BY RICHARD L. FRICKER

It is well past time to end the American Freak Show.

It is time for the Republican leadership, if there is leadership on the national or state level, to stop pandering to birthers, racists, fear mongers, the greed of banks, insurance mega maniacs and oil companies. It is time to put the people ahead of re-elections coffers. It is time to get down to the business of governance.

The birther, tea bag, wingnut reaction to the presidents’ recent release of his “long form” birth certificate has shown they have no interest in governance. Just what these politically malformed freaks such Donald Trump, Orly Taitz want is unclear, except – they do not want President Barack Obama.

Having been handed their heads on the political platter birth issue Taitz, Trump and their whining minions have chosen to attack Obama’s education. If academic excellence were a criteria for office, George W. Bush would never have made it to Austin, much less Washington DC. But the Supreme Court chose George W. Bush to be president; four years later the electorate confirmed their decision.

This country is in crisis on many fronts: economics, health, environment and education are the leading crisis contenders. In case the GOP leadership hasn’t noticed, tens of thousands of hard working Americans are being devoured like road kill by the beasts of debt.

Millions of Americans can’t sleep at night because they are worried about losing their homes, because they fear catastrophic illness, they worry about their old age or if they will even be able to achieve old age.

Millions of America’s children go homeless and hungry. Millions more struggle for an education, others are racked by mental and physical illness unable to afford the care and treatment to cure their maladies.

All this besets our people while legislators debate carrying guns on campus and into restaurants, gay marriage, and the righteousness of placing the Ten Commandments on the courthouse lawn. The legislative blindness to the needs of the people is the central crisis in this country, not immigration, not Islam, not homosexuality and not the college transcript of Barack Obama.

Does the GOP think people hungry, on the brink of financial crisis, fearing for the health and educational well-being of their children actually care about what Taitz or Trump or the totalitarian brothers from Kansas actually think, as if they actually did.

It is not whether the megabank is too big to fail; it is what happens if the un-wealthy fail. What happens when their money runs out? What happens when they finally see no hope, no future for their families?

The GOP, questing for power, made a deal with the devil, the self-serving, political ignorant, those wishing for a theocracy, the racially biased and jackbooted totalitarians. They now have their majority.

The GOP bit on the idea of a one-party government, in the name of constitutional democracy. This, of course, is no democracy. Once it is decided that the opposing party should never be allowed to power, should be stymied, stifled and shut out, democracy dies.

If the Republican leadership across the country is interested in democracy as they claim, if they are true patriots, if they care about ALL the people of this country, they will call an end to the freak show created by the Tea Bag people, the Taitz followers and the other socially, politically and psychologically misshapen that allow non-issues to become issues.

The leadership needs to leave these people to their own demons. Daylight and truth with provide the best exorcism.

Perhaps the GOP is too immature for governance, perhaps they do want a one-party country, or live in fear of the Tea Bag monster they helped create. Perhaps we will all have to pay for their misadventure.

Perhaps there are people within the GOP that can rise above the non-issue crises and return the government to governance. If there are such GOP patriots, they need to step forward now.

As to the president and his academics:

The Constitution of the United States does not provide for a GPA requirement for the presidency. Nor does the Constitution provide for a religious litmus test, a racial purity test, a political platform test or any other requirement other than:

No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States…..

Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

President Barack Obama has fulfilled the requirements of the Presidency.

This shift in focus by Taitz and her ilk reminds one of a quip known by every sailor in the U.S. Navy: What do you call the guy last in his class at Annapolis? Sir!

– Richard L. Fricker lives in Tulsa, OK and is a regular contributor to The Oklahoma Observer. His latest book, Martian Llama Racing Explained, is available at http://www.richardfricker.com.