'Lilly White America is fed up !!!'

Thank you, Internet, for allowing these people to find each other:

I estimated the crowd at 400 but was told 100 more people, who couldn't get in the banquet room, gathered in another room where they couldn't even hear the speakers. Yet they refused to go home.

Claris Van Kuiken, 55, of New Lenox, said she joined the movement because she fears politicians are not only attempting to undermine the country but Christian institutions as well, with a vision of a one-world government and occultism.

"I wrote a book about it," she told me. "Americans really don't understand what is happening to our government and our churches."

Susan Carduff, also of New Lenox, was there with her husband, Michael, to "get rid of corruption politicians," to oppose gun control and battle for lower taxes.

Nancy Mirabelli, of Palos Park, said she's pro-life, pro-family and "just tired of a lot of stuff going on in Washington."

I really think we should just form the Tired of A Lot of Stuff party and let everybody who thinks "they're all just as bad as the others" and "everyone in Washington sucks" and "throw them ALL out" join up, like when I was in college and a party was formed to dissolve the student government. It got itself elected, dissolved the student government, and then everybody stood around for a few years scratching their asses and wondering why nobody listened to students and tuition kept going up and the chancellor wrapped himself around corporate interests like a koala around a tree. 

I really don't blame these nutjobs for their nutjobbery. People do have a really good radar for when things aren't as they should be, and it's pretty hard to argue that anyone isn't screwed these days. I blame the hucksters and liars who glom onto that vague sense of dissatisfaction and turn it into an assault on God or the flag or something not being "pro-family" as if boys kissing is the problem here and not that the manufacturing base has collapsed and middle class debt-free living is nonexistent and Oh God I'd Better Not Get Sick and Vera Bradley's making handbags and there seems to be absolutely no way that anyone can explain that any of this will get any better.

I mean, if I think about it too hard I'll go kind of crazy again and start stockpiling dry goods like last spring  when I was convinced we'd revert to some kind of agrarian barter economy in which I'd have no useful skills to sell so I bought all the flour that was in the store. BECAUSE.

(Fuck, I need to get out that cookbook my mother in law gave me for Christmas and bake bread with all that stuff. And to stop reading post-apocalyptic lit.)

I understand panic, what I don't understand is the level of sociopathy that lets you take advantage of panic to sell something. Which is all the national Tea Party leaders are doing, and not any new thing at all. It is the political equivalent of solar ovens and urine-purification water systems for the Y2K apocalypse.

Oh, and that book mentioned above? MAN: 

This book reveals the account of several faithful witnesses who stood gallantly for the truth of God's Word in the face of persecution from the members of their own church's governing body-for a period of four years! The controversy centered around the writings of a well known "Christian" auther and the denial of essential doctrinal teachings of the Christian faith. Yet, the problem was much deeper than these writings; it rested in the utter refusal of the pastors and elders to stand for the faith even in the face of numerous denials of Scripture. "Unity for the price of truth" seems to characterize the political shenanigans that ensued. But what was most amazing was the spiritual strength of the 'appellants' (including the author) in cutting through the deception and denials that surrounded the proceedings-. This is a true story of courageous, martyr-spirited Christians who would not give up as long as there was still hope that truth would prevail. I urge you to read ! this riveting book . . . after all, this kind of situation could happen even in YOUR church. Be ready for it!

Yeah. "Auther."

A.

Comments

[montag]

Persecution has always been an historical mainstay in Christian dogma (let's face it--there was persecution in the beginning), but, today, persecution has come to mean that they can't have their way all the time, everywhere. Secular government is an avatar of persecution. That people still have the right to tell them to buzz off, take their proselytizing elsewhere and go bother someone else is evidence of persecution. That they don't get to run things as they please--just because they're Christians--is persecution.

Truth is, for a segment of the population, if they got everything they wanted, they'd still feel persecuted. It's part of Christian DNA.

[Michael]

You know, the more I read about the tea partiers, the more I think they're the tired remnants of the Ross Perot movement...only this time instead of Perot's personal fortune buying the attention, the media itself is doing the heavy lifting...Fox acts as promoter, the rest of the press follows, reporting on 'what others are reporting,' etc.

[virgotex]

I enjoyed reading !!!! this reveting post

[The Other Sarah]

so who'll be the first to tag it "unreadable drivel" at amazon?

[MapleStreet]

" I don't understand is the level of sociopathy that lets you take advantage of panic to sell something"

Uh, president from 2001 to 2008 was ??????

And as mentioned above, in the fundamentalist screed, persecution means that you are following Jesus. It becomes a self-affirmation.

[Jude]

Why not a post-apocalyptic cookbook?

Marie Curie's papers and effects--even her cookbooks--are so highly contaminated that they're stored in lead-lined containers.

[pansypoo]

reagan democrats who can't believe they were TOTALLY SCREWED by his party.

[Robert M.]

Marie Curie's papers and effects--even her cookbooks--are so highly contaminated that they're stored in lead-lined containers.

This is my new favorite fact ever.

My only real bit of surprise came when I clicked through and found that this isn't safely in the South somewhere (which would be equally problematic, but expected). Unfortunately, these kooks are less than two hours from my home... which means "Tea Party Folks Are Your Neighbors" is not a headline but more of a warning. I'm mentally reading it in breathy, panicked horror-movie-survivor mode: "The call is coming from inside the house!"

[Snarki, child of Loki]

I don't think the post-apocalyptic cookbook has been written yet, although Marie Curie's cookbook's might make a good start:

"...and add just a dash of Radium salts for that extra zing!"

[Harris]

Good reading. Spread it around.

[Interrobang]

I was having a dream last night about a postapocalyptic world in which food featured prominently, so maybe I should write the postapocalyptic cookbook.

[hoppy]

Ah...the postapocalyptic cooking style: stir ingredients together fast. Wait a few seconds and the dish is cooked. No need for deciding whether to use gas or electric, wood fire or kerosine. Cook anywhere, right where you are standing. No more snow, for sure.

Right now all of that sounds good, but it usually does in mid winter.

[mds]

You know how they say Pennsylvania is Philly and Pittsburgh with Alabama in between? What's the version of that for Illinois?

And why am I not surprised by there being someone from New Lenox? Their official home page is titled:

The Village of New Lenox - Home of Proud Americans

I might be reading too much into that, but there seems to be a definite "As opposed to ..." subtext. Mokena needs to invade them already.

[teabagger]

It's obvious some of you commenting here don't have a clue about the history of this country, or you just don't care about it. And, by the way, the book talked about hasn't been published yet, but it will be, hopefully soon. Maybe you should quit complaining about things you obviously know nothing about and actually do some research. But, then again, maybe being a Christian and/or standing up for your rights as citizens isn't your cup of tea.