I have been asked, on occasion, why I should be interested in policies or activities that have been aimed at blacks, Muslims, gays, or women. The fact is, that I am all of those things. Not literally, certainly, but figuratively. Something implied in the founding documents of this republic has been lost on so many of its beneficiaries. The primary goal was protection against “tyranny of the majority.” I am not sure how anyone could miss this. Most of the people who signed on to a document securing freedom of religion were in agreement about religion. But the fear that Mr. Jefferson so eloquently put to rest, was that religion would become a means of controlling the populace. I believe he would be rolling in his grave, were he not a filthy heathen like myself. No one, on either side of the aisle, can even run for the presidency without an acknowledged claim of belief in some magical bullshit about invisible helpers from beyond the “firmament.” This comes despite the fact that neither Washington, Adams, Jefferson, or Madison made overt claims to such beliefs. Were they inferior to people such as Santorum, Romney, Huckabee, or even Obama? None of them would be electable now. That is due to the hive mind of the religious. People suffering from that disability will not even entertain the possibility of voting for a person that claims no magic friends. This comes despite the fact that the beliefs of religious adherents are less different from those of us heathens than they are from the believers of other sects.

…but I digress…

I started off on niche areas of blogistan. I read about the feelings of oppression expressed by everyone. That includes both the oppressed (the aforementioned) and the wildly unoppressed (reactionary wealthy white Protestant Christian males). In that way, I maintain an understanding of the political context in which myriad peoples view the unfolding events.

Some opportunists play to the uneducated (Hannity, Beck, and Limbaugh). These do not interest me terribly. What I find more interesting is people outside of the ruling caste that play the same tune. All of this is, to me, a vast area of interest. I wonder about which of the puppets in this play are playing their assigned roles, and which are true believers.