When you get in bed with social conservatives in this country, you better be comfortable with the fact that your rewards are commensurate with being part of the “right” group… and that the “right” group is not guaranteed to be YOUR group. In other words, if you are Pagan and support the Tea Party or other conservative groups because you don’t like Mexicans, don’t be surprised when they start going after Pagans, equating them with Satanism and blood altars. Seriously, I’m just so DONE with the willful ignorance in this country, with the clinging harder and harder to lies because people don’t want to take a solid look in the mirror and recognize that the problem is inherent in Americans, not in the “Other”.

The US has to be home to one of the most hypocritical, confused populations out there. Our relationship with the First Amendment is like some junior high romance, full of he said/she said and various other juvenile components. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. You don’t get to run over the first three of these in the name of the last two, Tea Party. Freedom of speech means speech you don’t like. Freedom of religion means religion you don’t like. I can honor it for you, so how about returning the favor?

I’m blown away on a daily basis by how shallow many people are in their political knowledge, world view and thought process – and I’m not talking about any one group here. I’m talking about Americans in general. If you don’t really understand what your party is about, what the issues are and how policy actually works – or that change takes time – I’m done hearing from you today. I’m beyond fed up. You can talk all you want – that is, after all, the right guaranteed to you by the First Amendment, but I’m done listening.

Maybe I’ll feel better tomorrow, but probably not. Probably not. I need to get the hell out of Arizona as quickly as possible… and even then, I’ll still have to deal with the ignorance, xenophobia, homophobia and Other-phobia that pervades our culture. I literally feel sick today.

This morning I had these ideas about writing about my spiritual path or some such thing, but the stupidity of the DADT thing, as well as the uproar over so-called “witchcraft” is just too much. I’m full up on bullshit today. All I can think when I look around is “What is WRONG with you people?!”

Tomorrow, I may feel more calm and ready to engage in civil discourse. Today? Today is not that day.