screw it...

After actually being engaged in Mr Horowitz's site, for however briefly before I was no longer allowed to...and after reviewing past experience with other Right Wing sites...I give up.
There can be no common ground, no agreement to disagree, no compromise...when one's "opposition" inhabits a completely different world.
The Right's hysterical hatred of anything that wanders out of their narrow world...
Their inability to see anything outside of their narrow worldview, makes impossible any attempt at coexistence.How can one, in good faith, compromise with folks who believe that you are Evil...and will believe nothing to the contrary, no matter the evidence?
It appears to me, after long study and observation, that the Right simply cannot see evidence that contradicts their Ideology.
Consider the cherry-picking of scientific knowledge, the rampant cherry-picking of Bible Verses and even the cherry-picking of quotations by the Founders...picking out those utterances and concepts (or pieces thereof...) that support their World; and chucking all the rest.
Most obvious is the Bible stuff, I think...Ignoring the "Liberal" sayings of Jesus (Beatitudes), and quoting, ad nauseum, Leviticus, Exodus, Isaiah, Revelations, and various passages from Paul...in other words, the most violent, warlike, hate-filled parts are the ones they holler the most.
There is even a website, modelled on that evil, liberal Wiki, to rewrite the Bible, excising the "Liberal" parts.
The recent uproar in Texas, with the Board of Education rewriting History, and the teaching thereof...removing Thomas Jefferson (due to "Wall of Separation between Church and State", I'm sure),in favor of Newt Gingrich,St. Ronnie, and a revived Joe McCarthy.(!)

The total forgetfulness of what Lil George, et alia, accomplished...instead, focusing on what they perceive happening w/ the Obama administration...almost word for word what we on the Left saw with the Previous Occupant.(the difference is that Lil George left ample evidence laying about...no shame there!).
Projecting on to "Liberals" the very things that they secretly hope and pray for....like death camps, roundups of the "opposition", widespread spying, wrecking the country...all of these things that have been a part of Right Wing Rhetoric for years, they Project onto us.
Never mind that such things are inimical to "Liberals"...go against the very things that make us Liberal, in the first place.
Fine.
I propose that we give them a little world...say Oklahoma, maybe Kansas...we can argue about this...where they can be "God Fearing Conservative Patriots".
Can we skip the whole Civil War II, thing? just hand over some portion of the country where they can try their Right Wing Theocracy, and whatever else they have been pining for?
If Texas falls under that Jurisdiction (Likely) I'll be happy to emigrate.
I can think of nothing else that would avoid Hobbes' War...the Political System is hopelessly Marred...they Broke it.
They broke it when they decided that elections don't matter...if they lose them.
When they decided that Majorities don't matter...when they are not in them.
The last year has been a testament to this...they don't think it matters that they lost, handily.
They still behave as if they are in charge.
What can men do, in the face of such Mindless Intractibility?
We'd be in better shape arguing with Geese.

Perusing David

I've been wandering around David Horowitz's numerous web-publications...
(I started here:
)
I am just stunned! Talk about Myopic, Studiously Ignorant Ravings!
They see everything through Red (Commie)-Coloured Glasses!
Obama is, somehow, a Liberal/Progressive President...which seems to equal, in these people's mind, Communist/Fascist Totalitarianism. (?)
Amazing.
Seems that if one doesn't swallow the whole Capitalism/Manifest Destiny/USA!=Freedom(no matter what!) Mantra, one is, by definition, a member of the Enemy...lurking in shadows, yet at the same time, boldly taking over God's Own Country.
No grey area, here!
As I remember, it was Conservatives...not "Liberals"...who had a hand in creating the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan...leading directly to Taliban/Al Queda.
It was Conservatives who championed Deregulation of Corporations, in the name of "Free Enterprise"...which led directly to our current Economic Malaise.(Clinton, who is not "Liberal" by any sane definition, went along with Conservatives in this)
It was a Conservative "Administration" who shamelessly and openly usurped many of our Rights under the color of fighting a War on a Tactic (Terrism!).
I could go on, and on...
I am not saying, and have never said, that Democrats are our best hope.
I'd be as Myopic as Horowitz.
Democrats, with few exceptions, are nothing close to Liberal/Progressive.
Neither is Obama.
They are, at best, merely less Right Wing than the Republicans/Conservatives(who are linked by their own words, not mine...and have been trying to tacitly separate since the Failures of BushII)
I expect my contributions to David's Comment Sections to be removed, forthwith...not because I was nasty (I wasn't) but because there is no room, in his world, for a Reasoned Opposition.
it's sad, and illustrative...I go to such sites because I really do want to know...I want to understand folks who think like that.But when I dare to ask questions...dare to point out inconsistencies..I am either banned or pilloried or both.
I'm interested to learn how Good David reacts.

