Internet Love Messages and Grover Norquist
On this Thanksgiving weekend Saturday morning, like so many others, my husband and I enjoy tuning our radio to Scott Simon's news program on Weekend Edition (National Public Radio).
Perhaps listening to the radio seems old fashioned these days, but Simon is a modern news man with old fashioned experience. In other words, Simon reports the real news (not entertainment), accompanied by balanced commentary.
Frankly, I apologize for linking Simon's august program with the name of a sleazy lobbyist like Grover Norquist. But, this morning's show included commentary from former Senator Alan K. Simpson (R-Wyoming), who segued this blog for me. Thank you, Senator, for revealing, with appropriate disdain, the evil impact Norquist has in his campaign to dismantle modern American politics. Norquist uses procrustean (i.e. coercive) tactics, by spending inherited money, for the nefarious political purpose of dismantling government. In fact, Norquist wants to reduce government to a small enough size to fit inside a bathtub. For many, who abhor this intent, the unsaid action following the bath tub analogy is obvious, allowing government to "circle the drain". In so doing, his intention is to eventually eliminate spending on government sponsored programs like Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, Pell Grants for poor students and foreign aid. In other words, cut government programs for the poor where ever in the world they happen to be.
Who is Grover Norquist? He's an American lobbyist born on October 19, 1956, and a radical conservative activist. By conservative, I mean, his idea of government flies in the face of Christian principles, which call us to care for the least of our people.
Norquist is the beneficiary of the Polaroid company money, which he inherited; but, he's best known for having all Republican Senators and Congress sign a "no tax" pledge (meanwhile, they've also taken a pledge to uphold the US Constitution.)
In a Norquist world, if our publicly paid elected officials refuse to sign his no tax pledge, his political action committee launches a campaign to defeat them in their primary elections. A threat? Is this coercion really "ransom". Isn't ransom illegal?
Which brings me to the point of this blog.
During this Thanksgiving weekend, I've been party with millions of Americans to receive a litany of messages about how grateful we are for our Constitutional freedoms. Of course, this freedom includes Norquist's quest to do whatever he wants with his inherited money - which he didn't earn.
Some people who generate these Thanksgiving love messages are professed Christians. Nonetheless, I dare say, some might jump in line to follow Norquist, especially if he provided them with enough of his money to parrot the "put government in a bath tub" mantra.
If we really believe these colorfully flowered "gone viral" messages, illustrated with American flags and fall foliage, then it's time to step back and think about the essence of their meaning.
By appreciating our freedoms, we also want every citizen to enjoy opportunities to live in a country where government is compassionate. I want my American governmental freedoms to include providing opportunities to all citizens.
Compassion is more than prettily packaged Internet messages. Isn't it time for "nation building" at home, as well as for other countries? Let's provide health care, good roads and retirement security to all our citizens.
Norquist is looking for a special bath tub to flush out Americans who live on the edge of financial disaster, who work three jobs to make ends meet, as Scott Simon reported on this morning. It's not because these hard working people are paying too much in taxes - some hardly earn enough money to pay much in taxes at all. They struggle because they're poor.
In a Norquist world, Darwinian survival of the fittest is the rule, providing security for those too financially fat, like he is, to slip down the drain.
Keeping with the Thanksgiving spirit, I will extend this Internet love message to Grover Norquist.
Dear Mr. Norquist "....what ever you do for the the least of my brothers (and sister), so you do unto me...."
Mr. Norquist, many Christians may not know the intention of your bath tub message. In my Internet world, the Thanksgiving message is simple "...he who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker..."
Perhaps listening to the radio seems old fashioned these days, but Simon is a modern news man with old fashioned experience. In other words, Simon reports the real news (not entertainment), accompanied by balanced commentary.
Frankly, I apologize for linking Simon's august program with the name of a sleazy lobbyist like Grover Norquist. But, this morning's show included commentary from former Senator Alan K. Simpson (R-Wyoming), who segued this blog for me. Thank you, Senator, for revealing, with appropriate disdain, the evil impact Norquist has in his campaign to dismantle modern American politics. Norquist uses procrustean (i.e. coercive) tactics, by spending inherited money, for the nefarious political purpose of dismantling government. In fact, Norquist wants to reduce government to a small enough size to fit inside a bathtub. For many, who abhor this intent, the unsaid action following the bath tub analogy is obvious, allowing government to "circle the drain". In so doing, his intention is to eventually eliminate spending on government sponsored programs like Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, Pell Grants for poor students and foreign aid. In other words, cut government programs for the poor where ever in the world they happen to be.
Who is Grover Norquist? He's an American lobbyist born on October 19, 1956, and a radical conservative activist. By conservative, I mean, his idea of government flies in the face of Christian principles, which call us to care for the least of our people.
Norquist is the beneficiary of the Polaroid company money, which he inherited; but, he's best known for having all Republican Senators and Congress sign a "no tax" pledge (meanwhile, they've also taken a pledge to uphold the US Constitution.)
In a Norquist world, if our publicly paid elected officials refuse to sign his no tax pledge, his political action committee launches a campaign to defeat them in their primary elections. A threat? Is this coercion really "ransom". Isn't ransom illegal?
Which brings me to the point of this blog.
During this Thanksgiving weekend, I've been party with millions of Americans to receive a litany of messages about how grateful we are for our Constitutional freedoms. Of course, this freedom includes Norquist's quest to do whatever he wants with his inherited money - which he didn't earn.
Some people who generate these Thanksgiving love messages are professed Christians. Nonetheless, I dare say, some might jump in line to follow Norquist, especially if he provided them with enough of his money to parrot the "put government in a bath tub" mantra.
If we really believe these colorfully flowered "gone viral" messages, illustrated with American flags and fall foliage, then it's time to step back and think about the essence of their meaning.
By appreciating our freedoms, we also want every citizen to enjoy opportunities to live in a country where government is compassionate. I want my American governmental freedoms to include providing opportunities to all citizens.
Compassion is more than prettily packaged Internet messages. Isn't it time for "nation building" at home, as well as for other countries? Let's provide health care, good roads and retirement security to all our citizens.
Norquist is looking for a special bath tub to flush out Americans who live on the edge of financial disaster, who work three jobs to make ends meet, as Scott Simon reported on this morning. It's not because these hard working people are paying too much in taxes - some hardly earn enough money to pay much in taxes at all. They struggle because they're poor.
In a Norquist world, Darwinian survival of the fittest is the rule, providing security for those too financially fat, like he is, to slip down the drain.
Keeping with the Thanksgiving spirit, I will extend this Internet love message to Grover Norquist.
Dear Mr. Norquist "....what ever you do for the the least of my brothers (and sister), so you do unto me...."
Mr. Norquist, many Christians may not know the intention of your bath tub message. In my Internet world, the Thanksgiving message is simple "...he who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker..."
Labels: Grover Norquist
posted by Juliana L'Heureux | 6:58 AM
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