More Unabashed Hypocrisy From the Conservative Movement
February 22nd, 2009Fun Sunday read:
Fox News “war games” the coming civil war – Glenn Greenwald – Salon.com
(via: Airbag)
This is where the lack of intellectual honesty leads. We don’t get big ideas from conservatives now. We get chest thumping absolutes that betray THEIR OWN SUPPOSED IDEALS. Nothing more than the complete implosion of the conservative movement. Asinine and embarrassing.
I grew up with the John Birch paranoia. It seeped into Mormon subculture heavily. The above linked article mentions this piece, published in 1964 in Harper’s. Worth a read as well. o
Tags: conservative angst, conservative hypocrisy, culture wars
In my opinion, I think these conservative tactics are, at best, sad and desperate. But I’m more inclined to believe that there are very deliberate and more calculated reasons behind them than desperation. It’s worrisome.
Jon,
You are being incredibly short-sighted in your views on this “movement”.
There is a growing thought among many, not just conservatives, that the federal government is running amuck.
If you recall your history, we claimed our independence over lack of representation. There is at least half of this nation that feels it is not being heard by the government and most definitely not represented. Under the Declaration of Independence, those who feel that the government has become a body that doesn’t not serve them has the right to abolish said government and start again. And yes Jon, several million people feel their government representatives are not representing them…from a state level all the way to the White House. Votes may be counted in the affirmative for a certain party, but either way, it is an elected official’s duty to act in the interest of their state citizens. They simply ARE NOT. Time and again we are seeing legislators vote in a way that is counter to what a majority of most of America makes it very clear it does NOT support. You can read the publications you want and say otherwise, but you are simply biased and unaware. I could gather a crowd right now of random people…into the hundreds…and I know, for sure, they would sound off in the majority that they do not support most of the actions being taken by Congress right now. I know it.
Now it may be a stretch to say it would ever come to that…that there will be a revolution. But one state, Massachusetts, was the starting point for the war that gained us freedom to begin with. It only takes one state…a few to start a growing movement. And to think this nation won’t ever see another civil war at some point is naive.
States are beginning to revolt against the hand of the feds pushing down on them, as they should! And many, MANY citizens, whether you think so or not, are behind them.
Texas is just one of half a dozen states currently looking to pass a resolultion reaffirming state soveirgnity from the federal government under the 10th Amendment…Oklahom, Missouri, Alabama have and are doing the same.
http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/81R/billtext/pdf/HC00050I.pdf
So, to say that militias are some wackjobs overreacting is simply putting too simple of a view to a very complex and deep issue. You feel as a Democrat you got your way in this election. Many voters do not feel that way and feel that very foundation of what this country was founded on is being dismantled. As a true libertarian, I support civilian action in the face of what they feel is an unconstitutional act against their states by the federal government. Hopefully it will never come to the need for militias. But, if it did, it wouldn’t surprise me.
That is the spirit that built this country and should never ever be looked upon as dangerous. You must thank the founding fathers for being willing to do such a thing to begin with or else we wouldn’t be here to discuss these issues. The debates betweens states currently are eerily similiar to those more than 250 years ago.
Mark my word…all of this is more than you are giving it credit for. I think you are missing a whole aspect of this that is HUGE. It’s gone way beyond Obama now…way beyond.
When the attorny general of the United States says we are a “nation of cowards”…you must know that we are in true trouble. No such statement could ever be so far from the truth. If you consider yourself a true patriot, watch the HBO series “John Adams” instead of wasting your time on that garbage they produce like “Right America”.
Stupid and irresponsible. PERIOD.
I wish the states who want to declare sovereignty luck. It’s stupid theatrics.
Texas = taking stimulus money.
And, from the second linked piece:
Faydean, I disagree that the majority of the group that you would gather would disagree with most of what Congress is doing. For you to say you know that “for sure” is pretty irresponsible. From where I stand, I could gather a group and the majority would say that they are finally hopeful in regards to the political atmosphere. You shouldn’t argue in absolutes.
I agree with you 110%, faydean. Jon, really? Are you not in the least bit concerned? The growth of the fed bothers me, and I guess you can’t understand my point of view just as much as I fail to see the logic in yours.
