My regular viewers you know that I have recently had some discussions with a commentor on this blog named “Hank”. Of course since the Internet is a virtual gathering place I really don’t know for sure if Hank is a male or female but for the sake of this and maybe future posts I will call him “he”. Now Hank made several comments to posts about the political conventions.  On each comment I got to know Hank a little better than before. In Hank’s last post ( which is his last comment by my choice not his) he gave me an important personal insight.

I have said many times on this blog that in order for something to be real you have to “put a face on it”. Until you can put a face to something it remains in an abstract state and somehow doesn’t quite become real.  What Hank managed to do for me was to put a face on the radical right Tea Party. I don’t know what Hank really looks like or if he really belongs to that group but he now there poster boy to me. Some of his words that fixed his face to that organization was when he commented on my post about the Clinton speech as the DNC.

 ‘Shared opportunities and shared responsibility’ is code speak for taking from the rich and those who work hard for a living and giving it to the poor and the clueless. I am aghast at how just a speech from a lying president, Clinton (who BTW slept with way more women than Monica) can change anyone’s mind with rhetoric.

Previously Hank had made angry comments about President Obama but I let them slide as just being caught up in the moment. But with the above quote it seems obvious that he despises much more than that.  So, with this post I want to thank Hank for opening my eyes as to just how critical the election really is. We cannot allow the Tea Party to get a further hold on our political institutions. If we do then serious  irreversible consequences will likely result.  Suddenly those who are struggling to find jobs or those who need a temporary hand up will become those who are taking from the rich and those who work hard for a living and giving it to the poor and the clueless.  

Because the Tea Party now has a face I just donated a healthy sum, as least with my limited income, to the re-election campaign for President Obama and to help defeat the Tea Party candidate in my State’s Senate race. Hank made me realize that we as a country can’t become complacent about our political processes. If we do that all of us but especially “the least of these” will likely suffer the consequences.  Thank you Hank for opening my eyes. I am officially taking my head out of the sand because of you….