With the horrific events of the weekend slowly unfolding as each day passes, I see the typical reactionary congress debating the elimination of more of our rights, all in response to a tragedy perpetrated by a single disturbed individual. They are actually contemplating a law which would make it illegal to disagree with a congressman. The text of the article reads as follows [verbatim] “Rep. Robert Brady (D-Pa.) reportedly plans to introduce legislation that would make it a federal crime to use language or symbols that could be perceived as threatening or inciting violence against a federal official or member of Congress.”

“That could be perceived”?? What the hell does that mean? Who makes this determination, and how do you interpret a word or a symbol? Incite? I can incite my daughter with a chocolate bar for ‘crying out loud.

Next up on deck are all of the idiots who came flying out of the box, on national television no less, screaming about “He was a Tea Partier”, and I have yet to see a single retraction, even with the knowledge that he was on the hard left politically. It has been a long, long time since I have seen this many politicos on the idiot box inside of 24 hours, and they are doing nothing but skewering one another. Never mind the tragic deaths of those good people, never mind the sensibilities of their families, go for the throat.

When do we stop? When do we look at our nation as Americans instead of Democrats, Republicans, Tea Party or whatever? I am so sick and tired of this partisan bullshit I could scream. Instead of looking for solutions to the massive problems we face, we get hours and hours of meaningless rhetoric and obfuscation. We get partisan bickering over the minutest details of a bill, stalling it in endless committees and endless debate. It is way past time to put party affiliation aside and do what this country so desperately needs. It has become apparent to me that without quick action and a bi-partisan partnership, these congressmen and women will allow this once proud and great nation devolve in to a fascist corporatist police state. Welfare will become the norm, and millions will never know what it is like to have “enough” of everything. When the music stops, and it will, millions will be left without a chair.

The back and forth that we see over a congressperson getting shot, as terrible an event that it is, brings our primary problem in to sharp focus. Congress is afraid to act in any other than the interests of their campaign donors. God forbid we actually pass a bill on its merits alone. God forbid the congress act in the interests of the people who elected them. No, we can’t have that now, can we?

There are no easy solutions to our economic malaise, and no way out that does not include some pain, but there is a way out. It is up to the Citizens of the United States to stand up and let their congressperson know where they stand. It is up to the individual to actively poll your neighbors and friends; to educate them. So many people walk around in a TV and hopium induced daze that they have no solid idea what is really going on behind the curtain. When television shows about over privileged obnoxious cat fighting housewives overtakes the national discussion, we have a serious problem.

This can be our collective wake-up call. We can take this tragedy and try to turn it in to the discussion our congress is so terrified of having. We are sliding into the chasm and soon, the slide will be irrecoverable. Too big to fail, the endless printing of “money” and the absence of true leadership has to change in to something better. As a people, we can recover our republic by initiating conversation about our real problems, and refuse to continue the conversations that are created to distract us from the real threats. The next time someone tries to talk to you about a television program, turn it around, wake them up. Refuse to be involved in the circus and soon, those who surround you may just begin to wake up to reality.

Sorry about the rant.