When the Tea Party was at its heyday during the 2010 elections, when the Palins and the Bachmanns ruled the day, we were treated to some soaring oratory by real, "take-our-country-back" Americans: You know, those real Americans, real patriots, real believers who belong to the party of core values, of family values -- the good party, the party of God.
Feeling quite dejected, feeling like a fake American, I rambled about it then and I rambled again when the GOP presidential carnival started in earnest, goaded from the sidelines by the likes of Sarah Palin and hustled from within by newcomers to the spectacle: Trump, Cain, Perry, Gingrich, Santorum et al, and by the everlasting energizer bunny, Michele Bachmann.
Like the gaudily decorated wooden horses on a carousel, these new arrivals have giddily bobbed up-and-down. Some have entirely fallen off the circus-like merry-go-round; some never managed to "bob-up," but all have continued to throw out the red meat to "real Americans," and promised that, in 2012, "We're going to take our country back."
Such "take our country back" harangue and such "real Americans" diatribe strike a very sensitive chord in me.
Is America -- a land to where I immigrated almost 55 years ago, a country I love -- not really my country, just because I am a Democrat?
After having faithfully and meritoriously served in the armed forces of these United States for 20 years, suddenly I am not a real American, just because I am not a Republican -- or a member of the Tea Party?
Although, I am plenty outraged at such screed, and have written plenty about it, my words can't hold a candle to the powerful lyrics of a song I just read and listened to.
The song with the "intriguing" title "When They Say 'We Want Our America Back', What The F#@k Do They Mean?" is written and sung by none other than Jill Sobule.
According to the Huffington Post, Jill wrote the song at the Netroots shindig for The Freedom From Fear Awards -- "a new national award that honors 15 ordinary people who have committed extraordinary acts of courage on behalf of immigrants and refugees -- individuals who have taken a risk, set an example, and inspired others to awareness or action. The award honors unsung heroes who are not professional advocates."
Jill says: "In deciding what to write, I thought I would include an anti-immigrant history with the still befuddling question I have for the Tea Party folk."
The song starts like this:
When they say, "we want our America back",
Our America back, our America back."
When they say, " we want our America back"
Well, what the... f%#k do they mean?Remember the garden of Eden?
Before eve hung out with that snake?
You could walk down the streets not worry bout thieves
All the kids could go trick or treating.
Then those foreigners started coming in
Like the Germans in 1790
Then the Irish arrived, the potato blight
The neighborhood started changingLife was better, we lived right,
Life had a paler shade of white, when they sing
"We want our America Back"
And ends like this:
When they say, "we want our America back",
Our America back, our America back."
When they say, " we want our America back"Well, what the...f%#k do they mean?
Before the gays had their agenda, before the slaves were free
Before that man from Kenya took the presidency
Please read the complete lyrics and listen to the song here. Thank you, Jill Sobule. You are a great and real American.