Extremism In The Defense Of Liberty

The names that conservatives have been called over the last few weeks, culminating in the last few days, would be shocking, if you expected anything more from liberals.

We have been called terrorists, jihadists, racists, extortionists, bigots, hostage takers, suicide bombers. I can go on and on.

Even our Vice President, Joe Biden, jumped into the fray. It is reported that he said, in support of another Democrat's statement, that the Republicans "...acted like terrorists." He denies he used the word 'terrorist', but even if he agreed with the statement, he looks foolish. Ironic, too, because he was on Capitol Hill trying to whip for Democrat votes for a bill that passed by large bipartisan majorities in both houses.

Aw, heck. You never reply to posters. Then you won’t mind if I post your article in it’s fullness?

I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!

Barry Goldwater, 1964 Republican nomination acceptance speech

The names that conservatives have been called over the last few weeks, culminating in the last few days, would be shocking, if you expected anything more from liberals.

I don’t. Never have, never will.

We have been called terrorists, jihadists, racists, extortionists, bigots, hostage takers, suicide bombers. I can go on and on.

Even our Vice President, Joe Biden, jumped into the fray. It is reported that he said, in support of another Democrat’s statement, that the Republicans “…acted like terrorists.” He denies he used the word ‘terrorist’, but even if he agreed with the statement, he looks foolish. Ironic, too, because he was on Capitol Hill trying to whip for Democrat votes for a bill that passed by large bipartisan majorities in both houses.

Well, to that, I say: Nuts.

Anyone who thought that Barack Obama’s plea for civility after Gabrielle Giffords shooting in January was anything more than political opportunism is a fool. Obama and his cohorts on the left simply wanted to make political capital on a tragedy. This weeks words and actions from the political left proves that, once and for all.

First and foremost, we are NOT extremists in any sort of the word. We are extreme only to liberals whose mindset has become spending at all costs, regardless of the outcome or repercussions. And offending their illusion of reality…well, that is what brings out the worst in our liberal friends.

It is not extreme to ask our government to live within its means; that doesn’t mean strictly no deficits, but it does mean have a plan to limit the size of our debt problem.

It is not extreme to have our entitlement programs run in such a manner that it does not bankrupt our children and grandchildren even before they enter middle school.

It is not extreme to say that our level of taxes are enough. If you want to reform the tax code, be my guest. I am all for eliminating tax loopholes for the ultrarich and eliminate many, if not all, tax exemptions. The tax code is the dumbest piece of literature on the face of the earth. Throw the entire code out, and start from scratch. One of the few bipartisan agreements I bet we could make is that our tax code is archaic. So do something about it.

The irony is that the extremism, if it exists, exists on the left. It is extreme to keep spending when we have example after example of other countries reaching similar levels of debt, and falling off the cliff. It is extreme to keep spending on stimulus, when it has not produced any significant jobs. It is extreme to blindly do what you have done over and over again, when it achieves terrible results. That is extreme…or at the very least, insane.

James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal put it succinctly:

Obama’s failure is the failure of the liberal elite, and that is why their ressentiment has reached such intensity. Their ideas, such as they are, are being put to a real-world test and found severely wanting. As a result, their authority is collapsing. And if there is one thing they know deep in their bones, it is that they are entitled to that authority. They lash out, desperately and pathetically, because they have nothing to offer but fear and anger.

I say let them call us names. The more they are angry, the more it means we are achieving. The more derogatory terms they use to describe us, the more we know that we are disrupting their status quo. The more uncivil they are, the more we know we are on the right track. Do not get sidetracked by their vitriol, because they know not what they do. Move forward, and continue in the fight for fiscal sanity and federal restraint.

Because as a great man once said almost a half century ago, extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.