Of course I’m concerned. But I’m not weighed down by a love for Reagan or the notion that FDR was bad for the country.
Reagan was wrong. FDR extended the Great Depression by not acting as boldly and quickly (in some areas of recovery spending). Knowing those two things makes me less paranoid and more involved in reality.
What is staggering is the state of denial in the U.S. That denial knows no party lines. To a certain degree, we’re all in denial about where the U.S. is right now.
Ignorance and fear aren’t going to get us out of this mess. We’ll have to wake up and take responsibility for how we’ve lived.
here i was reveling in the wins of slumdog millionaire and i just had to ruin the night by clicking on blurb.
i’m disgusted by the thought process reflected in the article. truly. i’m not a fan of president clinton. not after the embarrassment of his personal actions and the consequent loss of al gore in ‘00. but the depth and breath of personal and political hypocrisy among conservatives far outweighs any weakness of any democrat that’s been in that office. right wing conservatives=end of days (yes, jon, i went there).
oh, and i too could gather people, in the hundreds, and ask if they agree with the actions that congress is taking. except i would make sure that the people i gather be ultra conservative republicans (many of whom are great friends of mine). and guess what their answer would be?? “i don’t know (shrug) . . . but i’m against gay marriage!” this is an accurate picture of right wing conservatives in my experience. they really don’t know. but many respond to the aggressive pandering of talk show hosts essentially saying “if you don’t know, i’ll ‘know’ for you.”
before writing this comment, i posted the link on my facebook and since then (10 minutes), i’ve received 11 messages in my inbox. most of the them are emotionally charged responses that clearly show they have not read the article.
so now i’m wondering, jon, is it unabashed hypocrisy or ignorance that governs this type of political ideology.
I’m not aware of a single “conservative” who pays any attention to Glenn Beck.
I’d also note that Greenwald is awfully vague about who “they” are.
You obviously don’t live in Utah.
Do you seriously know people that watch this guy? Because that would explain a lot.
I’m related to the people I know who watch this show.
YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW DEEP IT RUNS.
Hmm. Yes, I can see why you would find this sort of thing troubling.
Jon,
If we’re being honest, I began talking to some of my friends about starting our own militia when the Patriot Act was passed so not everyone who wants to start a militia is necessarily anti-democrat. I’m not a crazy nutjob. I’m college educated and I think I have a fairly decent understanding of the constitution. I’ve felt for a while that neither party or even my elected representative could care less about what I want or need.
Our Government has become one that decides what our best interests are rather than doing what we tell them too. This has been going on slowly for sometime and has now gotten to the point that it’s finally noticeable.
I think there is a lack of honesty along both party lines and I think that both sides are using fear as a motivational tactic to drive Americans to support things. And then when we don’t support them, they do it anyway.
Bush used fear of Terrorists; Obama is using fear of a depression. Both are legitimate fears, but when people make a decision out of fear, it’s more than likely going to end up being the wrong decision.
I’m not going to pull a Rush and hope that Obama fails. I don’t want that because inevitably that means that our country only gets worse. I hope that he succeeds, but I also hope that I don’t end up in a Socialist state. Unfortunately, Bush has already laid the ground work for that to happen (warrantless wiretapping, etc.)
Any talk of militia formation is extreme and fueled by paranoia.
Really, it’s extreme and fueled by paranoia? Then why is it referred to in the constitution? Where the founding fathers extreme and fueled by paranoia too? Or are you just being sarcastic?
If you believe that the environment we live in today resembles that of the founding fathers, we’ve got nothing to talk about. Our entire infrastructure and society is very different. The methods of communication far more immediate and open (when was the last time you emailed your representatives in Congress? Your Senators?) than it was 200+ years ago.
The methods for making change in today’s world involve grown up things like using technology, science, history, our minds and our words not our fears and guns.
Extreme.
I think you miss the point of what the militia is and what our Founding Fathers intended our goverment to be. I agree that the world we live in is much different than that of the founding fathers. Obviously, we’ve grown technologically and I’m not going to attempt to dispute that.
However, the militia’s purpose has and will always be to keep the government in check. The reason that we are given a constitutional right to keep and bear arms is so that if the government ceases to operate under our terms, that we have the right (and a way) to set that straight.
