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October 28, 2010

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You look at the trendlines because history is really so much inertia interrupted by occasional cataclysms. This is why Arizona is essentially doomed. It's why America is now looking that way. We can't simply keep deferring crucial action until some imaginary progressive victory years down the road. The recovery periods will get so long, expensive, and painful that we might as well let the nihilists take full responsibility here. Of course, they won't because extremists never do. Their scapegoats (Muslims, Mexicans, gays, blacks, and even liberals) will bear that burden with their lives.

The "separate" state you reference was envisioned in 1975 by Ernest Callenbach in his book Ecotopia. I pulled it off the shelf and here is the first sentence on the back cover: "Ecotopia was founded when northern California, Oregon and Washington seceded from the Union to create a 'stable-state' ecosystem: the perfect balance between human beings and the environment."

The story begins with the first official visit in 20 years by an American, a reporter Will Weston.

"Like a modern Gulliver, the skeptical Weston is by turns impressed, horrified, and overwhelmed by Ecotopia's strange practices: employee ownership of farms and businesses, the twenty-hour work week, the fanatical elimination of pollution, 'mini' cities that defeat overcrowding, devotion to trees bordering on worship, a woman-dominated government, and bloody, ritual war games."

Jon, perhaps this work was what planted the seed for your concept, being that you now live in the Pacific Northwest. I've carried it with me for 30 some years. Time to read it again I think.

Jean Emery
Phoenix

I feel that I may have some insight to this strange Tea Party and extremist right-wing debacle: This is a personal experience I debated posting but think it is very relevant to the topic.

I have a few friends, three as a matter of fact, who are in my opinion Tea Party extremists. Needless to say I have not spoken to them in some time and not because I don't want to or am not man enough to set aside our differences, but because I find their self-deprecation to be so extreme that all their personal relationships have suffered.

Case in point; my ex is so against gay "rights" including marriage that he becomes very irritated when I explain a growing desire to want to settle down with a nice gentleman. He finds it a violation of his religious upbringing as a Catholic (note: I am Catholic myself).

He even wishes to be straight and have a "normal" heterosexual relationship with a woman, the dog, some kids and the whole nine...months (ugh)! He also hates social welfare programs despite the fact that he is on disability for a condition he could have wholly prevented.

I find his stances very hypocritical and I see a parallel with other Tea Baggers...er Party(ers). They wish so much to be making $250,000 a year that they will vote against their own interests and well being. They are willing to take the side of those that would not be their friends to make themselves feel better by living a fantasy of grandeur that doesn't exist for them and their middle class, or lower middle class situation.

In turn these old friends call me a hypocrite because I was a benefactor from a government "welfare" program that should be scaled back (in their opinion). You see I earned my bachelor's with the "socialist" G.I. Bill and that is how I was able to get a good job. I feel I earned that money for school and they tell me I should not have gotten paid after being paid for a job I no longer was doing.

I don't get the Tea Party and how people I liked, and one I loved (and still do) could have become "stooges" as Jon so rightly calls them. The only explanation I can suspect is self-hate.

soleri

"enertia interrupted by occasional cataclysms"

"deferring crucial action"

In a very few words, you just summed up our country's political "Business Plan" of the last 60 years.

I've always been one to face a problem head-on ASAP. To live in a country where politicians push the problems "down the road" for future consideration has always driven me crazy. They delay until the problem is unsolvable. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad world.

Recently saw a production of "Winnie the Pooh" done by an excellent childrens' theater. I was taken by Eyor the donkey, who lamented the condition of most everything. Among our choices are the "hang in and fight" vs. the Eyor option. I choose the former because there's at least a grain of optimism that the far right will succumb to the "hoist by their own petard" syndrome that seems to be catching up with Mr. Arpaio and Mr. Pearce. So, am I related to Alice in Wonderland?

Jim, if you're related to Alice then so am I, bro!

The republican party will never gain substantial power. Since 1930, the Republicans have held power in both chambers of congress for only 12 combined years, I believe out of 80. The other 68 years have been either split control, or democratic control of both chambers.

There is one certain outcome, the Republicrat/Demoblican party will win the election and continue to manufacture consent.

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