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Monday, October 11, 2004

Liberty & Humanism & Politics

LIBERTY & HUMANISM & POLITICS

There has been a great deal of rhetoric recently regarding the War on Terror, Iraq, President Bush, Islam, Freedom of Speech, and Freedom of the Press. Of course all of these are tied together into one common thread, which remains unspoken but is in fact the foundation of these topics and that is President Bush is an idiot who stole the election –a man of no vision, an ignorant bumpkin, and a person unworthy of his office. Therefore, let’s address the foundation before we address this house of emotional cards.

First, it was widely known at the time that Jack Kennedy won the Electoral College through stuffed ballot boxes in Chicago (compliments of Mayor Daley) and that Richard Nixon actually won more votes than Kennedy. At the time the Republicans were viewed as just having “sour grapes” and now that the shoe is on the other foot, the Democrats are having a conniption fit and refuse to accept the fact that they lost the electoral college. But that is really only the tip of the iceberg, isn’t it? The real hard spot with the Democrats is the idea that President Bush is a stupid bumpkin and unworthy of his office. The only basis for this assertion seems to be his relative inarticulateness coupled with his down home pronunciations and malapropisms. The focus seems to be on his delivery and not on his message and when his message is understood, it seems to send the intelligentsia into paroxysms of anger due to its directness and lack of subtlety. Once again though the message is lost in the focus on delivery and few seem willing to attack the message or even demonstrate that it is incorrect, so let me briefly summarize the message:

God exists and must be acknowledged (an arch crime in liberal circles)
Evil exists and must be resisted, with force if necessary (liberals don’t acknowledge evil exists because that is too judgmental)
Terrorists are murderers and not freedom fighters
Once you undertake a task see it through (liberals believe that anything that doesn’t provide personal pleasure isn’t worth doing)
The UN is a failure and cannot be relied on (liberals think that the US should always bow to the international community even if it isn’t in our best interest)
It is the duty of the President to act in the best interest of the United States regardless of international opinions
That key leadership positions should be filled by the best people available and listened to but the decision remains with the President not political hacks and the media.
That the people who earn the money deserve to keep their money
Capitalism is good and it drives prosperity while socialism is bad and drags the economy down
The unvarnished truth may be bitter but is necessary and less painful in the long term.

Of course it is the last point that drives the liberal media into a frenzy because the President calls Yasser Arafat what he is – a liar, a cheat, a murderer, and a terrorist. He calls brutal dictators “EVIL” and the nations they lead – EVIL. The fact that these are true statements is lost in the hullabaloo over the sheer nerve of the man to tell the truth without any tactful euphemisms. No one seems to feel these statements aren’t true – it just that they aren’t tactful and they make people mad at us as if being liked by Satan was something to be desired, but let’s mush on to the house of cards.

First let’s discuss the recent hue and cry over how Freedom of the Press is being attacked and suppressed by the current administration. Precisely how this is being accomplished is hard to understand since the press continues to print scurrilous lies, doctored photos, and half truths about the very administration that they claim is suppressing them. I suspect that the root of this accusation lies in two places. First, increasingly the press is being called to task, (and court) over their lies and half truths and are suffering the consequences. The free ride they have had for years is being undermined by the Internet and they are struggling against their loss of control. The fact that they are out of touch with the majority of Americans is lost on them since they never leave their cozy little world on the Coasts. Secondly, their circulation is declining as people walk away from them because they no longer trust what they print. The shriller they get the more they lose and they simply don't grasp that they have lost all credibility. This is viewed as a right wing conspiracy to control the news as if the left wing weren't already controlling the news through omission and spinning facts. Of course this is exacerbated by the administration simply ignoring them and taking their message directly to the people.