I am one of the last people who would want to start a war or see any violence, and I don’t have any hero worship over militias, but history always shows that unless you bring a stick to the fight, you’re gonna end up getting a beat down.
In other words, people should not be afraid of the government, government should be afraid of the people.
If we were to be invaded right now, the first line of defense wouldn’t be the national guard, it’d be the militia.
Steve, your proposal was answered in the negative with the Whiskey Rebellion. The Founders never advocated militia action as a check on the government. They did secure to citizens the means to resist unlawful intrusion by the government, but that is very different than active armed collective action against the government.
The founders believed that reasoned debate and restraint of momentary enthusiasms were the best defense of our liberties. If they were wrong about that, I suppose you’ll want your guns — but I don’t know that they’ll do you much good.
Steve, up your dose.
Steve-O…
“In other words, people should not be afraid of the government, government should be afraid of the people.”
EXACTLY. That was the point I was trying to make…
And be it conservative or liberal, every citizen has that promised to them by the Constitution. THEY work for us, bottom line. And with that in mind, THEY should have been fired et al a LOOOONG time ago now.
“. . . to think this nation won’t ever see another civil war at some point is naive.”
Come again? Over what, your tax bill?
Any reform of government power will occur politically, or not at all. This militia stuff is a dangerous and embarrassing waste of time.
This lack of balls, as my husband would say, is the very reason the free world will end eventually.
There’s a whole Vulcan mentality going on in the world today that is doing absolutely nothing to address the growing CRAZY in the world.
It’s all “let’s talk”, “this can be worked out with diplomacy”…give me a break.
No one wants armed violence. Not me, not you. But the fact of the matter is that while you preach the “let’s talk stuff”…there ARE people out to get you and I and all of us…our enemies from outside and within.
People are blind to what most of this “help” means when it comes to government injecting itself into every nook and cranny of our daily lives. It’s like a freakin’ cancer…one cell at a time being ravaged. And yes, if left unchecked, it will kill the host.
So your philosophy of “any reform of government will occur politically, or not at all”…is that your view on life in general, apathy and complacency? For pete’s sake…we either do it this way or just put up with it. Yes, that is the mindset this nation was founded on. Hell, why didn’t we just deal with Hitler like that or polio or segregation. To hell with it, if these old ways don’t work…let’s just give up.
I think we gave up a long time ago in this nation, even politically. No one is willing to put themselves out there to say “ENOUGH” of this bullshit. And no, a bunch of messiah loving people voting for a pop idol is not what I mean. I mean in the streets, mad as hell and we’re not gonna take it anymore kind of action.
As a former liberal and big time protester for the leftist cause, my feathers are ruffled…just for the OTHER side now. Conservatives have been too nice, played to fair. There is a new generation of young libertarians etc. that simply are tired of talking amongst themselves over what is right and wrong.
So, with that said, I think the lefty protest lovers may have more company in the coming days. Won’t they be shocked to see US come out in droves wielding our banners and chanting our mantras. Their side isn’t the only one passion filled for what should be done for this country. That’s for damn sure.
Whether or not the militias will ever set it upon themselves to conduct an armed rebellion in this country remains to be seen. As a staunch libertarian and believer in assertive, peaceful change, I certainly hope not.
However I do agree with a few tenets of the Fox News “War Games” article originally linked by the author. It is ONLY because the citizenry has been quiet, meek and generally afraid to raise their voices that the political elite has been running amok for at least the last 12 (if not more) years. The citizenry on both sides of the isle. Regardless of political affiliation.
I also agree with the notion that our elected representatives are in Washington to represent us, not special interests. If the will of the people had truly been followed, this latest round of debt spending would not have been approved, zombie banks such as Citigroup would already have been nationalized (to be returned to private hands once profitable, at a gain to the taxpayer) and subprime mortgages would have been dealt with upon the initial $700B stimulus, instead of large banks using the leverage to buy other large banks.
The people need to remind their elected officials whose interests they serve. Phone calls, emails, letters, marches, Facebook groups, Twitter memes, however you communicate most effectively. But it cannot be piecemeal–three phone calls from a handful of angry constituents is barely going to register. Three hundred or three thousand measured, direct phone calls will get someone thinking.