Change We Can Disbelieve In

According to national surveys conducted by non-partisan groups, the radical right wing -- neofascist Christian white folks as well as a sprinkling of other ethnicities -- are not happy that we have a president of color, who is actually a true African American hybrid. Yes! In 2013! With the current population trending towards a dominance of people who are not lily-white, the former Silent Majority are fast becoming the Vocal Minority.

A thorn in the foot might not seem life-threatening, but that small sliver will cripple you to move freely and if left unattended, cause a pernicious infection. Likewise, through gerrymandering that was voted into law by a Republican Congress, these right wing nuts hold sway in districts that will always elect their own, despite overwhelming proof that they could very well take down the world economy.

The change that we believed in has turned into a clock with its hands spinning backwards -- not because Obama has been unable or unwilling to stop playing with the good old multi-national corporate boys -- but because of that little thorn called racism, better described as tribalism.

After watching footage of a Tea Party rally held last week and hearing the views of the white folks in attendance, I suddenly felt afraid for the American system of governance for the first time in my life. The misinformation, stupidity, and sheer ignorance that was spouted as gospel was beyond belief, except that these people are actually political activists. And also the ones with the guns.

So while many of us sleep comfortably in our beds, there is a rising disparity of wealth, deficits in the education of our young, unemployment, news disinformation and more. Furthermore, fear runs amok in the White Right Tribe. With these factors in play, a mudslide of historic proportions can send us sliding over the cliff with a speed of surprising momentum. 

"To be forewarned is to be forearmed," to quote one of my favorite aphorisms. So if we want change we can believe in, we need to act to change the beliefs before we are left with no spare change.