When will the tipping point arrive?

In every kind of situation where people have a choice between two or more socially visible things, whether they are movies, celebrities, ideas, political parties or even religion, sooner or later in the marketplace of the public mind, there comes a tipping point.  Whatever it is that has struggled to gain acceptance, will reach a place in the public mind where its rivals lose enough steam that people begin to see it as a viable alternative to the other thing that is losing popularity.  Then people who would never have given that new thing a thought suddenly see it not as new and fresh, but as something to have, something popular that can easily replace that old loser.

Now, I don't want to get ahead of myself, and I am not suggesting that we've gotten to that place yet.  But look at some recent stories that may just make you take some second looks.

First, look at the article about the Mexican Archbishop who claimed that abortion is worse than child rape.  May 8th, I posted it on my Facebook page.

Next, note that Minnesota was the thirteenth State to approve marriage equality.  Thirteen, most of them just in the last year, I think.

Or the Christian singer who hired a killer to dispose of his wife.

The increased attention the Religious Right has begun to pay to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), and the lies and the hysteria accompanying those stories, because of its success in recent months in stymying their attempts to continue dominating the US Military, illegally proselytizing American soldiers and forcing their religious ceremonies onto unwilling soldiers, many of whom are christian themselves.

Or the high school principle in Louisville, Ky who is encouraging his teachers to teach - illegally - creationism and christianity to students in their classrooms.

How about Pat Robertson telling his listeners to forgive their cheating hubbies because, well, they're men and that's just what men do?

Or perhaps the increasingly beleaguered state of the right wing pertaining to background checks - even in so called red states?

Look at the way the Republican Party has maintained their grandstanding by voting 37 times to overturn the Affordable Care Act - without a prayer of it passing the Senate or being signed by the President.

I might also point out the female candidate for office down south who claimed to be endorsed by Jesus - and lost by a significant margin!

The nullification movement - states who pass laws attempting to nullify various Federal laws they disagree with - or laws that directly allow things like teaching creationism when SCOTUS has made rulings against them.

There is a common thread passing through all of these things.  It is a thread of desperation, illuminated by the increasingly obvious lack of enthusiasm for religion, particularly the evangelical version of christianity within the US population, especially the under 30 crowd.  Republicans are popularly portrayed by liberals on Facebook as pretty stupid, and a lot of state and local politicians try hard to make it look like they follow that mold, but really, they aren't.  They are as capable of reading the statistical tea leaves as the democrats and know full well that f they do not gain power NOW, while they still have an outsized political influence, in a few years, it will be far too late.

Hence the desperation to incite their real base to get involved, get mad and go to the polls.  Hence their attempts in various swing states to hinder the ability of minorities to go to the polls and vote.  They know that if they can pass many laws that put their program of right wing insanity in place now, they can successfully fight its repeal for years before the democrats can overturn it and return sanity to this country.  They know that they can sabotage the educational system and provide for future conservatives by preventing as many people as possible from getting a real education, so they can be successfully wooed by the religious right as future voters.

But more and more, Americans are rebelling against this insanity.  More and more, the media is letting these stories about the right wing insanity gain traction.  And the more insane they get, the more Americans are likely to notice.

It's time for the general public to let our politicians know how they feel.  It is time to stand up and be counted in opposing the insanity.  Call, write or email your Congresscritter!  Let them know it is time to show the insane ones to the door and to introduce sanity, credibility and integrity back into government.

Let them know - NOW!