Monthly Archives: July 2011

John Quincy Adams – the sixth president of the United States – was born 11 July 1767; the Declaration of Independence was signed 4 July 1776; when the document was signed giving birth to these United States, John Quincy wasn’t present. His father John Adams and even his uncle Samuel Adams were there, but alas young John Q was not. Why wasn’t he there? Because he was only eight years old, and as Clarence Thomas so recently pointed out, young John Q. wouldn’t have had any civil rights or liberties to declare. John Quincy Adams was eight years old when the nation was founded; when the “Founding Fathers”, founded it. You can’t be a founding father when you’re eight, and when you’re not there, and that’s a fact.

But when has Republican/Tea Party (GOTP) hopeful Michele Bachmann (aka Krazy) ever cared about facts? After all she was born in the same town as John Wayne (actually it was John Wayne Gacy an infamous serial killer). At a recent campaign stop Krazy declared that John Quincy Adams was a Founding Father. She also claimed the Founding Fathers worked tirelessly to end slavery, but that of course is also a misstatement. Remember the whole 3/5 of a person thing?

But why worry about a few misstatements of historical accuracy? After all she only wants to be president, and it’s not like she gave a fanciful recreation of Paul Revere’s ride complete with nonexistent shots and bells and had Revere making his famous midnight ride to warn the British?

Problem is this is how the Tea Party – and its celebrated candidates – views history; incorrectly. And few seem to either notice or care. We live in an era when uber-right wing talking heads imagine themselves as being the intellectual equals of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, George Washington and Thomas Paine, complete with rewriting these men’s political philosophies in updated language – meaning to suit the talking heads own agendas. For instance in today’s politically charged right wing world, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal …” would be translated to say, “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all white male conservative Christian Americans are created equal …”

Tea Party members, and their candidates, are attempting to rewrite history, some deliberately, and some out of ignorance – Palin and Bachmann – in an attempt to make our country into something the Founders never intended; an oligarchy with fabulously wealthy conservatives pulling all the strings and determining our collective political futures. Why do Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck all think Citizens United was a wonderful ruling? Because they fashion themselves to be part of the wealthy class, they see it as the opportunity to run things while never running for office. Why do Tea Party members think it was a great thing? Because they all believe one day that Lotto ticket is going to pay out big.

Rewriting history to serve one’s political purpose is criminal – conservatives’ attempting to speak for what the Founder’s true intent was to suit their own political and financial ambitions; rewriting history out of ignorance – conservatives attempting to speak for what happened, and for what the Founder’s true intent was and getting it completely wrong is just sad. But it’s even sadder when all the Tea Party members attending events and watching on FOX PAC nod right along with Bachmann and Palin as they get it wrong.