Republicans Start the Year Off with Typical Stupidity

I guess Republicans didn't get the message in the election.  Losing the Presidential election and losing seats in both houses of Congress didn't drive it home.  So they just keep pushing their tired, ridiculous agenda.  Within the first few days of the new year, I've read about two extremely stupid bills being proposed by Republicans (gives me a good idea of what to expect for the next two years). 

First, while the Violence Against Women Act and the Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill go unapproved in Congress, Republican Michelle Bachman announced that she introduced the first bill of the 113th Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act.  Despite passing similar bills 33 times in the last useless congressional session that didn't go anywhere, Republicans apparently don't mind wasting millions more passing the repeal (the first 33 times cost an estimated $50 million to taxpayers). 

This morning, I read news of another Republican that has decided to waste taxpayer money by introducing a bill that would allow public schools to require the recitation of the Lord's Prayer.  Indiana state senator Dennis Kruse, who attempted and failed to get creationism taught in schools last year, filed a bill that would allow Indiana schools to force children to recite the Lord's Prayer, although the bill allows for individual students to opt out.  In this case, the Republican in charge of the Indiana state senate was intelligent enough to recognize that this bill is an unconstitutional waste of time.  He assigned it to the rules and legislative procedures committee and said that it was a clear violation of the first amendment. 

That leads to the question of why these legislators are introducing bills that they know will fail.  The answer is that they want to make a statement.  They believe that their agenda should be forced upon the rest of us, regardless of whether we want it or not.  They choose to make a statement that costs us millions of dollars.  Meanwhile, they complain about frivolous government spending. 

This just illustrates the hypocrisy of the Republican agenda.  They say they want to stop spending, but waste millions on bills they know won't pass.  They say they want smaller government, but want to write more laws restricting the freedoms of specific groups.  Ask them why, and they'll tell you that there's a difference between conservative fiscal policy and conservative social policy.  Of course there is, that difference is called hypocrisy. 

I can respect a true libertarian.  They don't want government intrusion at all.  They want very little government in either fiscal or social policy.  While I may not agree with much of their agenda, I can respect them for having a solid belief and applying it to all aspects of government. On the other hand, today's conservatives are simply hypocrites who only push their ideology as far as it benefits their agenda.  They are perfectly willing to compromise their ideology to make a statement about their beliefs (which is ironic because they refuse to compromise with anyone who believes differently in order to get things accomplished).  Maybe this is why their party is imploding...no one, not even their own party members, can really a group that doesn't live up to its ideals and proves itself full of hypocrites over and over.  Hopefully all of this silliness and waste ends after the 2014 election when many of these people are removed from office. 

Sandy Hook Editorial Cartoon Draws Ridiculous Comments

In response to the Sandy Hook tragedy, an editorial cartoonist for The Indianapolis Star, Gary Varvel, created a cartoon (above) depicting what many parents were feeling that day.  While most people shared the same feelings that Varvel portrayed in his cartoon, some people had an inexplicable reaction to the image. 

One poster on the paper's Facebook page said that the cartoon trivialized the incident.  Another commenter called the artist an "ass" for his "portrayal of death in a 'cartoon.'"  Multiple commenters mentioned that it shouldn't take a tragedy like this for people to hug their children or to be grateful when they come home. 

Let me gather my thoughts for a moment...okay.  If any of these commenters happen to read this blog, do the rest of us a favor.  Shut up.  Delete your Facebook account.  Cancel your internet.  Burn your computer.  You have no business dealing with the rest of humanity. 

Here's the thing...this is a piece of art.  It is a cartoon depicting a mother who is so overrun by grief and fear after watching news of a horrible tragedy that she feels the primal instinct to grab her child and hold her close.  This instinct serves so many purposes.  First, it is a part of our natural instinct to protect our children.  As parents, we all have a certain amount of underlying fear whenever our children are not with us.  We know that we can't protect them when they are elsewhere.  This fear is multiplied by thousands when we see others who have just had to face the reality that they could not protect their child, and lose a son or daughter.  When we are holding our children in our embrace, we are as secure as we can be that no harm is coming to them. 

Second, the embrace of a child after this kind of tragedy is a way for parents to release the fear and anxiety that has been building in us from the time we hear the news until our child is in our arms.  The physical contact reassures us and allows our fear and anxiety to dissipate.  This is why many people, such as my guest blogger from yesterday, cried when they embraced their children.  The tears are our way of letting go of that pain, fear, and anxiety.  It has nothing to do with not being grateful every day or not hugging your children at every available opportunity. 

The final point that I want to make is about art.  This is a cartoon.  That doesn't mean that it is sarcastic, mocking, or joking.  It is simply one of many forms of art.  This same scene could have been recorded by photographers across the nation.  It could be painted by an artist who works in realistic painting.  It just happens that this artist works in cartoons.  It is the medium in which he is comfortable.  What he did in this piece of art was to show people across the country that they are not alone in their feelings.  Many of us had the same emotions as the people in his cartoon.  The image shows an understanding of what it is to be human, and what it is to be a parent faced with the realization that someone could take your child from you in the blink of an eye.  If anyone can't see past the form of the art and see the beauty of the image, then that person has wasted his or her life by gaining no depth as a person and no appreciation for artistic representation of life. 

This is a beautiful image and I say, well done Mr. Varvel!  I will end with the words of Mr. Varvel himself (taken from his Facebook page):

"I noticed that some have criticized my cartoon of a mother hugging her child as some bizarre attempt at humor. It is a common misconception that the job of an editorial cartoonist is to be funny. But humor is NOT my job. Humor is just a tool I use occasionally to communicate an idea. My job is to express opinions and in this case, the mood of the country after a tragic event. Obviously, humor is NOT the right tool in this instance. So my cartoon simply reflects the emotional response of parents around the world who are reminded that life is fragile and at a time like this our first response is to hold and love our children. My heart grieves for the parents who cannot hug their little ones any more. I have no idea of the pain they are going through. But I pray that they will find the peace of God that transcends all understanding." - Gary Varvel

Mourning for the Sandy Hook Elementary Victims & Families

 

You all may have noticed that I have been fairly silent today.  I'm sure the reason is fairly obvious.  The tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School today has struck me to my core.  I am pretty good at handling tragedy, and even death.  However, I don't take it well when innocent children are the victims of senseless violence.  

As I watched the news of this shooting at work, I began to feel an emptiness.  I couldn't think about anything but a deep and primal need to grab my fourth grade daughter and hold her close.  I began to fear sending my one-year-old to kindergarten.  I imagine that many of us spent a little longer holding our children tonight when we put them to bed.  It's hard not to think of those who had their children taken from them today, and will no longer be able to hug them or kiss them goodnight.  My most heartfelt condolences to those who lost someone today, particularly those who lost a child.  I can't begin to imagine what they are feeling.  Even the thought of that experience brings tears to my eyes. 

I will wait until tomorrow to engage in any discussion of the social and political aspects of this situation.  For me, tonight is not a time for political or social discussion and debate.  Tonight is a time to share in the grief of those who are mourning a senseless loss.  Tonight is a night to say a prayer for the families of the victims and the souls of those who were killed by a coward.