Political Tourettes and All that Implies

The other day I received a private message on facebook that said: "You post like you have political tourettes." Not knowing the person who messaged me this very well....I was not sure whether it was meant to be funny or a back handed insult. Either way....it hit me as hysterical and I laughed myself into a coughing fit that almost made me pass out. For those of you who might not know just exactly what tourettes is....in a nutshell it is a disease in which a person uncontrollably speaks out inappropriate words or short sentences. Tourettes mixed with politics just made me laugh.

To be completely fair....this message followed a morning of political posts I had made on fb. They were not all original, but they all spoke to what I have been feeling since 2008. Then I started thinking about it and realized that political tourettes(PT) must be sweeping the nation as I am not the only one firing off political memes, quotes and sayings as fast as my computer can load them. In fact....I am mild compared to some. I did however go back and look at my own fb page only to realize that in a few short months I had gone from posting cute animal pictures and messages about my mundane days....to a lot of politically based info. And maybe I found the tourettes comparison so funny because in a way it was true. There are simply days that I cannot help myself. As far as the inappropriate goes though....only to those who I am sure...disagree. So I ask myself....Why this sudden burst of  PT?

You know me....I have to get to the bottom of these mysteries so I did some soul searching on it and this is what I have come up with. I have always voted. I was brought up that voting was a privelege and not necessarily would it always be a right. In order to keep it a right....we must always vote. I was also brought up that you must always vote your conscience, meaning that if someone who was running for office and they supported issues that were morally offensive to you or you felt them to be dishonest.....you must not vote for them. There have always been at least two sides in every election (big elections) and usually if the two were somewhat similar...you voted your party. It was a fairly simple process and one I actually paid very little attention to. It wasn't until I became involved with a political message board and actually started learning the ins and outs of politics that I realized there was nothing simple about it. The people we have voted for in the past have a great effect on what has lead up to our current catastrophe. We have had a menagerie of leaders and all have contributed to the debt, to alliances, to trade and most importantly their own agenda's. Some had the countries best interest at heart and others had their own interests at heart....but for every bad spending decision, every bad alliance and every self serving choice....the American people have and will continue to suffer.

Once I became immersed in what was REALLY going on politically....after a while it became overwhelming. So overwhelming in fact that I had to step away. The predictions of doom and gloom for the economy our health care system and our freedoms seemed almost far fetched at the time and although I agreed with the premise of conservity (like my new word?) some conservatives were down right scaring me with these predictions and I really didn't want to think anymore about it. That's right....I stuck my head in the sand and did my best to ignore it all.

Even through Obama's first term as president...I really tried to stay politically unavailable. When the healthcare bill passed and it was obvious that no one even knew what was in it and that some in congress were obviously being "nudged" into voting for it....I was angry but again....I let the anger slip into passivity and put myself into a self created news blackout. If I didn't know what was going on....then I didn't have to acknowledge its existence. You know...that worked for awhile. Thus I avoided political fb posts....often hiding the political posts of friends whom I knew were involved in and vocal about their political beliefs. Only on rare occasions did I speak out and each time I was careful to be respectful of all of my fb friends.

Jump ahead to September/October 2012. I suddenly realized that people whom had never in their lives given two hoots about politics were speaking up. The election was drawing near and we faced with many broken promises from the previous election. Our soldiers who were "coming home" were now in Afghanistan. The job market was still on the skids. Small banks were being regulated to the point that big loans (some cars and home loans) were impossible to get, small business was dwindling, welfare was spiraling and with the new health care there was talk of "chipping" recipients and we must ALL be recipients or else there would be financial penalties. Then Benghazi happened! Something that would have gotten any other president impeached....was swept under the rug and completely ignored and the absolute worst thing I saw was people whom I knew were bright, intelligent people.....refused to acknowledge any of this. Words like "Obama is a great man," and "Obama is our savior" were coming out of their mouths. They jumped to his rescue when ever anyone dare question his presidency and like the mainstream media....pretended that Benghazi never happened. I was baffled and the very reaction of these people....some I knew very well.....scared me. I knew that if Bush had been in Obama's shoes...not only would these same individuals have demanded his impeachment......but he would likely have been tarred and feathered on the way out. It was all too clear that my ostrich days were over. Just as presidents before him....Obama's choices would be affecting the future and it wasn't about me....it was about my kids and grand kids. The rate we were headed....home ownership, middle class and freedom would be things the next generation would know nothing about. Now was not the time to go quietly into the night. Now was the time to speak up while it was still a right.

