Michele Bachmann Needs A Pell Grant! Needs To Study American History And The Civil War!

Michele Bachmann, the leader of the Tea Party Caucus in the House of Representatives, should go back to school. Elementary school...While speaking in Iowa on Friday, January 21, 2011, Bachmann explained that the founding fathers worked their entire lives to eradicate slavery in the United States. Of course they did! That episode in American history that some of us call the Civil War, was a figment of imagination! It apparently never happened because slavery had been eradicated long before the late 1800's. Six hundred thousand people never died during that war and that man named Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862; never happened. The 13th Amendment was obviously inserted into the Constitution by the founding fathers. There was not one founding father that owned slaves! Actually, there were several.

Are the Pell Grants that Bachmann opposes available for elementary school? Bachmann needs to apply. The Congresswoman from Minnesota is well known for her revision of American history, but this episode is beyond everything she has said to this point. It has been reported that Bachmann home-schooled her children, including 23 foster children, because they were failed by the public school system. Maybe at this point, their knowledge of history should be tested. At least hers should.

Granted, some of the founding fathers were opposed to slavery, but to suggest that they worked tirelessly to eradicate slavery in their lifetimes, denies the very reason that the Civil War was fought and also denies the horror that slaves went through up until the late 19th century (and beyond) when they were freed.

A co-founder of the Tea Party Express, Sal Russo, was even unable to defend her recollection of American history when slammed by Chris Matthews on MSNBC on Tuesday, January 25, 2011. Meghan McCain, on January 26, 2011, referred to Bachmann as "no better than a poor man's Sarah Palin".

Michele Bachmann has said many things that have been characterized as crazy. It has been suggested that she needs medication or even that she is taking too much medication; that she appears to be in a hypnotic state, or appears zombie-like. I won't comment on the legitimacy of those assertions, but I will suggest that many of her statements leave most people scratching their heads.

• Gangster government? Sure! A legally elected President certainly represents a gangster government.
• Investigate members of Congress who have anti-American views? Of course! Perfectly reasonable, if you believe a return to McCarthyism is warranted.
• The Census will be used to put people into FEMA camps? Understandable.
• Having a revolution every once in awhile is a good thing? Armed and dangerous on cap and trade? Why not?
• Not one study can prove that carbon dioxide is a harmful gas? She certainly knows her scientific studies.
• What about the swine flu outbreaks under 2, count 'em 2 Democratic Presidents? Cannot possibly be coincidence!

These are only a few ideas that have been put forth by the always entertaining Bachmann. They do not even touch on the conspiracy theories she dreamt up during the health care debate. Bachmann distrusts government and that is fine. Many people do. She apparently did not distrust them too much or she would have refused the $250,000.00 in government subsidies that were given to the Bachmann family farm between 1995 and 2006. She hates the idea of any government interference in health care, but has not rejected government health care for herself.

If the Tea Party is at all concerned about credibility, they need to rethink their unwavering support of Michele Bachmann. I am sure that there are many Tea Party members that have greater knowledge of American history, just as I am sure that there are many Tea Party members that are intelligent and well-spoken. Bachmann is not one of those members. Granted, she is an attractive-looking spokesperson, but that should not be enough justification for her to represent a 'movement'.

If the Tea Party persists in its blind allegiance to Bachmann, they cannot expect to be taken seriously. This Minnesota Congresswoman and the Minnesota state bird may be related. They both seem to have the same name, and I don't mean 'Bachmann'...