Rhetorical Question: Is this sign racist?

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Originally uploaded by NineTwelvePhotos

If you need a reason to understand why reasonable people from left to reasonably right of center are pretty much convinced that opposition to health care reform has everything to do with the black president who's for it and little to do with any rational reason to be against it - well, heeer's your sign!

I'm not saying there aren't legitimate criticisms of the Democratic HCR proposals. Indeed, the latest one is getting rocks thrown at it by people loosely described as "intelligent carbon based lifeforms."

That's because it's a crappy bill intended to please corporate lobbyists. It's so crappy it doesn't even deserve a partisan or ideological critique. Further, it's probably a fairly cynical ploy on the part of a lawmaker to avoid having to choose between staying bought and getting re-elected.

It's a sad day when the advocates FOR universal health care also have to be the critics of bad health care legislation. That's the case when no conservative can speak without their words being tainted with crap like this.

But then, who's fault IS that? Evil is flourishing because good men have done nothing..
Since the Regan administration.

There is no conservative moral high ground in the United States today, and the Tea Party movement is proof of it. Anyone willing to stand with someone who will say such a thing - much less argue that it's not "really" racist - is unworthy of consideration. And I think little better of those who simply choose to say nothing at all. I dropped my support of Ron Paul for far less than this.

Racism requires such concentration upon tending one's prejudices that it becomes impossible to think around it. You cannot develop public policies to benefit everyone in any rational, conservative, intelligent, efficient way if your first priority in government is to make absolutely sure that "certain people" are kept down and never, EVER gain any benefit from anything government does. It's an extraordinarily expensive way to go about accomplishing very little.

That sort of willful incompetence is harmful to everyone. Even white racists who think they are doing a "heckuva job." See that smiling face above, so proud of her wit, so happy that someone stopped to take her picture. If it doesn't insult you to the very core of your being that ANY intelligent, qualified lawmaker does anything to pander to such stupid people - you have little appreciation of the fiscal impact of that pandering.

If you happen to recognize her, don't be shy. Thank her for making it too embarrassing to be known as a Conservative in polite company.

Let me be explicit, lest I be misunderstood. In no way should this woman or anyone like this woman be threatened. No violence, not a hint of outrage.

The proper response to this is no different than a child who has a childish, public tantrum. It is ignored, and if it persists, the response is a deadly quiet, precise reminder of the behavior expected of young ladies and gentlemen and to what degree such behavior marks the offender as unworthy of association with their betters.

Then they are escorted away from the presence of the grownups.

THAT is the proper response to offensive misbehavior on the part of children of all ages.