blame. Surely couldn’t have anything to do with 8 years of that numbnuts, George Bush, or 30 years of Reaganomics. You ever notice that whenever a poster shows up with a name like oh, say, Freedom2010, or PatriotForever, etc., they’re always the ones with rambling, incoherent, mangled grammar and badly spelled posts? Must be a product of that fine Red State edjimucation they get in Beckistan. Hey, jerkwad, you hate Socialism so bad? Tell Granny to give back her Social Security and Medicare. And the next time you collect an unemployment check or something from Workmen’s Comp, give it back because it’s Socialism.

The state of perpetual global police actions (war) in which victory itself is an
outdated notion, the end of the Soviet Empire as a countervailing force, the
sweeping demographic changes in our neighborhoods, and the collapse of
radical self-interest as a pillar of governance, evinced in the economic
meltdown, have all added up to one giant clusterfck of an identity crisis in
America.

Apparently, who we are as individuals and as a nation is up for grabs. Some
have a lot more to say about it than others. Some sense the import of the age.
Some don’t. It’s fascinating to see some, seemingly under the sway of the wild
west mythos, operating under the belief that they can shoot their way out. Or
rather, shoot their way back, to an equally mythic golden age of some sort.
Guns may have their uses, but I’m pretty sure they can’t do that.

Maybe these enraged souls want time to stand still for a moment while they
catch their collective breath. Maybe things are moving too fast for them, and
they feel it’s better to play it safe than sorry. If that’s the case they’re going to
be deeply disappointed because things aren’t going to slow down. No matter
what they do, change is going to come faster and faster, with dizzying
ramifications even for those who are better prepared for it.

Whatever’s coming, I hope you have a good seat for the show. But keep your
wits about you. Otherwise you might end up as collateral damage is someone
else’s war.

The Right wing is going to get its wish. I have no doubt we’re headed for civil war. Except this time there won’t be any clear North vs. South. North and South will be ideological landscapes and the “war” will be carried out like it is in Iraq and elsewhere. The Right will initiate bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, etc. until the cities are a battlefield. The Right wing is already the ones with the biggest body count on their side. Read their blogs. They’re thirsting for Apocalypse. They can’t wait to exercise their gun rights on “Liberals” and, of course, “immigrants”, as in: brown people (uppity blacks and feminists will have their own mass graves). Read their blogs. Like confederates and Nazis, these murderers-in-waiting try to paint themselves as the victims, or use a holy cause to mop up the blood. At least at first, the sympathies of the Military will be with the Right. But crazy is as crazy does and none of these psychos has a clue how to govern. Like the Right wing ever since the last Civil War, they can start a bloodbath, ending it is something else again.

I think Obama came to office hoping to forge bipartisanship with the Repugs.
He obviously tried repeatedly to promulgate this, only to be slammed viciously
by the repugs at every turn. He should know by know that they dont care about
the welfare of this country’s citizens, but only about their keening hatred of
Obama and their obsession to destroy him at any cost. Are they patriots or
traitors?
If they are traitors (they are), they should be dealt with as such.

the hate ‘patriot’ groups which stand for nothing but their common hatred of
Obama are probably being funded by well-heeled repugs like Liz.

They will get what they deserve when Sarah pitbull Palin is elected in 2012 (this
is a woman who believes the earth is five thousand years old and she has been
sent by God to fulfill the Apocplypse).
Unfortunately, the rest of us will get it good too.

I guess I can understand why the Repugs are so angry, hateful and vicious-
their hero, W bankrupted the country,  raped the environment at every chance
he got, committed war criminal acts and now is enjoying a soft life on his
ranch. They want more of this and not un-korporate foolishness such as
financial, environmental or health care reform.

I have never seen them so obstructive in the congress but I guess I see it now
as it is just so obvious, to those with any brain, how evilly single-minded they
are and only caring about getting rid of Obama and not giving two craps about
the people they are supposed to serve and are paying their lavish perks and
salaries.
Sometimes I hope that there is a hell.
Obama’s efforts to seek any reconciliation with these assholes is a total waste
of time, so much for ‘new beginning’ he tried to create with them.
I hate being angry, and was for 8 years as W ravaged the country and its’
principles. I thought maybe this time it would be different.
I’ll need to take some anger management to deal with this sh## going on
today.Yikes