hnpcc | (no subject)

So one of the Tea Party sub-groups is running a kid's camp over summer.

It's all about indoctrination (of course) but I have to say some of their examples cracked me up.

Starting in an austere room where they are made to sit quietly, symbolizing Europe, the children will pass through an obstacle course to arrive at a brightly decorated party room (the New World).

Red-white-and-blue confetti will be thrown. But afterward the kids will have to clean up the confetti, learning that with freedom comes responsibility.

For some reason I find that completely hilarious. Freedom=Responsibility=confetti cleaning!

Children will blow bubbles from a single container of soapy solution, and then pop each other's bubbles with squirt guns in an arrangement that mimics socialism. They are to count how many bubbles they pop. Then they will work with individual bottles of solution and pop their own bubbles.

Sounds like fun - but how on earth is that supposed to mimic socialism?

"What they will find out is that you can do a lot more with individual freedom," Lukens said.

Could be just me... but I'd get more of a military spin out of that. You can pop your own bubbles, but it's way more fun trying to kill off everyone else's. (That'd be the socialist in me speaking, obviously.) It's like the tennis ball game we some times play at training, where the aim is to collect as many balls as possible. Half the fun is stealing other people's balls (and, in my case, convincing people to gang up on the really fit people to steal all of theirs. Heh.)

Still can't see how they get anything about individual freedom out of it... apparently individual freedom means only being able to pop your own bubbles? I'm confused.

But of course their stated aims are:

The organization, which falls under the tea party umbrella, hopes to introduce kids ages 8 to 12 to principles that include "America is good," "I believe in God," and "I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable."

You know it's times like these I wish they'd charge these idiots full price for every service they use. Every road, every school, every military campaign, everything. Government can't force them to be intelligent either, unfortunately. I also think that (assuming they're following Christianity, albeit it in a very loose sense) that the second statement is not actually compatible with the third statement for quite a number of reasons. Mostly beginning with the whole "render unto Caesar" and ending with "have you read the New Testament? Ever? Could you read it again please, as you've obviously missed the point." Sheesh.