teselskap

Over the past few days I've been trying to figure out just what this Tea Party protest movement in the US is all about. I've been getting glimpses here and there, but because of a debate on Ravelry I decided to try to track down more information. What I've discovered is that it's a total moving target: there is no identifiable leader or political platform, the message morphs frequently, and the participants tend to scuttle back into their foxholes whenever anyone tries to pin them down on anything. It seems to boil down to rogue aggression, and it's hard not to see an undercurrent of at least class-ism, if not outright racism bubbling under the surface.

The "voices" of the movement appear to be Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, and this Glenn Beck fellow, who is new to me because he cropped up on the national stage after I left the US (I apparently went to high school with him though, since he graduated at the end of my Freshman year at Sehome High School). In other words, a perfect storm of people who are diametrically opposed to me ideologically.

Recently pollsters have attempted to map the movement (in this case, quite literally) and determine its make up. The New York Times/CBS poll suggests they're richer and better educated (WTF?!) than previously assumed. Not surprisingly, their own website doesn't reveal very much, particularly since you have to register to gain access to anything but the most superficial information.

The best opinion piece I've found is Ron Rosenbaum's from Slate.com. He takes the movement to task for its imprecise (understatement!) use of big words like "tyranny," "fascist," and "progressive" on all those hilarious (but scary, and often misspelled) signs they've become famous for.* I think Rosenbaum's article a must-read for anyone following the current US political scene.

* I just discovered that a counter movement of infiltrators have begun making a sport of displaying equally ridiculous, but far more witty fake signs at Tea Party demonstrations. That's almost enough to make me want to go to a rally!

A Tea Party operative (or missionary, or organizer, or whatever you call them) apparently gave an address at the Norwegian Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) national convention last week. So I guess it won't be long until we start seeing misspelled signs expressing random anger at misrepresented targets in Norwegian too. Or not. Surely not even Fremskrittspartiet is that idiotic?

Svett

I am pushing the envelope, which is to say attempting a sewing project. Today I started the cloth advent calendar that I want to make for E, and initially I though "how hard can it be?" I think that about all sewing projects. Usually that gets me through the cutting phase, and then the thought of setting up the sewing machine is usually too overwhelming, so I just let the project lie dormant until I throw it away five or ten years later. Or else I do actually try to sew, and it always ends up sloppy and disappointing.

But I'm really motivated on this one, because I'm hoping that it can be a little anchor point in a few chaotic weeks, maybe just as much for me as for E. I've been casing the local quilt stores to see what they have, and today I went in for the kill. I was a nervous wreck. I actually produced that rank sweat that only nervousness brings forth. My brain froze up, and I just couldn't envision the way the fabrics would go together at all. It was really weird, as I usually have pretty clear notions of what I'm after aesthetically when it comes to yarn, paint, and even clothes. I finally had to have an employee talk me through my nerves. You could tell she thought I was an idiot, but I'm trying to suppress the memory of that.

After an eternity of looking through the greens and reds and Christmas prints I finally came up with a combination and brought it up to the counter to be cut. I was all dithery and wondered aloud if they would go together. With great comic timing she looked blankly at me and said "They're all green and red. Of course they go together." Argh. I felt even more moronic. But really, all the greens and reds don't necessarily go together.

So, I spent some time this afternoon while E was at preschool cutting out 24 little Christmas stockings. It was a mentally and emotionally exhausting experience. After E went to bed I hunkered down in front of the tv with the old rillejakke project. Ah, what comfort to knit and watch bad tv (House and Fringe for those who must know)...