It was a chilling moment during last week's Republican Presidential Candidate Debate when the loudest applause from the audience was in response to the statement that Texas governor Rick Perry presided over a government that had executed 234 American citizens. 

The people in the audience and the men & women on the stage of the debate are the same people who protest against Big Government and champion individual freedom.  Any government that is able to execute 234 citizens in ten years is Big Government.  In fact, it's as big as any government can be, relative to individual freedom.

 So here we see another example of the dichotomy of the Republicans, The Tea Party, and the American Right.   They want a government big enough to  execute a mentally ill man , but not big enough to provide urgently needed services to the mentally ill.

They want a government big enough to force a pregnant woman to carry her pregnancy full term despite risks to her health and despite the possible ill health of the unborn.  And yet they protest against a government big enough to give adequate medical care to sick children and expectant mothers.  They attack any government big enough to guarantee maternity leave, child care, and family assistance, while at the same time, claiming the mantle of “Family Values”.

They want a government big enough to issue an official definition of what marriage is and what marriage it not.  They do not want a government big enough to support marriage with preferable tax codes and equality for all.  

They want a government big enough to hand over our commonwealth, our public lands, and our natural resources to corporations.  They do not want a government powerful enough to dictate terms and conditions to these same corporations.  

They want a government big enough to raise large armies that can invade any county on earth, tear it to ruins and bring the people to their knees.  They oppose a government big enough to take care of its own people, building schools, hospitals, parks, and infrastructure. 

They support a government big enough to incarcerate the largest prison population on the planet.  They oppose a government big enough to provide health care, education, and a secure retirement for all its people.

They worship the Big Government that can destroy, enslave, and execute its enemies.  They are contemptuous of a government that can serve and protect all its citizens, from the rich & powerful to the most vulnerable.  

The Right in America is indeed the party of Big Government, and it's a Big Government that ought to bring a chill to us all.