Cowardice

The Stupidity, and Disingenuousness, of the Right never ceases to amaze me…
In continuing my rant from below, if ya' want a Revolution, a Civil War 2, at least have the courage to come out and say it!
The Right's Machine, their de facto Leadership, has for years been scaring folks into more and more violent and apoplectic moods. Combined with the demise of Discourse and Debate, this has led to a very Dangerous Place: a Nascent Revolution.
I don't have numbers, polls being what they are…but whatever percentage of the country is included in Right Wing Nuttyland has been stirred up, like the proverbial hornet's nest, to the very edge of a Violent Outburst.
This should surprise no one…and indeed, many on the Left have been warning about this for years…(Dave Niewert comes to mind)
That the Republican/Conservative "leadership" is frantically backpedalling, now at the Hour of their Glory, highlights (in Pink?!) their lack of Courage.
They are, after all, Cowards…Arm Chair Rabble Rousers.
Pathetic.
They hide behind small, fearful, outraged Idiots…the same idiots that they have created…the same , that they have nurtured, and poisoned, and whose hair they have set alight.
Now, when their long program of ignorance and indignation has come to fruition, they run for cover.
If they truly believe in their own Rhetoric…of which there is ample evidence, going back to the Palmer Raids, at least…if they really believe all the Vile Things they've pounded into the minds of their Base, they should grab a flag, and a gun, and get out in front of the Mob they have created.
They won't, of course…
Turns out that the Right is not only Cowardly, but quintessentially dishonest.
The Reason the Right's "leadership" is against Healthcare Reform is not, as has been shouted, because it is a "Government Takeover"…it's because it will at least begin to rein in the Corporations involved in "health care".
They are against Unions, and the stalled EFCA…not because of some principled concern for the Freedom of the Worker…but because restoring the right to Collectively Bargain hurts the bottom line of Corporations.
They, in almost every instance, have hollered about how they are for "the American People" and Freedom…when, in Reality..they are protecting the Rights of Corporate Vampires.
I could go on, but it's very early…
The "leadership" of the Right will continue it's disingenuous distancing from the Violence they have unleashed…
They have created these conditions, now they can sit back and allow the Machine to do it's work.
A Principled Stand would be out of character, and might lift the Veil just enough to allow the Bewildered Herd to see where their real allegiance lies..
Why would they risk that?
Fucking Cowards.

Do-Overs

So…the Democrats and the President (finally) pass something to reform our Byzantine, For-Profit Healthcare System…and the Right goes Apeshit…
Throwing insults, epithets and even Bricks (!) at Democrats, calling for the Lynching of Elected Representatives, Praying to their God for the Immediate Death of their Opponents…
Suddenly, the Republicans, and many of their TV Loudmouths, are furiously trying to put the toothpaste back into the tube.
"Oh, the violence is just terrible…we didn't have anything to do with it…but it's terrible!"
What a bunch of Chickenshits! Hypocrites! Liars!
Since Obama began his campaign, the Right (including elected Republicans) has been hollering all manner of lies and hyperbole…that O will be the socialist/communist/Nazi/fascist/negro…END of the Frakkin World!!!!!!
That the "Liberal Agenda" (as near as I can tell nonexistent, much like the "Gay Agenda") includes Death Camps, Death Panels, Gun Confiscation, and Handing American Sovereignty over to the UN…or Iran, or Hugo Chavez, or Mother Russia….(it's hard to keep track of all the Serious Existential Threats, there are so many…)
Now, when a portion of the watered down Liberal Program is passed into Law, and the last almost 3 years(+100) of Eliminationist Fearmongering have their (predictable) effects…the Right is surprised, and Shocked!
How could this have happened?!
The Right's over-the-top, Fact-Free Rhetoric…from Reagan on…but especially since 9-11, has been leading us to this point….inexorably.(it really began with Hoover…)
The Toothpaste is out…and there is very little to be done about it.
Facts, Truth, Objective Reality…these things are an anathema to the Right…ever since they hitched their Wagon to the Fundies. Same thing with Civil Debate and Discourse…they have been replaced by Ad Hominem Shouting, Shamelessly Lying about Everything, Coded Language and Ideology Trumping Truth.
Mythology is what passes for Reality, now….("we create our own reality" said Turdblossom)
And the Holy Cleansing Civil WarII that the Right has been itching for…without ever being honest enough (with themselves or anyone else) to just come out and admit…that Civil War is fixing to come to pass.
Except, this time, it'll be sans battle-lines…Bellum Omnia Contra Omnes…house to house…almost random.
When you make Civil Discussion impossible…when you use Eliminationist Rhetoric against your political opponents…when you ceaselessly promote Fear and Loathing as Legitimate Public Discourse…and when you Lie and Lie and Lie, about Everything for almost 100 years…
Well what would you expect?

Ethics

To make one's way in the world, with one's Integrity intact, a System of Ethics is more than helpful.
After 30 years of development, I figger now is as good a time as any to set down mine...
For my boys.