Freedom of Speech is certainly an issue and it seems ironic that the very people who are now crying the loudest are the very ones who have created the situation. It was the elite media and the liberal left who broadened the concept of freedom of speech to include every offensive and degrading thing society has to offer. I am bombarded every day with foul language coming into my home via TV. Pornography is rampant and every movie seems to have an obligatory nude and graphic sex scene with these scenes becoming more graphic each day. All of this was brought about by “freedom of speech” suits via the ACLU. However, the boomerang seems to have come home because this has now been broadened into “the right not to be offended” and a level of political correctness that is astounding. While I might call you a C**KS**Ker and not be charged even with rudeness because I am just exercising my right of free speech but if I were to call you a C**KS**King Nigger I could go to jail for racial threats and intimidation. Of course this is an extreme example but the reality is worse. The Confederate Flag is now offensive and no longer protected as free speech or free expression. The Ten Commandments are offensive and no longer protected. I can no longer use the term Fireman, Mailman, Councilman, or Congressman for fear of offending someone and someone is always offended. So the very group who has created this situation is now yelling foul. Well I for one am sick and tired of political correctness and tired of having my rights trampled so a group of uncivil barbarians can assail me with rude speech, foul language, and coarse behavior. So any attempt to restore some semblance of balance and civility is viewed as a suppression of free speech. Well some of that speech needs to be suppressed. But let’s move on to the next point.

To the average American we are engaged in a political conflict of the United States versus Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, and virtually the rest of world. However, the Muslim community sees the United States as the Great Satan and the conflict as a Crusade of Judeo-Christians against Islam and this as a religious life and death struggle and not a political one. If the Palestinians were to become a nation today, nothing would change. If the old Ottoman Empire were to be reconstituted and Israel dissolved, nothing would change because the problem isn’t political but RELIGIOUS. Western technology is introducing concepts unacceptable to Islam but desired by the people – or at least some of them. Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, equal rights for women, open sexuality (not necessarily a good thing), capitalism, and an openness not available in Islamic countries, are all things introduced by the US. Satan is the tempter and that is why the US is called the Great Satan – we tempt the people to do things not acceptable to Islamic law. It is our liberty to do as we please, to say what we choose, and to treat everyone equally that brings us into conflict with Islam. They see that they are in a life and death struggle and we don’t really even understand what the fight is all about other than they hate us and are attacking us but most Americans don’t have a clue as to why.

And this brings us to the “Humanists”, whom I think start from an admirable position but go woefully astray. If I understand what Humanists are all about, I think they essentially love mankind and view every human life as sacred. This translates to feed the poor, protect the innocent, clothe the naked, and essentially do God’s work. I cannot argue this position because I think any good person (Christian, Jew, or whatever) would agree with it. Unfortunately too many of the self-described Humanists lack discrimination or an understanding of Evil and what is meant by protecting the innocent. To digress for a moment I think that the significance of the Military Chorus singing the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” after 9-11 was totally lost on the rest of the world and certainly the terrorists. The fact is this hymn was tantamount to a declaration of War and a statement of resolve that we as a nation were aroused and nothing would deter us from revenge and victory, but back to my point.

Too many Humanists seem to feel the taking of any life is evil even if it is in retaliation to a heinous crime. Hence we have those who argue against the death penalty and any military action for any reason. God turned Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden for violating His law and marked Cain for the same reason. God has punished people and nations ever since then. For good to flourish evil must be resisted and sometimes at great cost and the current situation in Iraq is no exception.

The argument could be made that the US (and certainly the UN) can be faulted for not acting sooner. Saddam Hussein was evil incarnate and should have been destroyed long before. Certainly war is a terrible thing and the ongoing assassinations of our soldiers, is terrible but it is not a reason for not toppling Hussein or for leaving the job half done. After all Iraq is roughly the size of California and the number of murders and crimes committed in California in a day would exceed the casualties in Iraq and no one is calling for a mass exodus from California so the criminals can run the state. So the Humanists have a point and certainly have their heart in the right place but they need to accept that sometimes good people must give their lives so that others may live in peace.

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