Why are we producing so many adherents who defy the old liberal virtues of free and open inquiry, free and open speech? Why are we producing so many bullies? And dim dullard ones, at that.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
And Don't Miss . . .
Peggy Noonan's column this week, which chronicles several recent incidents of leftists' bullying into silence the expression of views dissenting with the left, and which in closing asks the left to ask the question,
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2 comments:
The communists and anarchists (liberals) of the 60s and 70s had no critical mass. The Democrats didn't think like them. The Republicans were horrified by them. Back then, they could easily be dismissed.
Today liberals are 50% of the population and the hard core has grown to 20 or 30%. They don't believe in freedom. The earlier crew used freedom (sit-ins and protests, etc.) against the people and principles that made freedom possible.
Yesterday's crew was abusive of freedom. Today's crew is ignorant of it. Who needs freedom when you are so close to control (power)? They are on the verge of taking over. They don't need dissent because they are right and you are wrong. They are benevolent dictators in their own minds, and everybody else is evil. Why listen to evil people?
Michael Moore believes that everybody who is to the right of him is pure evil, is a Nazi-like egomanicial despot, or a Nazi-like stooge cowering in fear at the polls. 90% of the population is to the right of him, but he sees not one iota of merit in any of these people or what they believe.
And they are so close to power. They are licking their chops. Their populism, is well, popular. They have visions of neo-Nuremburg trials, dancing in their heads (Rummy, Cheney, Wolfowitz, etc.). Bill Bradley was oh so close in 2000. And Howard Dean was oh so close in 2004. And John Kerry was oh so close in 2004 (the 2nd most liberal Senator, he being only 1 step to the right of Ted Kennedy).
There is no wonder. The right can be so radically right that they become despotic. and the left can become so radically left that they become despotic. I hear liberals (Andrew Sullivan 2 days ago) over and over talk about how fundamentalists are taking the US down a dark path the way Islamists have done in the Middle East.
They are as igorant of modern religio-socio-cultural history as JB is of modern economic history. Our morals and standards have become dramatically liberal in the last 50 years while the liberals have grown increasing shrill in shouting that the fundamentalists are at the gates.
It's unfortunate that the easiest way to despotize is to call others the despots. Hitler used the Jews. The terrorists say, "The US is out to get you." This plays well in a desert village living on goat milk 10000 miles away from the US and 2000 miles away from the nearest US soldier.
The liberals say, "The US is out to get you, to take money out of your pocket, to prevent you from getting a job, to make sure your kids are uneducated and unhealthy," etc. And it plays well in DC, San Antone and "the liberty town," Boston and Baton Rouge.
It's going to get uglier. Don't be as wondered at Peggy Noonan.
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