Back in the 1950s, Senator Joe McCarthy tried to instill fear in the American people over Communism. Many in Hollywood were accused of being Communists or Communist sympathizers. So were academics, trade unionists, and free thinkers in general.

Now McCarthyism is back, but updated for today's times. It is a new McCarthyism. And this time the perceived threat is "socialism".

The right-wing fear mongers have their sheep in a frenzy over allegations that Obama in general, and health care reform in particular, are leading this nation into "socialism".

The sheep are naive enough to fall for the spin machine that tries to equate socialism with Marxism and/or Communism. That's kind of like suggesting that all dogs are pit bulls. These people never were too appreciative of semantic nuance.

And they apparently didn't pay a lot of attention in Poli Sci class, either.

Or else they are just willingly allowing their fears and emotions to subconsciously deny what they might actually know to be the truth. Because fear, especially racially induced fear, is that powerful, unfortunately.

And so they descend on the health care town hall meetings with their pictures of Obama with a crudely drawn Hitler-style mustache. (I guess socialism = Nazism now, too, for those who will not think. Except that Obama wants to kill all the old people instead of all the Jews.)

They descend on the health care town hall meetings with enough ignorance to challenge the premise that the United States of America should provide for the health and well-being of the citizens who form this nation (although they don't -- i.e., cannot -- word it that way). But then, of course, it's not as though this were still a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people". At least not since Reagan.

And they descend on the health care town hall meetings with their guns fully loaded. And sometimes they get away with it.

So who are the real extremists here? Who are the real threats?

Within all this exhausting drama lie a number of ironies:

First of all, is it not ironic that the right-wingers get to show up at Obama's town hall meetings with loaded guns, when George W. Bush's handlers were famous for systematically banishing citizens who merely sported tee-shirt slogans that they disagreed with?

Next, we need to remember the Terri Schiavo case. The Republicans in the White House and Congress actually saw fit to intervene in this private family medical matter. And all for the wrong reasons. But when a black president tries to provide for the well-being of everyday Americans, and give them some control over their own lives, suddenly he is accused of wanting to kill your grandmother. Even though he doesn't.

Furthermore, we must distinguish between popular socialism and corporate socialism. The right wing will not stand up for the well-being of everyday folks. They don't want to stand up for the workers, or the minorities, or the poor and underprivileged. But they waste no time in rescuing the banks that prey on the vulnerable, and the automobile companies that have kept their heads buried in the sand for the past 20 years. That, dear reader, is corporate socialism. And that, dear reader, appears to be OK -- while populist socialism is not.

Corporate America = too big to fail. You and I = too small to matter. Welcome to America, 2009.

Finally, it is amusing to note that these are some of the same people who send their children to (socialist) public schools. These are some of the same people who expect a (socialist) ambulance to appear when they dial 9/11 in a medical emergency. These are some of the same people who hope that a (socialist) fire truck will arrive quickly when their house is on fire. And these are the some of same people who rely on a (socialist) police force to help keep them safe from crime.

Because it all benefits society as a whole in the long run. And that, by extension, benefits each of us.

That is what socialism (in this context) is really all about.

And that, apparently, is what the right-wingers are really so afraid of.

It may be nice if he tried to read the healthcare bill

You know it. What rakes me is that they don't only go on vacation, they go all over the globe using our money and they seem to vacation all the time. In the mean time my family who works 24 - 7 to pay for his extravagances didn't get a vacation at all. My 12 year old son would love to go to even one of the places they got to go to. Four years of this is not a pleasant thought. We make good money but with the economy the way it is we can't afford it. People, next time we vote, please remember all that has already passed. George didn't start the war but he sure got sucked into it, and if he hadn't, you know darned well that everyone would have been up in arms. The guy made a mistake going into Iraq, but you all know that the criminals were running anywhere they could to get away from Afghanastan. Just like roaches you have to hunt them down and crush them or they just keep coming and multiplying. Obama is the biggest farce going and I am discusted with the morons that voted him into office. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!

