The Inmates are Running the Asylum

The recent tea party tax protests provided the perfect venue for a curious mix of conspiracy nuts, anti-government cranks, and religious fundies. Judging from many of the signs on display, a common thread uniting these disparate groups appears to be their contempt for a person of color in the White House [this, this, this, and this]

(Photo by David Weigel, The Washington Independent)

People that have experienced financial trauma due to the loss of their jobs and homes are quick to blame their misfortunes on outsiders that don’t share a common set of values and beliefs. For many demonstrators, the tea party presented the opportunity to meet and greet other like-minded cranks and malcontents in a shocking display of political and historical ignorance. These are the same people who believe that Sarah Palin has the intellectual wherewithal to assume the office of POTUS. Were it not for Alaska’s oil revenue, Palin’s ineptitude along with her anti-intellectualism would have placed Alaska in the company of states like Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi that have historically placed in the bottom quartile of any quality of life ranking.

“You cannot make a man by standing a sheep on its hind legs. But by standing a flock of sheep in that position you can make a crowd of men.” Max Beerbohm