At first when I posted....I tried to find ways to say what I felt needed to be said without disrespecting others. I took heat from both sides on this as some felt I was saying way too little and others way too much. Then....suddenly I saw people begin turning on each other. I saw family members having verbal political wars, friends unfriending each other and just a lot of nastiness. When I would ask questions about how liberals felt about something Obama had said or done....I was either told what a great man he was and that I needed to stop watching FOX news, given a laundry list of excuses why unemployment was still high, why small businesses were closing and why he had spent millions of taxpayers dollars on vacations, or more often than not.....I was either openly or behind the scenes pelted with name calling and insults...which translated means: We don't know why these things are happening, we don't want you bringing it to our attention and we for some odd reason think this man is the greatest thing since sliced bread so just shut up!

I think this is when the PT really set in. I think my thought was that these people were intelligent. For some reason they either didn't know what was going on or didn't realize the severity....so maybe if I just kept posting the documented facts, they would get it before the election. I couldn't help myself. Every time I hit fb my fingers took on a life of their own and apparently their only mindset was political. In hindsight....it was to no avail. If I caught anyone's attention or made anyone think at all....I never heard it. I did though lose some fb friends and sadly....a couple were actually real life friends too. Although they didn't admit it was political, I knew and they knew I knew. I wasn't the only one though. This election was the first I believe that caused such major rifts. It could be felt as close as our own home and as far as other countries opinions of us and was propagated by both the mainstream news media and the president himself.

After the election, some interesting things happened. First...I think everyone was worn out and the holidays were looming ahead. In past elections....there was often some winning side gloating but I didn't see much of that here. In fact what I saw was liberals just wanting to "go back to normal"....whatever that was after the last four years. There was little face shoving or happy dancing going on....at least in my world. Even the conservatives were tired and had the desire to find a normal. That is hard though....when you want to hope for the best but fear the very worst. It is also hard when you have a situation such as Benghazi still looming over head full of coverups and lies. It is hard when straight out of the gate the newly elected president (for his second term) says he will  not focus on promises he made to get re-elected, he and his family are headed off on a all taxpayer expense vacation to Hawaii.....oh and let us not forget that the federal government is claiming that we are about to fall head first off a "fiscal cliff. " And what about those 2nd Amendment rights? As much as I would like to have stuck my head right back in the sand...it just wasn't going to happen.

I, like many of my fellow conservatives have given up on the hopes that our intelligent family and friends of a liberal nature are going to see any light bulb suddenly go on where this man and his administration are concerned. And don't get me wrong......most of us are none too fond of some of our own so-called conservative congressman either. Still...if we silence ourselves...it doesn't make the situation go away. On the contrary....it makes it worse, making it easier for a corrupt government to hide, sneak and circumvent their way around the Constitution and our rights as United States citizens. In a very short time....the government will no longer answer to the people....the people will be answering to the government.

I guess this is what brings me to my PT. I have come to a place in my life where the future is very important. Not my future....the future of my children. We are on the fast track to socialism and loss of everything that has ever made this country great. Oh it is cloaked in mystical words such as "free", "universal healthcare" and did I mention "free?" However we will end up paying far more than any of us ever bargained for. I guess the old saying "you can put lipstick on a pig...but it is still gonna be a pig," could not ring any truer than it does here. The worst thing any American can do is silence themselves or let others silence them. If we don't speak out on the wrongs that we blatantly see happening around us....then we are no better than those committing the wrongs and just as guilty. From what I am seeing.....I am not alone. No longer are those of us watching our country fall worried about offending those who refuse to see the proverbial nose on their face. Don't like what I have to say.....then prove me wrong! Don't blow smoke up my skirt about Obama's greatness.....show me documented proof of it. Otherwise expect a lot more PT and not just from me....but from all those out there who don't see Obama as any sort of savior....but as the socialistic, money spending, truth dodging, finger pointing man he is. As I said before....what if it were Bush doing all of this instead of Obama?

So there you have it. My name is Lisa and I have political turrettes and all that implies and I don't see that changing......anytime soon!