There are several anecdotal maxims that I consider to be at the Core of my own, personal System of Ethics.
First among these is the Idea of Reciprocity....variously stated in the Golden Rule, the Rule of Hillel, the Wiccan Rede and (in thousands of words) Mill's On Liberty.
My favorite, and (in my opinion) the most succinct, is the Rede:"An harming none, Do as thou wilt."
Can you imagine what the History of Mankind would've been like if everyone had taken this Maxim to heart?
Kant said pretty much the same thing, with his test of Morality/Good..."is what I contemplate something that I would make into a Universal Law?"
or, "Would the action I am about to perform , if Universalised, be a Good thing?"
These things, which are just different ways of stating the same thing, all require us to Think about the Consequences of our Actions....like the Iraquois, down to the Seventh Generation.

The Second Maxim is as follows: There is a Prohibition on First Use of Force...with the exception of defending the defenseless...but even that caveat is, at root, a Defensive stance.
The Idea is that one should not, under any circumstances, Initiate Violence...only defend against the Initiation of Violence by Others. Again, what would History look like?
This Maxim can be shoehorned into those areas where actions are not Violent, per se, but merely contain the Threat of Violence...however veiled.
Coersion, as in the Tax Man, the bully, the Dictator...
The PaleoLibertarians extend this concept to the Mundane. If some dude opens up a factory of some kind next door, belching noxious vapours and emmitting loud noises, deep into the night...he has initiated a kind of Violence onto the Peace and Tranquility of the neighborhood. He has lessened the Quality of Life.
The PaleoLibertarians insist that he must make recompense, or cease such Violence.
I wholeheartedly agree...and find that, altogether, this Inclusive use of the term quite marvellous in maintaining Peace.

The Third Maxim: The Purpose of Life is to Learn and Experience.
Trite cliches, such as "it's the Journey, not the Destination" are applicable, here. We, endowed with Conciousness,can be thought of as the Universe Contemplating Itself....an Idea I find Profound and, ultimately, comforting.Consider, Life's grand March on this small World has been a March toward greater and greater Conciousness....From Cyanobacteria to Plants to Amoebae to Dogs to Us (as far as we know...see below).
Greater ability to Introspect...greater capacity for Understanding. With Greater Understanding should follow Greater Compassion...but it is seldom so.Which leads to the Fourth Maxim...and the most Important.

Socrates said, "I know that I do not know"...and thus, was the Wisest man in Hellas.
Socratic Perplexity is the first step to Wisdom. It's opposite is Certainty.
Consider...if one is Certain, if one believes that one's own worldview is, necessarily, correct, without Error...Inquiry, Introspection, are shut down.
One is immune to Compromise. One has Reached the Destination...no further argument is needed. This, invariably, leads to the Crimes we see throughout our History.
It is Fundamentalism; Religious, Political or both. When we are Certain that we have the Truth, the Journey is over...we are free to force others to adhere to our view.
This is particularly odious where Religion is concerned: "We are Right, because we have the Word of God, in this Book...of unknown, questionable Providence..and as we interpret it....therefore, we are doing God's Work when we slaughter these Infidels and Heretics ("Faithless Choice-Makers")". This mindset, of Certainty, leads inevitably to Violence...after all, if God is "on your side", you can do no wrong...Inshalla,it is God's Will. Who can counter this?What Reason can penetrate Certainty...this is the Fundamental (pun intended) Problem of our Time.
The Remedy to this is Perplexity..."I know that I do not Know"....in the face of that Arrogance, that Presumtion of knowing the Mind of God...I am Humble in my studied Perplexity.
I Do Not Know.
This doesn't mean that I don't have some Ideas. On the contrary, I have constructed a Model of the Universe that satisfies me...untill new data is found that shatters the Model.
We all construct Models of the Universe....most don't realise it, and accept the Model that has been handed to them...never questioning the Foundational Assumptions that lie at the root of all such Models.
I have Foundational Assumptions...the sky appears Blue....Oxygen readily bonds with two atoms of Hydrogen..there is a Thing behind Things...indeed,.all manner of assumptions.
The difference is that I am willing, and ready, to cast out my Foundational Assumptions when and if some new evidence is found that makes them Unworkable.
Jesus shows up on my rooftop...revise my thinking that Xianity is Superstitious Nonsense.
I expire, and wake up in Hell...well, you get the idea.
I do not presume to Know, for Certain...anything. All my Knowledge is Provisional...Subject to Revision, pending new data.
I readily admit, that this is a more difficult way of interacting with the World....but I believe (untill new data disproves it...) that it is the only Honest way.
This Perplexity, this UnCertainty, is an effective shield from the stupidity and violence we find everywhere. If I Don't Know, am I likely to follow someone in doing Violence to the Other?
No, I am likely to follow my own Mind...since the Great Leader can't presume to Know, any more than I can. The Pope, the President, the King, the Crime Boss...all are just as fallable as me...just as Perplexed. They just don't know it...and I do. I , alone, am responsible for my own actions...not to God, or the King...but to myself, and my own Integrity. And. not because I fear punishment, but because I wouldn't respect myself if I went against my own counsel.


That's it...that's the Ethics of Amfortas the Hippie.