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By Walter Davis
August 28, 2010 (San Diego) -- The Glenn Beck “Restore our honor” rally at the National Mall recently illustrated the continued short-sighted view point of the far right, and the left’s inability to arrest it. In speeches replete with religious over tones and nationalistic fervor, the Beck-Palin Tea Party rally was an insult to those who truly want freedom.
Associated Press reports (1) cited Beck as saying "Something beyond imagination is happening. America today begins to turn back to God." Never mind religious freedom and freedom from religion – or the billions of people who do not believe in God. The same report cited Palin as stating "I've been asked to speak as the mother of a soldier and I am proud of that distinction. Say what you want to say about me, but I raised a combat vet and you can't take that away from me." This was in reference to her son who completed a tour in Iraq. This was war mongering and glorification by someone who never fought in a war.
This rally was held on the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s I have a dream speech. Dr. King was a man of peace. This rally was an insult to peace loving people.
We can observe the misplaced hope in aggression and war; the glorification of war is a mistake. Palin and Beck do not have a record of fighting in wars; their records are on talking about them. Peace is the answer, not false flag attacks as part of veiled imperial mobilization.
Misplaced hope with a focus on fear, restriction of liberty and war. There is no focus on the poor and the weak. Meg Whitman appears to be mounting a withering attack on “welfare fraud” in her election campaign, as opposed to focusing corporate fraud, greed, lobbying and the other engines that stoke the flames of poverty. Conservative reactionary sound bites fan the flames of intolerance. Instead of promoting policies that address the origins of poverty; let’s arrest undocumented immigrants as opposed to focusing on the corporations as well. They victimize Latin America with modern day slavery economic policies that cause exodus.
Echoes of misplaced hope are further demonstrated in Conservative/Tea Party policy calling for the elimination of debt and a balanced budget. With the Federal Reserve central banking system, each dollar issued is issued in debt, hence, it is the failure of capitalism that is the culprit not the perceived poor people waiting in line for handouts. Ron Paul has the courage to speak out on this issue. A political system bought and paid for by corporations that limits the will and speech of the American people, liberal and conservative is the true oppressor of freedom.
There is misplaced hope in a “Tea Party” in which the very selection of its name desecrates the memory of patriots who fought England for freedom. We need a Common Sense Party that focuses on ethical, not moral, issues; a party that focuses on solutions of compromise and respect for the diversity that comprises this great country. Values reflected on this level would demonstrate well placed hope.
(1) Beck: Help us restore traditional American Values. Elliot/Sayeed. 25 August 2010. 25 August 2010. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100828/ap_on_en_tv/us_dc_rally
Walter Davis is a syndicated columnist and producer of five public access cable TV shows on COX Communications. His stories and shows focus on positive achievements of citizens in the community, highlighting leaders who are often overlooked by mainstream media. He has pioneered use of Internet TV in media applications including webcasting and web-conferencing, helping ordinary people get attention for their efforts and causes with his Citizens’ Internet TV Network. In addition, he founded the San Diego County Community Coalition, a progressive group that stands for human rights and social justice http://www.meetup.com/sdcommunitycoalition. Walter Davis is based in San Marcos and operates studios in Carlsbad and El Cajon. http://www.WalterDavisEnterprises.com.
The opinions expressed in this column reflect the views of its author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine. If you wish to submit an editorial for consideration, contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org.
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