Take a moment to study this drawing, first published in 1754. This was the first political cartoon created in what would become the United States. It was created by Benjamin Franklin, and was meant to symbolize the fractured state of the American colonies in the face of the French and Indian War. Franklin's woodcut was based on the old superstition that a snake cut into pieces would resurrect if the pieces were gathered together before sunset.

In a way, "Join or Die" became the first meme in American history, predating the internet by well over 200 years. When the colonies began to assert their independence from the British crown, the symbol of the united rattlesnake became used in various media, most notably in the Gadsden flag, created for a unit of the Continental Marines in South Carolina.

In recent years, there has been a great deal of focus on the Gadsden Flag and its adoption by various conservative organizations, especially the Tea Party. You've seen the flag being waved vigorously at Tea Party rallies, and doubtlessly you've noticed stickers with the flag plastered on vehicles, alongside stickers insulting Obama, liberals, feminists, minorities, etc. We can even assume that some of the groups gathering secession petitions are flying the Gadsden wherever they are.

It is more than a bit ironic that these divisive groups are using as their symbol a flag which has its roots in an artwork urging people to come together for the common good. Unfortunately it appears to be a common symptom amongst the GOP and conservative movement. There is a definite sense of "party before country" and "screw you, I got mine" running through the "right" side of the conversation.

The divisiveness has been going on for years in some form or another, but it has taken deep root in the four years since Barack Obama was first elected to the Presidency. From what we have seen, the Republicans are determined to oppose anything and everything that is supported by the President, for no reason other than to be contrary. Over the past four years, they have:

Cheered at Chicago losing their bid for the 2016 Olympics

Opposed the ACA despite the fact that it is based on the GOP's own proposal for health care reform in the 1990s

Decried the death of Osama bin Laden, or more specifically, decried any mention of the operation as "spiking the football", even after George W. Bush's now-infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech two months after the Iraq war began.

The latest example of Republican dickery occurred two days ago, as the Senate had an opportunity to stand up for the disabled. With a Republican legend in attendance from his wheelchair (and having had an arm damaged since World War II), the modern GOP turned their back on Bob Dole, John McCain, and many others with disabilities the world over when they voted down a UN resolution urging the nations of the world to adopt the accessibility standards set forth by the US. Their excuse was that they didn't want homeschooled disabled children to be subjected to UN-mandated ramps, voice recognition software, and other Stalinist items meant to make their lives easier.



It appears that the GOP and their conservative media enablers have gone off the rails and are determined to drag the rest of the nation with them. They even go contrary to their own members if they don't pass the purity test set forth by Grover Nordquist, Rush Limbaugh and Roger Ailes. We saw an example of this a few days ago, when Sen. Jim DeMint issued a statement blasting House speaker John Boehner for daring to show even a hint of compromise in the ongoing fiscal cliff talks.



Interestingly enough, as I am writing this post, the news has come out that Sen. DeMint will be leaving his seat in January to work as the head of the Heritage Foundation. Much like Sarah Palin, it appears DeMint values the almighty dollar over public service. Now he has the opportunity to be even more divisive and contrary without the worry of facing removal by a dissatisfied public.

As these "patriots" continue to speak of separation, secession and division while waving the Gadsden flag, let us not forget that the "separatist" symbol they so clearly cherish was born of a desire to unite people in a common effort. Benjamin Franklin would probably look at these people and organizations and shake his head in sadness. In fact, I can only think of how horrified Franklin would be over our national malaise. As he noted at the signing of the Declaration of Independence: