Politics and Culture

Forget Joe Wilson calling Obama a liar- he looks like Charlie Rose compared to these guys.

Related: I'm not comparing Obama to the following men and woman, but it's hard not to notice a similarity between what Obama is trying to do to Fox news and anti-press initiatives by left-wing presidents Hugo Chavez, Cristina Kirchner (right down to bribing friendly media and the "hurry up before people catch on" attitude towards reform), and Daniel Ortega.

Obama's hate crimes legislation also resembles the anti-speech policies of Europe.

No direct comparisons, just interesting parallels.

Which leads me to the root of the rude-ness: self-righteousness. When you're absolutely sure that you're right and the only reason that somebody would oppose the you is because they're ignorant or evil, then any action you take to silent them isn't only justified, but a duty.

Yes, it's similar to religion.

Leftists may not pray, but they certainly hope. One of the things that some leftists hope for is that their political enemies commit violence. We see this in their breathless anticipation of conservative-incriminating evidence in the Kentucky killing of a census worker and their scouring of the tea party protests for Hitler signs.

Of course, anybody who knows history knows the violence in America (much, much more overseas) that has come abut as a direct result of leftism, either formal or emotional. Quick primer (look up in Wiki for details): Sacco and Vanzetti, Black Panthers, Weathermen, Charles Manson, Jim Jones of poison Kool Aid fame (Communist atheist), William Ayers, Colin Ferguson, various eco-terrorism groups like Earth First and the Animal Liberation Front, Columbine murderers, church murders, anti-abortion activist murders, Unabomber etc., etc.

Some politically-motivated conservatives have pointed this out to a constituency longing to feel the same sense of victim-hood. Here's an article from 1999:

A "virile and fertile" anti-Christian sentiment is growing around the country, religious groups said Thursday, a day after a gunman spouting blasphemous rhetoric burst into a youth service at a Fort Worth Baptist church and fatally shot seven persons.

"I believe there is a growing climate of hostility that is directed against Christians . . . who find themselves as the targets of a great hostility in this culture," said William Merrell, a spokesman for the Southern Baptist Convention.

A "disturbing double standard" is evident in the way attacks on Christians are viewed compared with crimes against other groups, a spokesman for the Family Research Council said.

From the Matthew Shepard murder in Wyoming last year to the shootings last month at a Jewish community center in California, the media and many politicians moved swiftly to label those episodes of violence "hate crimes," said Robert Regnier, a cultural studies writer at the FRC.

In the Texas church shootings, he said, "I just don't see any of that."

Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer urged the Justice Department "to determine if a pattern of crimes against men and women of faith exists" in such crimes as Wednesday's shootings at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth.

Citing the 1997 shootings of a high school prayer group in Paducah, Ky., and the April murders of Christian students at Columbine High School in Colorado, Mr. Bauer said Americans are "witnessing a disturbing pattern."

Attorney General Janet Reno warned reporters that it was too early to characterize the Fort Worth shooting as a "hate crime," but said law enforcement authorities on the scene would uncover the facts.

"We must get answers and must move carefully to make sure that we understand exactly what happened so that we can take the most effective action possible," she said. "We should not jump to conclusions."

We know what Obama wants to do with banks, health care, and education (the shameful cancellation of the Washington D.C. voucher program), and former parental responsibilities like sex education and child care.

It's pretty clear also that Obama wants to appropriate much of America's civil society-- charities, business groups, social and religious associations, arts, adult and children's organizations that promote radical ideas like patriotism, etc.-- for government.

Sounds conspiratorial, I know, but how could you add the "2" of Obama wanting to reduce private donations to charities-- donations that fund Scouting, orchestras, skid row missions, museums, and many other activities-- with the "two" of Obama increasing funding for the NEA, welfare, and government organizations that do the same thing, and not reach my "4," above.

You can check your math with yesterday's announcement that Obama will increase the money government pays AmeriCorps "volunteers." How far away is a "Jr. AmeriCorps" to replace the homophobic, religiously bigoted Boy Scouts? We already know that Obama wants to take over local law enforcement or something with a federal domestic Army.

What can Americans do? The Guirado household involves itself in organizations independent from the government as much as possible. I'm in Knights of Columbus, my son's in little league, my other son's in Cub Scouts, my wife dances with her friends. If the Girl Scouts offer a shopping merit badge, my daughter's joining. Of course, we go to Church.

Besides direct support, we need a good defensive strategy as well. We must resist any policy designed to reduce the influence of independent organizations, like the charity deduction limit and stop creeping Euro-style liberal fascism by opposing conservative speech restrictions like a variation of the Fairness Docrine and Obama's pending decision to limit dissent on abortion (FOCA).

We need to stand strong against cultural intimidation by laughing down things like what happened to Miss America and the DHS memo against socialism skeptics.

A practical example of conservative civil disobedience from my own life: The public school she attends was going to give my 10-year-old daughter a sex education class. When my wife asked me if we should sign the permission paper, I asked her, "What will they teach her that you can't?"

"Nothing."

"Well, there's your answer."

This is where liberals get almost too stupid to describe. It's so infuriatingly stupid, in fact, that I won't even try to reason with it (because, you know, asking judges for guidance on water boarding and sleep deprivation is the worst thing the Nazis ever did), hoping that anybody who happens upon this post isn't an idiot.

Story here.

Cheney wants all of the "torture" memos released. Why not? We all know why not.

Let's see. Miss California lost the pageant because she said something about gay marriage. Do you think she offended mainstream America by coming out boldly in favor of gay marriage and then suffered the wrath of their mass bigotry? No, she came out in favor of traditional marriage and lunatic Perez Hilton voted against her.

Typical for his side, his criticism is incoherent. She's dumb for answering the question? She said that people disagree and that states have the right to change the law just like Hilton wanted her to. It's a sleazy move by a sleazy guy. Who asks such political questions? I'm sure he thought he was striking a blow for justice.

To Miss Prejean:

Your statement was 100 times braver than Sean Penn's. I'm happy that you hold marriage in such esteem and, yes, I would consider dating you if I didn't.

Mr. Hilton called her a bit**. Yeah, what a b:

Carrie has a passion for people with special needs, whether it's a child with a disability or a grown adult living homeless on the streets. Carrie is involved in the Best Buddies non profit organization, a program in which it helps those with disabilities gain friendships, and build lifelong relationships. She is also a volunteer for the Special Olympics. Carrie is an advocate for encouraging healthy lifestyles for young women. Carrie wants people to remember her as being compassionate and real. People enjoy being around Carrie because of her high energy and fun personality.

Carrie has a Chihuahua named "Biggie" who she spends most of her time with. Running on the beach, playing sports, shopping, relaxing, reading a good book, and spending time with her big Italian family, are some of Carries favorite past times. Her friends and family mean the world to her. Carrie is excited to see where her modeling career takes her, but will always remember the people who got her where she is at, and all the love and support she has had over the years. Carrie lives life to the fullest, and is reminded everyday by the verse Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".

The video below is part of Penn State's diversity program. It's entitled, "The Worrisome Veteran."

Powerline, the best blog not aligned with a magazine, analyzes the message Penn State intentionally sends, here.

Now, let's play that favorite conservative parlor game, "substitute X for Y." How about, "the worrisome feminist?"

Obama almost always mentions PTSD when talking about soldiers.

Next, watch the exchange between Joe Solmonese and Maggie Gallagher of NOM. Notice the name-calling on Solmonese's part, "bigot," etc.

This study attempts to prove how men with negative feelings towards homosexuals ("homophobes") are themselves hiding homosexual tendencies.**

The use of "negative" in the following statement from anti-abstinence activists:

"Virginity pledgers are very different than most U.S. teens -- they are obviously more conservative, they have more negative views about sexuality and birth control and so, even if they didn't take a pledge, these would be teenagers who would be very likely to abstain anyhow," says Rosenbaum. About 40 percent of the study subjects were born-again Christians, she notes.

Is thinking that sex is only appropriate within marriage, necessarily "negative?"

