Fear Not, Fear Nut

“Mistrust the man who finds everything good;
the man who finds everything evil;
and still more the man who is indifferent to everything"
Johann Kaspar Lavater
Swiss Theologian
1741-1801

“The people I distrust most are those who want to improve our lives
but have only one course of action."
Frank Herbert
American science fiction Author
1920-1986

“I always distrust people who know so much about
what God wants them to do to their fellows."
Susan B. Anthony
American Suffragette
1820 -1906

I have written, here and on elsewhere, posts about the Birthers and their legal spokesperson (at least, legal for now) Orly Taitz. Some of the responses I have received have been longer than the original article, many of them have been very courteous and even reasonably articulate, but not what I would consider solidly researched or well reasoned.

Some will contend that Birthers are a fringe movement that does not merit serious consideration. I have contended that while it is certainly an embarrassment to those who hold less extreme views, and who wish to distance and disassociate themselves from the Birthers, these 'true believers' in the Birther cause are gaining in numbers, and are not as distinct from their larger constituent base as the remainder of that base might wish them to be. Because the numbers of the Republican party are so reduced, because the support of conservatives has become so dimished, there appears to be a trend to claim support of the mainstream that is not there, but to accept as the reality, allowing a greater percentage of more extreme individuals and movements more power and more determination in their politics. In essence, there is a vacuum which draws these people in, and which the more serious, the more moderate, the more legitimate political view holders are unable to push out of their political tent. What troubles me is that the individuals who line up in support of the Birthers, with few exceptions seem to be both incapable of serious critical thought, and incapable of even the most basic, intellectually honest research. They are willing to accept the worst second hand ideas without challenge, and even further distanced information posing as facts. The instances of citing sources such as The Law of Nations as a binding legal basis for their claims, clearly without having read much less really understood its concepts, is only one example.

While previously there was a geographic focus to the Birthers, with the overwhelming majority among white southerners, that is shifting. As an example, recently in New Jersey, clearly not a southern state in any sense of orientation, there were among conservatives in a recent poll by Public Policy Polling, www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_NJ_916.PDF the following results to a survey of opinion:
Q.4 Do you think President Obama was born in the United States? Yes 64%, No 21%, Not Sure 16%.

To be fair, the next question, which fairly quizzes the 'truther' idiocy is:
Q.5 Do you think that George W. Bush had advance knowledge of the 9/11 terrorist attacks pulled these numbers: Yes 19%, No 69% Not Sure 11%.

However, Q 11 completely blew my mind, that this is an actual, held belief among the Christian fundamentalist fringes:
Q. 11 Do you believe that Barak Obama is the Anti-Christ?: Yes 8%, No 79%, Not Sure 13%.

Say WHAAAAAAAAAAAT??????? While I try very conscientiously to be tolerant AND respectful of a wide range of religious beliefs, this is not anywhere near within my comfort zone from my fellow Americans; this is just plain NUTS and not suitable for compromise. Add in that cross referencing self-directed preferences in voting with beliefs about Obama, of those who voted for McCain, 37% do not believe that Obama was born in the United States, and another 24% are not sure. My math tells me that among those who voted for McCain a total of 61% of those polled in New Jersey, not the south, are not confident that our President is eligible to be our President. Of those who identify themselves as Conservative, 18% believe that Obama IS the Anti-Christ, and another 17% are not sure, for a whopping 35%, more than a third, who are not confident that Obama is NOT the Anti-Christ.

So, when I read the Complaint to the California Bar, at www.scribd.com/doc/15546236/Taitz-State-Bar-Complaint seeking discipline (I'm guessing they're bucking for disbarment?) of Orly Taitz, and the items in the complaint include things like holding "unlawful Citizens Grand Juries" which appear to be nothing more than meetings of partisan vigilantes, who then try to serve and enforce their kangaroo court proceedings on legitimate individuals and entities, at least in Georgia threatening violence if they are not enforced and on other occasions encouraging armed revolt and a military coup, I find it scary how many of my fellow citizens seem receptive to her message. When I read that Taitz does her recruiting for her Birther movement from among military and ex-military attending events like the Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot in West Point, Kentucky (a state where Ms. Taitz is not credentialed to practice law), I find it alarming - and I happen to LIKE guns. See the following, from the complaint contents : http://washingtonindependent.com/37511/at-gun-show-conservatives-panic-about-obama, http://washingtonindependent.com/37360/scenes-from-the-real-america and http://washingtonindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/1664_0099.jpg

The sentence which follows, in the bar complaint, which I found most telling was "While the many outright lies contained in this flyer, if produced by a private citizen, would probably [be] protected by the First Amendment, when promulgated by an attorney, it further violates the duty to employ only those means only as are consistent with the truth."

I encourage reading of this complaint; it is edifying, and possibly just a bit terrifying. I do NOT, emphatically, believe that these views are supported by a majority of conservatives, or by a majority of those who identify themselves as republicans; those people I respect. But I do believe that conservative and republican entities, in desperation at their low, declining numbers, are giving these fringe elements unparalleled, unprecedented acceptance, consideration and cooperation out of what they perceive as necessity. I do not see these extremists being very widely repudiated or rejected, especially not their money.

I see false fears promoted by the likes of Michael Steele, chair of the RNC, with mailings claiming that ACORN will be doing the 2010 census and could steal our personal data; with poll questions that try to alarm by raising the specter of voter registration being used to deny republicans health care under proposed reform; with churning the fear of 'death panels to pull the plug on grandma' - among other instances. I see false fears promoted by the likes of Congressman Wilson claiming that illegal aliens would have access to insurance coverage under proposed health care reform, despite the applicability of the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which has been effective in preventing that kind of access to government services. There are numerous attempts to gain employment through fraudulent claims of citizenship that have been documented, including by criminal court cases, but I am unaware of similar numbers of people falsely claiming citizenship to improperly or illegally gain any kind of welfare benefits, based on my research so far.

We need fairly, and united, to address the valid concerns, the real and legitimate fears, and to move away from these false frights; and most of all, those who are mercenary in benefitting from this activity need to stop.