CHEW ON THIS [Hitchens to peaceniks]

TheStranger.com via Andrew Sullivan ^ | January 19, 2003 | Christopher Hitchens

[Sam Cree]

"wanting to recreate a lost past"

You mean like the lost past of an America that adhered to the Constitution? Just kidding, I am starting to get the point.

Although, to a real socialist, I believe that attempting to regain a Constitutional America might be viewed as reactionary.

[tpaine]

Iraq will be a treasure trove of information which will soon justify our fears and the degree to which Sadam has been in league with terrorists against the US and Isreal.
It will even show the Saudis up for the masterminds of terror which we intuitively know already, that is if we invade and not placate the corrupt Arab world by allowinging Sadam Insane to escape.
33 Helms

My hope is that the real 'smoking gun' leads to the Saudis, who are undoubtably "the masterminds of terror".
Imo, ending their regime should be the focus of our attack.

[tpaine]

Many people incorrectly use "reactionary" to mean "acting in response to some outside stimulus." That's reactive.
"Reactionary" actually has a very narrow meaning; it is a noun or adjective describing a form of looking backward that goes beyond conservatism --
-- (wanting to prevent change and maintain present conditions)
-- to reaction-- wanting to recreate a lost past.
The advocates of restoring Czarist rule in Russia are reactionaries.
________________________________

-- Thus, 'reactionary' conservatives could be akin to those americans who see a 'lost past', IE, - the south of slavery & 'states rights', as being a desirable political objective. [minus the slavery, of course]
Such conservatives work not towards constitutional restoration, but to recreating the mythical lost cause, -- that of the 'majority' ruled democratic state. -- A tyranny of the majority, not a constitutional free republic.
40 tpaine


You mean like the lost past of an America that adhered to the Constitution? Just kidding, I am starting to get the point.
Although, to a real socialist, I believe that attempting to regain a Constitutional America might be viewed as reactionary.
41 -SC-

That's the point that is so hard to get across... - States rights majority rule democracy; --- is just a disguised form of socialism.
Some misguided conservatives, who support some aspect of 'states rights' because it fits their single issue cause, don't realize how reactionary, - to our constitution, - their goals can be.

[Sam Cree]

"States rights majority rule democracy; --- is just a disguised form of socialism. Some misguided conservatives, who support some aspect of 'states rights' because it fits their single issue cause, don't realize how reactionary, - to our constitution, - their goals can be."

I think I agree with you, since democracy is clearly compatible with both socialism and tyranny, but I wouldn't mind if you give an example of "states rights majority rule democracy."

[Sodbuster]

"It must be some leftist thing. Maybe he's speaking in "code" to his fellow leftists."

Have to add that to their other code words - 'Diversity' means 'Conformity' and 'Tolerance' actually means 'Intolerance'.

[Sam Cree]

And "liberal" means you support the restriction of liberty - in favor of the government regulating every aspect of everyone's life in the name of fairness and equality.

[tpaine]

I think I agree with you, since democracy is clearly compatible with both socialism and tyranny, but I wouldn't mind if you give an example of "states rights majority rule democracy."
-SC-

Sure:
The currant laws prohibiting 'assault weapons' as passed by my socialist majority peers in California.
Ca has no RKBA provision in its constitution, thus the state claims the 'right' to prohibit.

Amazingly enough, dozens of otherwise sane FReeper 'conservatives' agree with this madness, because it serves other single issue goals.

Connecting the War on Guns & Drugs [my title]
Address:http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/820965/posts

[Rummyfan]

Bump for Christopher Hitchens!

As for the peace protestors I saw on C-SPAN yesterday...... what a waste of oxygen. For Jessica Lange to be sharing a stage with someone whose speech consisted of repeatedly yelling FREE PALESTINE.... well, they have chosen their side in this fight.

[Sam Cree]

Thanks!

[Man of the Right]

Hitchens is a conservative, but hasn't figured it out yet.

He's traveled the same road followed by George Orwell, Norman Podoretz, David Horowitz and other thinking leftists who mature while retaining their critical faculty.

The Islamists aim to exterminate us. All of us. If our lives or culture have any value, we should resist this movement proactively to minimize our loss.

You don't have to be a Mensa member to figure this out. But it's more difficult if you grew up a lefist. It requires a sharp mind and a willingness to be shunned. Hitchens has it. Most middle age leftists don't.

[livius]

The United States is now at war with the forces of reaction..

Hitchens summed it up in this one. Nonetheless, about two weeks ago, he had an opinion article in the WSJ that I found virtually unreadable and almost the opposite of this.

I wish he'd make up his mind.

[friendly]

A conservative is a liberal who just got mugged. Hitchens has been politically indocrinated in his youth, but is intellectually astute enough to be slowly figuring it out.

[Man of the Right]

Hitchens is figuring it out as he goes along. A year ago I agreed with him 75% of the time. Now he's up to 80%. Anyone who hates the Islamists, Henry Kissinger and the Clintons is malleable. One day he'll find himself agreeing with a conservative political figure and realize he's a conservative.

[KayEyeDoubleDee]

Excellent article. Great comments.

now Hitchen's article should be copied and left casually on a table in Starbucks; or Barnes & Noble, Borders; wherever et al. . .'left behind' in a magazine or two...

Good idea.

[FreeTheHostages]

Ping to Hitchens piece re anti-war protestors.

[cgbg]

That Marxist guy so eager to be on the front lines has obviously forgotten that his Marxist "brothers" sixty one years ago were marching in anti-war protests to keep out of another war--with Adolph Hitler.

The Hitler-Stalin pact should be required reading in every university history course. If it was there would be a lot less of these "Marxists" on university campuses.

[Psycho_Bunny]

Here's a bumper sticker I swear I saw yesterday, on a peacenik's car.

"Bush is a punk ass chump"

I simply couldn't believe it.  I just sat there with my mouth agape.

The concept of civil discourse simply doesn't exist in the average liberal's mindset.

[Dan Day]

"Bush is a punk ass chump" I simply couldn't believe it. I just sat there with my mouth agape. The concept of civil discourse simply doesn't exist in the average liberal's mindset.

Heck -- even aside from the issue of being "civil", that one wasn't even cognitive. It rose no higher on the intellectual scale than a monkey flinging its own dung.

[livius]

Hitchens is figuring it out as he goes along.

This is probably true. It would account for the inconsistencies that seem to pop up in his writing.

Well, let's keep our fingers and toes crossed that he finally gets to the "conservative" point!

[MeekOneGOP]