Posted on 10/20/2003 9:31:19 PM PDT by kattracks
In part one, I described nine areas of major conflict between the Right and the Left in American life, a conflict that rivals the First Civil War in intensity, though thankfully not in violence. Here in part two, I describe 15 others.
The Left regards American nationalism as dangerous, is more comfortable celebrating world citizenship and prefers that America follow the lead of international organizations such as the United Nations. The Right celebrates American nationalism, distrusts world organizations, prefers that America lead humanity and regards the United Nations as largely a moral wasteland.The Left believes that sensitivity to minorities' feelings trumps the majority's will. The Right believes that when not immoral, the majority's will trumps that of the minority. For example, because some employees do not celebrate Christmas, the Left believes that organizations should rename their Christmas party the "holiday party." The Right believes that because the vast majority of Americans celebrate Christmas, the party should be called a Christmas party.
The Left believes that a woman must have an unrestricted right to choose an abortion but no right to choose a silicone breast implant. The Right believes that society must decide when abortions are moral and legal but a woman has the right to choose to have a silicone breast implant.
The Left believes that attacking world poverty will greatly reduce Islamic terror. The Right believes that poverty is largely unrelated to Islamic terror.
The Left believes that George W. Bush attacked Iraq mostly for economic gain. The Right believes George W. Bush attacked Iraq to protect America and to change the Arab world for the better.
The Left believes that a high rate of taxation of people who earn more money is a moral imperative. The Right believes that allowing people to keep as much of their money as possible is a moral imperative.
The Left identifies with the values of most university professors in the liberal arts and values their insights. The Right regards most of these professors as moral idiots.
The Left believes that the greatest danger to mankind, as former Vice President Al Gore wrote in his book "Earth in the Balance," is the threat to the environment. The Right believes that the greatest danger to humanity is, as it always has been, human evil.
The Left believes that marriage should be redefined and that judges alone are entitled to do so. The Right believes that the millennia-old definition of marriage as between members of the two sexes is inviolable and that it can't be redefined by jurists.
The Left believes that in terms of parenthood, all a child needs is love, whether that love comes from a single parent, two men, two women or some other adult. The Right believes that children do best with the love of two married parents of the opposite sex.
The Left believes that opposing race-based college dorms, graduation ceremonies, congressional caucuses or professional organizations is racist. The Right believes that race-based college dorms, graduation ceremonies, congressional caucuses and professional organizations are racist.
The Left believes that labeling any enemy of the United States "evil" is wrong. It was wrong when President Ronald Reagan labeled the Soviet Union an "evil empire," and it was wrong when President George W. Bush labeled Iran, Iraq and North Korea an "axis of evil." The Right believes that not labeling such regimes "evil" is a sign of moral confusion and appeasement.
The Left is preoccupied with health. Leftist parents are more likely to believe that it is preferable that their teenager cheat on a test than smoke. Parents on the Right are more likely to believe that it is better that their teenager smoke than cheat.
The Left believes that just as America and the Soviet Union were equally responsible for the Cold War, Israel and the Palestinians are equally responsible for Middle East violence. The Right believes that just as the Soviets were responsible for the Cold War, the Arab enemies of Israel are responsible for Middle East violence.
The Left believes that criticism of Christianity is important and that criticism of Islam is bigoted. The Right believes that criticism of Islam is important and that most criticism of Christianity is bigoted.
I am well aware that not everyone on the Left agrees with every leftist position and not everyone on the Right agrees with every rightist one. Nat Hentoff is a leftist who doesn't support abortion rights; Pat Buchanan is a rightist who doesn't support Israel. But the existence of individual exceptions does not negate the fact that all the positions listed here as Left or Right are correctly labeled.
The fact is that this country is profoundly divided on virtually every major social, personal and political issue. We are in the midst of the Second American Civil War. Who wins it will determine the nature of this country as much as the winner of the first did.
©2003 Creators Syndicate, Inc.
So instead imagine "Floridas" in ten key states, with Republicans denouncing 'rat vote fraud, and instead of a Gore calling off the dogs, a Hellary or Weasly Clark letting them loose?
Talk about folks ready to take up arms!
Yep. It's never a good idea to piss off the people who know how things work (and more to the point, how to make things *stop* working).
Hey, archy... at your convenience, please add me to your ping list.
Couple this with a larger than normal percentage of vetrans in these ranks and one has a recipie for a very high explosive, When you hear fire in the hole on this one be ready to take cover.
Tell that to the Cold War that Ronald Reagan bloodlessly won.
Hmmm... a Cold Civil War II? ;^)
In short they thought they would lose on the basis of one state, with loads of irregularities in counting the military vote.
It will IMO be far more like a counter revolution against abuses from the left. I.e., those who Steven Den Beste called tranzis, transnationals; against heavy-handed, lying gun grabbers -- going state-by-state after realizing a federal law ain't going to happen; ILLEGAL immigrant rights advocates pushing, pushing for more, more -- stirring some of the ILLEGALS to violence; enviro wackos pushing. pushing for more, more "rural cleansing" -- it almost sparked Lexington-west at Klamath Falls just a couple of years ago.
Maybe even the "angry white male" made famous by the movie Falling Down will re-appear not as a single unemployed engineer but as a mob in Falling Down, 2004 -- no, this won't be two armies squaring off. Nor will it be IMO a revolution against "the government." It's entirely up to the left's chicken hawk revolutinoaries in the media, the universities, etc. and how they manipulate their mindless minions.
It will be total and absolute chaos out of which will emerge a patriot-dictator, a Man on Horseback. The left will fail to "bring it all down, man."
I've wanted to see it since 1970. Many knew in those days the day would come when the New Left's war against America would have to be confronted. We are there. This is a war within a war. It is part of the war to protect our Republic from radical Islam. The left is an ally of any who would "bring it all down, man."
Exactly!
Where are the race riots I wondered at the time? The left knew that the media would go after Bush to stop the violence and answer the "will of the people." Gore would be the President.
Good point.
I believe the neo-cons come from the 1960s and before liberals. Liberals in those days were patriots. They fled the Democrat Party rather than fight the New Left. They brought with them their ideology and some, like Jonah Goldberg, want to purge the paleo-cons from "their" Republicn Party.
I do not believe that neo-cons are allies with today's left, however. Neo v. Paleo is more like the way politcis between Democrats and Republicans used to be IMO.
I cannot cite the exact writings of Mr. David Horowitz but I believe he argues that today's left is stronger than ever.
Any such nation wide conflict will indeed bring about anarchy with no winners and those who let themselves be used against the republic will find themselves less than the losers they currently are.
Just my opinion of course.....Stay Safe , BLOAT & CACHE !
Another piece of historical truth. What they start, I intend to finish in places, at times and according to methods of my choosing. Without guilt. Without remorse. Without hesitation.
Indeed. And we used to quaranteen those who carried and could communicate deadly diseases instead of making them liberal mascots. I fear the average American's sense of self-preservation has atrophied under the crushing weight of "tolerance".
The real Civil War will start once 12 viable balls have been found amongst American males that DON'T WATCH... Dr. Phil or Oprah......
(National search is in progress)...
Well, to be fair, a few isolated cases of verbal excesses by unwise individuals does not a civil war make.
The only problem with this scenario is that Civil Wars usually require geographic divisions of the peoples that are warring, or some other distinguishable characteristic (such as race in Zimbabwe). We are far too integrated for anything but a very low level of violence. More like acts of criminality, terrorism, and the like as opposed to the organization of armies to fight a standard war.
One thing that is NOT unlikely, is a Russian-style coup.
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