Then, today, the report from the Department of Homeland Security suggesting that the nation had better beware "right wing extremists" (you, me, my dad, the Walmart checker who voted against same-sex marriage). I'll add a couple of things to another excellent Powerline opinion.

1. About gay marriage: Isn't the exact opposite of the DHS's report the reality? Wasn't it left-leaning, pro-same-sex marriage individuals who terrorized Mormons and other groups that tended to support Proposition 8?

2. The labeling of groups who haven't actually terrorized anybody as "terrorist" or "potential terrorist" while insisting on hyper-PC language like "man-made disasters" and anything other than "terrorist" for people who really are, exposes another left tendency, which is to concern itself more with independent-minded citizens than real enemies (a blatant example is here, that while Bush sought to intercept terrorist calls, Obama wants the ability to shut down the internet for everybody).

You're familiar with the lefty blog habit of calling anybody right of Dennis Kucinich a "wingnut" (the right does this too with "moonbat").

You must see these examples in the context of the left tactic-- present since Marx declared religion an "opiate" (Freud, as well, would have also declared St. Francis and every other saint, neurotic) and continuing through the Soviet-invented concept "political correctness, Theodor W. Adorno, Else Frenkel-Brunswik, Daniel Levinson, and Nevitt Sanford's Authoritarian Personality, to the left's grand projection project of linking fascism with conservatism-- of insanitizing dissent.***

Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology: Authoritarian personality by Gale Reference Team

In other words, "anybody who opposes us is crazy." It can be a powerful tactic: simply to declare a certain opinion a disorder, beyond the pale, or dangerous and attribute that disorder to your political enemies.

Pro-gay agenda people use "Homophobic" and "hateful" for anybody who believes the the government should encourage opposite-sex relationships; in doing so, they imply that traditionalists or utilitarians don't have a legitimate point of view. It makes it very difficult to for conservatives to discuss this legitimate policy area. Just notice the defensiveness on conservatives' part or count the number of disclaimers they use (I have one myself) before offering their opinion, when they attempt it. In most cases, conservatives just keep quiet to avoid the aggravation.

Anyways, don't fall for it. This is a "sticks and stones" case where the names only work if you let them. I don't want to be as overly-sensitive and chip-carrying as my brothers on the left (obvious projection: Doesn't the veteran act like the way campus ______studies departments encourage their students to?), but we should stand up to this Orwellian bullying. Gallagher, above, did well when she told Solmonese that he was being "unkind."

**What makes this strategy of de-legitimization especially effective is that all of the above declarations have a hint of truth: I think that people obsessed with homosexuality may be trying to distance themselves from their feelings (and people especially sensitive to racism probably harbor very deep racial feelings) and some very extreme groups are dangerous.

***Insanitizing isn't attempted right away. Usually, the left tries to gather sympathy for the favored group first, and then tries to insanitize when they feel strong enough.

Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Change by Jonah Goldberg

Communism alone killed about 100,000,000 people in the twentieth century, a record I hope remains unbroken, and I'm not even counting Hitler, a socialist.

Last century, one single chemical invention from a capitalist country, DDT, saved 500,000,000 people. Add the medical advances (that we'll continue to produce until Obama socializes drug companies), charities, etc., and you easily get billions of people saved by America.

Will this deter leftists from pushing their programs? No. Dedicated Leftists (not you, moderate Democrat and liberal. I'm talking about that guy with the Chomsky book behind you) care about Leftism. That is, they won't let anything- facts, death, poverty, nothing- get in their way of establishing their ideal society (here).

You've heard the "Don't waste a good crisis" quote. That's nothing. Get a load of this:

The fact that DDT saves lives might account for part of the hostility toward it. Alexander King, founder of the Malthusian Club of Rome, wrote in a biographical essay in 1990:

"My own doubts came when DDT was introduced. In Guyana, within two years, it had almost eliminated malaria. So my chief quarrel with DDT, in hindsight, is that it has greatly added to the population problem."

Dr. Charles Wurster, one of the major opponents of DDT, is reported to have said,

"People are the cause of all the problems. We have too many of them. We need to get rid of some of them, and this (referring to malaria deaths) is as good a way as any."