Scorn for Obstructionists: Who Will Clear a Path?

What, you may ask, is an Obstructionist?  Does it suffice as a word that encapsulates all those upon whom I wish to heap my scorn?  Yes.  They stand in the way of progress for the sake of tradition or the dollar out of just pure stubborness.  The Obstructionist comes in two forms: the End-Times Believer, convinced that a planet and it's people are in "God's" hands and so therefore have no need to be responsible to one another, and the Profiteer: Lobbyists and the political machine that prop them up and the Media who cannot see the forest for the trees.

To obstruct progress out of fear or, as I see it, due to one's religious beliefs, seems horribly irrational.  A tradition tied to the past is doomed to repeat itself. How's that for hyperbole?!? Religion should only be viewed as a success when it empowers everyone who comes into contact with it--not when it is a destructive force obviously presided over by an all-too-human enterprise rather than an all-powerful God.  Fear-mongering has convinced the political right to stand firm against progress of any kind.  As they throw out empty threats, the political right in America has reduced itself to its own epithet.  Self-aggrandizement, as far as I know, has never been the most noble of Christian values!  Every right-wing obstructionist on the scene has no platform upon which to stand other than a tradition of bigotry and isolation.  Compassion for fellow humans (i.e. health care coverage) and the earth (global warming) should be the Christian values of the day!  The "I'm gonna look out for me and mine" mentality can only take a religion so far unless it is willing to diversify and not be a tribe of racists!  But, then again, I'm just a heathen, so what do I know :)

The money-driven Obstructionist comes in several forms.  You have your everyday Lobbyist, selling out to the corporate entity, stepping on the heads of the masses to climb to the upper eschelons of the political world to offer funding and perks to politicians in order to help sway policy. And then you have your Media with something to sell to those stupid masses, be it information or entertainment. . .  or infotainment.  You also have the corporate entities themselves, but of course it is obvious that money drives a corporation or an industry. 

Lobbyists are currently spending outrageous amounts of money during our worst economic recession in several decades to obstruct health care reform.  Simple research can provide us with examples of lawmakers accepting campaign contributions or otherwise from lobbyist groups.  The Obama administration, in the attempt to be more transparent, has banned lobbyists from federal positions and influence, but lawmakers continue to roll around in their money.

Meanwhile, the news media has such a knack for obstruction.  You can always rely on them for objective reporting of the latest up-to-the-minute Tiger Wood's scandal news.  Who needs the facts about corrupt politicians, bankers, and the economy when something like a sex scandal is just lying around.  The stupid masses don't want real reporting; they want something they can sink their teeth into.  Give em a juicy adultery or a peek-a-boo snapshot from the paparazzi of a teen idol's naughty bits.  That's what they want!  It's about ratings and advertising dollars, not about real reporting or uncovering the background story of health care reform.  It is almost as if they assume everyone of our lawmakers are corrupt or corruptible and so, therefore, that isn't newsworthy.

Who will clear a path through all of this rubbish?  Jesus or Santa Claus? Obama?  Maybe Tiger Woods will save us; he seems to have enough to go around!:)