Bad faith abounds in debate about the war

Boston Globe ^ | March 30, 2003 | Jonathan Zimmerman

[Cincinatus' Wife]

A FEW DAYS AFTER the United States attacked Iraq, I traveled to Chicago to address a group of high school history teachers. I urged them to conduct debates about the war, so that students could arrive at their own views of it. Afterward, one of the teachers pulled me aside. ''Thanks so much for your talk,'' she said, smiling graciously. ''Unless we debate the war, our students won't know that it's an enormous mistake.''

[Spruce]

[wretchard]

How many conservative Johnathan Zimmermans are giving talks to High Schools today? It is on the political front that America is weakest. And no wonder. The left assiduously spreads its message, even when their positions are momentarily out of fashion, with a persistence that would make a termite look slothful.

The left learned long ago that lies are weapons. So is the truth, if we would only go out and proclaim it.

[alfa6]

I would strongly suggest that Mr Zimmerman read Bill Whittle's essay entitled "History".
It can be found at ...

http://ejectejecteject.com

It is a good 'un, may be you would like to start it's own thread as I am at work at restricted in my posting ability.


Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[woofer]

I didn't see anywhere in the article where Zimmerman told the teacher that what she planned to do is not debate but coercion.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Progressives cry alligator tears. The Iraq War is the new standard of clear thought - that there is right and wrong.

Not too far back - Elian Nation*** Once in a while, some issue in our public life - not necessarily an issue of great intrinsic importance - acts like a flare sent up over a nighttime battlefield, throwing all the contours into sharp relief and shedding light on dark places. The Clarence Thomas hearings were such an issue; the impeachment was of course another.

The affair of Elian Gonzalez has also been a flare, revealing much about our political landscape. It has, for example, shown that reflective thought and intellectual complexity are not almost exclusive to the Right, while the Left is more monolithic and thinking impaired than ever. As a conservative journalist expressed it to a colleague: "I'm torn on Elian, really torn. But burns me is that the liberals are not torn. They are bright and breezy; they know exactly what they think." It is not so much a case of Yeats - "The best lack all conviction, while the worst/Are full of passionate intensity" - as of Tolstoy: Happy liberals are all alike, while each conservative is distraught in his own way. ***

[Texas_Jarhead]

"It is on the political front that America is weakest. And no wonder. The left assiduously spreads its message, even when their positions are momentarily out of fashion, with a persistence that would make a termite look slothful."

This is the only reason they survive. Left to their own common-sense and experience a mega-majority of Americans would reject the left.

[MEG33]

Well said.

[lainde]

Good link!

[EternalVigilance]

Any person who would deify John Dewey is scarcely worth listening to in the first place, but I muddled through his twaddle.

As per the usual, not one single substantial reason was given for opposing the war; not one in the entire piece.

'War is bad' is the best they can do. That is only deserving of a big juicy 'DUH'.

Hard to believe that we allow these people to teach our children; have for a generation; and yet we still somehow are managing to survive.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Bump!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

.....and yet we still somehow are managing to survive.

Sometimes I think it is a miracle. Way, way, too many Americans believe the government owes them something.

[EternalVigilance]

I guess we are still maintaining enough of an antidote by other means; but you're right, it seems miraculous.

I guess the dead white guys who set this thing up knew how to make it durable. ;-)

[Cincinatus' Wife]

They had a good architect. God bless America.

[Madstrider]

Turn on so-called Christian radio, and you'll hear the nasty implications of this divine hubris: If God blesses America's war on Iraq, and God is good, then only bad people can oppose it.

1. I sincerely doubt Mr. Zimmerman has ever listened to "so-called Christian radio."

2. If he has actually listened to Christian radio, I sincerely doubt that he has heard this "God blesses America's war on Iraq" argument there.

So, while arguing the need for open, honest debate, Zimmerman lies in order to smear "so-called Christian radio."

Lies tend to poison debate, Mr. Zimmerman!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The "agenda" always comes first for Progressives.

[Fresh Wind]

Last year, a National Geographic-Roper survey found that fewer than 15 percent of young adults between 18 and 24 could locate Iraq on a map.

And who might be responsible for this outrageous fact? Liberal educators and our public education system, perhaps?

[metesky]

Thanks for a very good link to a very good article. I've emailed it to all my friends and some of my enemies.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The irony is sooooo ironic.

[Jim Ralls]

And who might be responsible for this outrageous fact? Liberal educators and our public education system, perhaps?

[Sarcasm ON]
Oh, no! The fact that we as a nation do not spend enough money on the schools and have classes that are too large and etc, etc, etc. [Sarcasm OFF]