The Tea Baggers

*UPDATE* Chuck Norris announces on the radio that he would like to be the President of Texas, should the secede from the Union. He said "I may run for president of Texas,” Norris wrote Monday in a column posted at WorldNetDaily. “That need may be a reality sooner than we think. If not me, someone someday may again be running for president of the Lone Star state, if the state of the union continues to turn into the enemy of the state.”

I try not to talk about politics too much on here, because for many people, it's a touchy subject- especially during this time of economic hardship. But today I'm not going to try to avoid stepping on toes. I just read about the most appalling words the Governor of Texas said yesterday while at a Tax Day Tea Party.

At one the parties, Governor Rick Perry said to the crowd, "I'm just not real sure you're a bunch of right-wing extremists. But if you are, we're with you." He said this as the crowd chanted "Secede" over and over again in the background.

I can't tell you how disgusted that makes me. I expect fringe groups to make claims of secession, but not from the Governor of Texas, who is conveniently up for reelection this year and also has his eye on the 2012 ticket. What makes it all the more troubling, is that he said this on the heel of of a report released by the Department of Homeland Security that contends right-wing extremist groups may be using the recession and the election of the nation's first African-American president to recruit members.

Defined, "Right Wing Extremists are typically those who believe in an ideology which is hostile to the constitution and mostly contemptuous of human life. They are often recognized by their hostility towards minorities and violence directed against minorities only because of their ethnic origin." So I'm a bit confused why Governor Perry would include himself, and his fellow Conservatives, in this group.

I certainly don't think that regular Conservative Republicans are RWE, and don't think RWE think regular Conservative Republicans are RWE. It's hard for me fathom that a popularly elected Governor of the second largest state in the Union would lump himself and many others, in a group who's heros include Adolf Hitler, Augusto Pinochet, Timothy McVeigh, and David Duke - just to name a few!

Later on in the day, when a reporter asked if Texas might actually consider seceding from the Union, he replied, "if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that."

Now don't me get wrong, I do believe in States' Rights, it's part of the fundamental check and balance process that keeps our government from swinging too far in any direction. I don't think that States' Rights means Governors' Rights. In addition to Perry, the Governors of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alaska, and South Carolina have all rejected huge portions of the Federal Stimulus money meant to help struggling local economies and create more employment opportunities. I believe this is wrong; in my opinion that kind of decision needs to be made by the respective state legislatures- the voice of the citizens. If they decide not to accept it, that's fine, but at least it wasn't the decision of one person, who most likely has visions of being on the Republican Presidential ticket in 2012, i.e., Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal, and Rick Perry.

One of the reasons I majored in Government was that I loved the idea of differing opinions and ideologies coming together to make decisions that would steadily improve quality of life, be that in homeland security, education, health care, or commerce. Even though you might disagree on every level of the political process, everyone shared the common goal of doing what was best for the nation. Yes, that sounds a but idealistic, but I really believe it. That's why this makes me so mad!! By giving any kind of proper acknowledgement to a group that's openly derisive towards everyone who's not "just like them," he's done nothing but give them political legitimacy. And the idea of a Texas secession is just crazy, it's never going to happen, and even entertaining the notion of it shows how he is willing to cut off his nose to spit his face (Texas).

Wow, I feel a lot better now that I've gotten that of my chest! Don't worry, this won't be a regular occurrence, my heart is pounding just thinking about clicking that Publish Post button. If you passionately disagree with this, I'd love to hear why. I like understanding every side of the coin and being able to understand and accept differing opinions is all part of the process of self-improvement.

And P.S.- why do yesterdays protesters and organizers keep referring to themselves, and the other attendees of the Tax Day Tea Party, as Tea-Baggers and that by attending a TDTP you were Teabagging? Do they not know what that means? They showed a picture on MNSBC of a little boy wearing a shirt that said "I'm Teabagging," and when I saw it, I almost spit my diet coke out of my mouth, I was laughing so hard. Well, if they don't know, someone might want to give them a little heads up on what Teabagging is.