Codeword Creationism

We all know that in Arizona that “illegal immigrants” is a code word for Latinos and the tea party movement has plenty of code words deployed for race. In fact the far right has always fired up its adherents by a process of validating their fears by sharing “in the know” coding for everything they despise.

Today that craft has been honed to a perfect pitch by über-conservatives. Their latest technique is to make up code words that we progressives use in our secret plan to dominate the world with a communist dictatorship. Just listen to right wing talk radio for several examples per hour.

Of course Glenn Beck is the master; here are some examples:

- I beg you, look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words.

- Social justice is also about stealing.

- Whenever you see some thing that talks about a strong democratic movement or strengthening democracy, you're in trouble. If you see anything that talks about social or economic justice, you're in trouble. Those two things are the language of people like Hugo Chavez. We are a republic, not a democracy.

And then we come to Paul LePage, the inept code word creator:

WGAN: You're saying that because Arden Manning said you're a creationist...that you interpret that as saying that you're not qualified to be governor because you're a French American Catholic? Is that what you're saying?

LePage: That's what I'm saying.

Mr. LePage, please listen to this fellow Franco-American. It is true that you are not qualified to be Governor. But it has nothing to do with our shared ethnic heritage or your religion . It has everything to do with your off-the-cuff positions that you spout off to play to extremist tea party anxiety and your tired anti-services rhetoric. You, as a candidate, do not even begin to approach the level of leadership that this state needs to move ahead.

Postscript: I went to Ecole du Sacre Coeur in Laconia, N.H. and was definitely not taught the type of creationism that is in fundamentalist favor today. In fact the Sisters of Mercy tried very hard (parochial schools were in decline), with limited resources to, teach relevant and up to date science.