Shoot! I thought maybe he was finally going to read the bills coming out of "DER CONGRESS." But I forgot, you're not supposed to read 'em, just sign 'em.

Awesome books, all three. I think he also wrote: The Burning of the Constitution" and "Obamunism, a new a worse form of Communism"

4. "Why Right Winger's are morons and morally decrepid" -By Barack Obama

At least he reads...Bush hasn't read a book since "See Dick and Jane Run".

What about
1. HOW TO DESTROY THE MIDDLE CLASS WHILE MAKING THE RICH RICHER by DUMBYA BUSH

2. HOW TO START WARS, CLAIM VICTORY AND NOT ACTUALLY FINISH THEM by DUMBYA BUSH

3. HOW TO TURN A RECORD SURPLUS INTO A RECORD DEFICIT by DUMBYA BUSH

Where's MCarthy when you need him?

Read the healthcare bill!!!! AND, while you're at it, read that Energy Bill the House wants to send through!

Don't forget "Health Care for Idiots"

My sentiments exactly!

Will the be actual books or will someone be feeding them through a TelePrompTer for him?

(never pass up the opportunity to throw out a TelePrompTer line when the chance arises)

Destroy growth?? What growth? GW sank this nation, there is nowhere to go but up, idiot. And by the way, the president DOES actually get a paycheck, he's paying for his own vacation, moron.

Obama is destroying growth? What growth?!?

Obviously, you haven't paid attention the past 8 years.

-How to invent another war like Irak and cash on it ?( N. Korea?, Iran ? ) by GOP
-How to send more american soldiers to get killed? inventing a war? by GOP
-How to transfer billions and billions of tax payers money to the big corporations? by GOP, Halliburton and others corporation
-How to leak information to expose CIA agents to death ? BY GOP, DICK CHENNEY, LEWIS " SCOOTER" LIBBY, KARL ROVERS AND OTHERS.
-How to sabotage the economy, lie about it and become financial terrorists ? by GOP
-How to pose as "CHRISTIAN, CONSERVATIVE CONGRESMAN" and pay prostitutes with taxpayers money, been adulterer, pedofile? By GOP, DAVID "THE PROSTITUTE BOY" VITTER, MARK FOLEY,ENSIGN, MARK SANFORD.......
How to subsidy oil companys that make 50 billions profit/year and give them 18 billions subsidies? By GOP
How to destroy the economy in 8 YEARS ? by GOP
How to torture people and destroy Irak? By GOP
How to read more than 2k pages in 1 week if Sarah Palin NEVER read 10% of that in her whole life? By GOP
to be continued.

These four are MUSTS: Culture of Corruption by Michelle Malkin, Common Sense by Glenn Beck, Catastrophe by Dick Morris, and for easy summer reading, A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity by Bill O'Reilly (42 weeks on the NYTimes best sellers list, and it must be killing them.)

-How to invent another war like Irak and cash on it ?( N. Korea?, Iran ? ) by GOP
-How to send more american soldiers to get killed? inventing a war? by GOP
-How to transfer billions and billions of tax payers money to the big corporations? by GOP, Halliburton and others corporation
-How to leak information to expose CIA agents to death ? BY GOP, DICK CHENNEY, LEWIS " SCOOTER" LIBBY, KARL ROVERS AND OTHERS.
-How to sabotage the economy, lie about it and become financial terrorists ? by GOP
-How to pose as "CHRISTIAN, CONSERVATIVE CONGRESMAN" and pay prostitutes with taxpayers money, been adulterer, pedofile? By GOP, DAVID "THE PROSTITUTE BOY" VITTER, MARK FOLEY,ENSIGN, MARK SANFORD.......
How to subsidy oil companys that make 50 billions profit/year and give them 18 billions subsidies? By GOP
How to destroy the economy in 8 YEARS ? by GOP
How to torture people and destroy Irak? By GOP
How to read more than 2k pages in 1 week if Sarah Palin NEVER read 10% of that in her whole life? By GOP
to be continued.

LEAVE HIM ALONE