This week Sigmund, Carl and Alfred has been exploring some of the moral complexities that accepting Leftism presents in our modern world: start by reading Three Minutes to Midnight and Religious Progressives, The Judenrat And Another Generation In Denial
By accepting and ascribing to beliefs and ideologies of Leftism, ‘religious progressives’ have made a deal with the very devil that would destroy them. Disagree with a ‘religious progressive,’ and like their progressive masters, tolerance goes out the window because dissent cannot be tolerated- because the ‘emperor has no clothes.’
Further exploring the issue, Neo-Neocon takes a look at “A Jewish veneer for the annihilation of Jews”.
Francis Porretto looks at The Day And The Hour and Effective Political Argumentation and “Good Intentions”
Note how consistently liberals attack conservatives on their “motives.” That’s a rhetorical giveaway if ever there was one. “Intentions” are connotatively neutral; “motives” reek of sinister, even criminal associations. Note also how seldom Democrats argue about the comparative effects of their policy preferences versus those of the Right, where the logic and evidence favors us.
Yet it is the Right that keeps dropping the rhetorical ball. As conservative voters are rationally oriented, the conservative base is staunchly Republican. They won’t defect unless Republican officeholders defect first, as appears to have occurred in the 109th Congress. When conservatives and Republican partisans argue for a strong national defense, free-market economics, limited-government constitutionalism, et cetera, they fail to reach the battlefield of the compassion-oriented voter. Therefore, they fail to extend their appeal beyond their base.
There’s no comprehending this unless one accepts that the compassion-oriented voter isn’t necessarily concerned with the results of the policies he favors. He might be more concerned with his own self-concept as a good person, or with remaining in the good graces of the social circle he prefers; both these things are known to influence political allegiances. In any case, he gravitates almost automatically toward the candidate or policy that reinforces his subconscious notions about compassion. For many, that means accepting a party’s rhetoric at face value, rather than soberly assessing the consequences of its policy preferences.
Power-seekers cannot help but be aware of this, which is a complete explanation both for Democrats’ posturings and for the rise of “compassionate conservatism” talk on the Right.
We are not talking about intellectual discussions on philosophy – we are talking about events affecting our lives. Read Michael Totten’s “So This Is Our Victory”, a devastating report from Lebanon,
“We have been screaming about this conflict for 30 years now,” Henry said as he dealt himself a hand of Solitaire from a deck of cards in his pocket. “But no one ever listened to us. Not until September 11. Now you know how we feel all the time. You have to keep up the pressure. You can never let go, not for one day, one hour, not for one second. The minute you let go, Michael, they will fight back and get stronger. This is the problem with your foreign policy.”
“Since 1975 we have been fighting for the free world,” Said said. “We are on the front lines. Why doesn’t the West understand this? America can withdraw from Iraq, you can go back to Oregon, but we are stuck here. We have to stay and live with what happens.”
Read each word.
