Do Conservatives Hate Their Own Founder? (Kirk)

Thomas E. Woods Homepage ^ | May 18th, 2007 | Thomas E. Woods, Jr.

[goldstategop]

The times have changed. The enemy is not going to stop pursuing us even if we give up. We can no longer defend our country from our own shores. Conservatives need to be reminded isolationism was discredited by Pearl Harbor and 9/11 rendered it obsolete.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Remember_Salamis]

So the author is right. You are aghast at our own founder.

[goldstategop]

I don't think of conservatism as rigid doctrine; more of a practical approach to life that must adjust to changing circumstances.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[rhombus]

The message: War is Not the Answer (just like the bumper stickers all over liberal havens)
The Answer: The sound of crickets chirping.

Thanks very much Mr. Kirk, now tell us what we should to. Go home, work on the castle walls and wait for them to come over the side? No thanks. Sorry if playing offense offends you and the purity of your cause. If that’s being a “true” conservative, I’m not so fixated on the label.

[Remember_Salamis]

You’re a pretty hard-core conservative then...

[goldstategop]

I believe in defending this country first. The Democrats seek surrender. And for me, a good defense, to use a football analogy, begins with a good offense. Take it to the enemy!

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[DH]

Do Conservatives Hate Their Own Founder?

What kind of garbage is this? Founder?

I had no idea that one who believes in obeying the law, the rules of society, manners and agreements such as contracts...including the Constitution, owe their existence to a FOUNDER!

Bullshit!

[ExGeeEye]

He's not the founder of my beliefs. In fact I'd not heard of him until just now (theoreticallly, since I have now only read his name, I still have never heard of him).

My beliefs (based on my political thought, historical knowledge, and military service) include the concept of unrelenting war, pursuing the enemy where they may be found and destroying them until the survivors beg for mercy and then just a little more. If Mr. Kirk disagrees with that, then I call him wrong, "founder" or no.

[LaineyDee]

I think you're right. The times we live in have changed dramatically. So has technology, transportation and society at large.

We've progressed to a point that the world has become much smaller than it was 50 years ago... and international affairs affect us more readily. Open borders doesn't help either. :)

[Darkwolf377]

The author spends so much time "couching" Kirk's comments that the article is rather meaningless as a representation of "conservatism."

And those commenting about what Russell Kirk should do with himself should know: he's dead.

[ExGeeEye]

He's not my founder.

[agere_contra]

Kirk then recalled Edmund Burke's rebuke to the Pitt ministry in 1795, when the British government seemed to be on the verge of going to war with France over the issue of navigation on the River Scheldt in the Netherlands.

Not the best example this "Kirk" guy could have chosen. Britain entered World War I because of the threat of invasion from Germany's occupation of the Scheldt estuary. The Scheldt has been a major part of strategic planning for British security up until the modern age.

[Remember_Salamis]

His 1953 book, The Conservative Mind, is considered the foundation for post-WWII conservatism. Your ignorance of him proves Woods' Point.

Woods is a big conservative as well. Ever read "The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History"? That was him.

[Remember_Salamis]

He was talking about a previous war, not WWI!

[HisKingdomWillAbolishSinDeath]

The world is what it is, and it is headed toward its destiny no matter what anybody thinks or does. There is only one important lesson you need to learn in life that ultimately has long term implications: the wages of sin is death, and the gift of God is eternal life through Christ. Everything else is temporary occupation of time and space.

[bkepley]

I would think if anyone Russel Kirk appreciated conservatives who can think for themselves at least judging from The Conservative Mind.

[bkepley]

By the way, it's a childish title for a lot of reasons, Do Conservatives Hate Their Own Founder?, something I would expect to see in the local lefty street rag.

[MNJohnnie]

1st off it pretty tough to be a “Founder” of anything when no one even remembers who you are. Maybe the Neo Isolationists might want to consider the fact that this guy is a forgotten embarrassment to Conservatives. That no one even remember his name doesn’t speak well for their attempt to recycle his dogmas. Then the Al Qeda cheerleaders pretending to be “Conservatives” should wake up to that fact that Isolationism has not been a viable political philosophy since the 1930s.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Why I am not a Conservative - F. A. Hayek

It can be argued that there scarcely is any such thing as a "conservative" in America. A "conservative" preserves the central idea of his society, and the central idea of American society is freedom. Yet freedom allows new things to happen, and allows the idea of progress. What American "conservatives" actually are is progressives. And what "progressives," so called, actually are is socialists.