Note: I asked my grandfather, William L. Youmans, for his thoughts on the current political climate in the United States. Here is what he wrote (with slight edits) — Will.

There are forces in our country dedicated to bringing down the President. The charge that he is a Muslim is just one aspect of the determination to frustrate his efforts to usher in the changes that he promised.

I suspect that a major objective of these dishonest critics is to encourage Congress to become even more resolute in their refusal to cooperate. Mitch McConnell, Senate minority leader, recently said that “I wish we had been able to obstruct more.”. Supposedly he meant the Republicans in Congress could have done more to block Obama’s initiatives. This example of mean spiritedness further feeds the growing resistance, bordering on a frenzy, to Obama’s presidency.

As we review the false charges against our president, that he is a Muslim, I have to conclude that H.L. Mencken was right when he said that nobody would ever go broke underestimating the intelligence of the American electorate. Plenty are trying to profit from the hysteria.

Consider the most outspoken disparagers of President Obama:

-The Tea Party. Tea stands for Taxed Enough Already, in case you did not know. Now there is a resoundingly intelligent slogan!

-Sarah Palin, when not watching Russia from her back porch, she is still singing “Drill, Baby, Drill” even as the Gulf of Mexico formed it’s very own Oil Well.

-Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck. all intellectual giants, spew poison out of FOX News, which is far past the point of being of “fair and balanced.”

-We must include Rush Limbaugh in this stable of wisdom.

These spokespeople treat Obama as a dictator. If they actually lived under the rule of which they accuse Obama, they would be summarily shot.

The resistance to the construction of a Mosque/community center near “ground Zero” is another demonstration of the howling herd mentality. How many of them know that the 1st and 14th amendments of our constitution were really meant so that all people in the United States may practice their religion freely, even Muslims?

Incidentally, I believe that racial discrimination is alive and well in our country and I suspect that underlying much of the slander leveled at our president comes from that source. Along with the ignorance and meanness expressed by Obama critics lies the refusal to acknowledge, or even honor, a black man.

Them is my sediments and I approve of this message.

Grandpa.

Related posts:

1. Guest Post: Goodbye Rush Limbaugh!
2. President Obama, I liked you better as a community organizer
3. Guest Post: Top Ten Reasons the Tea Party’s 15 Minutes of Fame is Just About Up
4. Guest Post: GIANT JESUS STATUE BURNS TO THE GROUND
5. Guest Post: How Will Arab-Americans Be Voting Tomorrow?