Posted on 01/27/2003 5:24:17 AM PST by SJackson
I guess that is why leftists argue the way they do. Conservatives have to know the hows and whys, while leftists need only to feel and deepen their convictions. As a result, conservatives argue logically and linearly, while leftists hurl insults and accusations. (Although in practice most conservatives know that logic is lost on a leftist, so they usually just end up baiting their passions for amusement.)
Bless them Father for they know not what they do.
But that's how we got Bush instead of Gore!!
OTOH many on the right have a much more wide-rangeing in their reading. That is because the left encourages its recruits to adopt a certain set of convictions and guard those convictions above all else. To preserve their convictions, they abstain from that which is most dangerous to them: knowledge that the world is not and can never be what they want it to be.
Conservatives OTOH, derive their convictions from knowledge and know truth from lies. We can read a leftist screed, look for the truth and discard the lies.
One who clothes himself with a tissue lies must be ever vigilant lest the flame of truth consume those lies and reveal his nakedness.
Therefore, I think it prudent that you freely confess and highlight the explosion of conservative talk radio (Rush Limbaugh Sean Hannity, Savage Nation), internet news sites (Drudge, NRO, WND, JWR, NewsMax), and conservative chat forums (Free Republic, lucianne). Point out the growing American preference for these, as well as for FOX, which really is more balanced than biased. Emphasize the Liberal Big Media's own admission that these are what America has been hungering for. Substantiate your findings with the numbers, and even use the quotes from Daschle and Gore to prove your point!
While the facts are impossible to refute, namely that the liberal-leaning newspapers still have the largest circulation, as I cited in a previous post, and even on-line those same liberal news sources get more hits, it should be possible to find numbers correlating to the rapid (even alarming!) trend toward conservatism in the information industry.
As far as what FR used to be. You are right. We need more of this IMHO good discussion ... here's another thread, posted by noumenon that is similar.
I will BUMP you directly to that one as well.
Best Fregards.
So, I'm having a discussion with a young female employee, and for some reason it got into the coming war with Iraq. She says to me, "if we go to war, it will only be for oil." I said, "why do you think that?" Her retort was, "Bush and Cheney are oil men."
Not having the time to deliver a disertation on the whole subject I said, "if we wanted the oil we could just lift the sanctions." After about a minute, I left her with her mouth open, but no sound coming out. There is hope for this younger generation.
5.56mm
Oh, you got that exactly right! It was maddening to have to read his stuff and wade through something that seemed so difficult when in the end it was a rather simple concept.
I think that was especially true in his earlier stuff. One of his landmark books was published in 1965 and I remember he would quote a couple of pages of French with no explanation. Years later he was quoted in Newsweek as saying, "I have never studied a foreign language, for one reason because I find it so boring." Fine, Noam. You have a problem with learning foreign languages, but just to make yourself look smart you throw a few pages at your readers. Sheesh!
There are many things which thoroughly bug me about the whole field of generative linguistics. The arrogance is a big part of it and I think it stems directly from Chomsky. They really do treat all previous generations of linguists as if they were doing the mundane work of data gathering until they, the geniuses, came along to tell us the really significant conclusions you can draw from all of that.
While I was at the University of Washington, our linguistics department celebrated their 25th anniversary and I got to learn a bit of history. When the department was begun in the early 60s, students studied Greek, Latin and Sanskrit within the first year or year and a half. The focus was all on comparative linguistics. Then the Chomskyan/generative revolution took over and soon the department was highly political and those who weren't on the bandwagon were forced out or into other departments. By around 1970 the anti-war protests occupied a good deal of the energies of these budding scholars -- when they weren't having dinner and reading their linguistics papers to each other in the nude! (Absolutely true!)
I know one guy who is now a foremost expert in SE Asian languages who had started his PhD before all that happened, then headed off to Thailand to do more research and write his dissertation. When he came back, the Chomskyites had all taken over and were on the verge of making him start the whole thing over because he wasn't versed in their way of doing things. Finally one faculty member went to bat for him and spared him all the trouble.
By the way, the linguistics department, as a direct result of this revolution, became the first department at the University of Washington to drop ALL foreign language requirements. Even the forestry and fishery students had to take a foreign language in the early 70s, but the linguistics students could avoid all such trouble and just formulate theories based on their own innate knowledge of English.
As you can probably tell, I could go on and on. Thanks for probing enough to get some of this vitriol out. By the way, I still try to hang onto some admiration for a few of the ideas that were a result of all of this. It's very hard knowing what I know about their history and the people who were involved. But I try.
I have sympathy for anyone who can show up on America's campuses these days to pursue their goals. It took me ten years part-time to get a BS through the eighties, partly due to my not being quite as bright as I imagined, and partly due to my inability to swim with the current. Then, as now, I wasn't overly impressed with where that current was directed. I'm restarting an MBA program after quitting 10 years ago, but this time it'll be from a distance, hopefully with less PC interference.
It will take miracles and massive effort to reform our educational systems, from K-12 to post-grad, and it most likely won't happen from below. Getting conservatives in, and on top of, the existing manure wagon is a daunting task, but that will be the only way education will be reformed. Those who don't adapt to the preferred profile will pay extra in time, money, and effort. In the war of ideas, the education areas are the muddy flats and the enemy holds the high ground.
That's my rant for now.
Stay well.
I don't pretend to know enough , to do any more than say "Go back to the basics". I don't know anything about Noam Chomsky other than two books of his that I read. If he is a liar that's one thing , but if he's not , we are guilty of many crimes.
As far as our education system which is controlled by our federal government through incorporation ( just like many of our Churches ) I think it was Lenin who said " Give me four years to teach the children , and I will have planted a seed that can't be uprooted."
I'm currently trying to get through a book by Richard Cummings called "The Pied Piper , Allard Lowenstein and the Liberal Dream". I never realized how important it is for a government to control free thought and the CIA's involvement in colleges and world politics.
To me it's simple , What would Jesus do? I'm sorry if this is old and doesn't have much meaning to people anymore. But the more I learn the more important that simple question becomes.
God gave us a set of Laws to live by. Not only us , but our leaders also should be held to these Laws.
We cannot be a strong society or a Christian nation , when we are ruled by corrupt politicians.
We live in a nation where the government uses groups like the ACLU to undermine our Constitution.
We live in a nation where the government hides behind enviromental groups to steal American's property Rights.
We live in a nation where once again the elites are willing to send our children off to war so they can have more power and profits.
We live in a nation where our Churches have been incorporated to Caesar , becoming the State churches that our ancestors risked prison and death to escape.
Through incorporation our Churches in order to receive "Tax Exempt" status , are limited in what they can say about our society and our representitives.
To me that means they no longer speak for Christ , but Caesar. I quit going to church when the pastor said " Be sure to pay all of your taxes " and " Only the government has the right to carry the sword." I only accept one Lord. And I will oppose all of His enemies.
Read the "Ten Planks of Communism" and then take a serious look at our country. Which Stalin said would be taken down by a War of Concessions.
It's about a lot more than education , it's about our future and the future of our children.
When do we actually stand up like the American Patriots , that we like to imitate ( as long as it involves no sacrifices )?
What is happening in America is a planned degression not a natural progression.
We need to put our faith back in God and STAND up with Him , instead of accepting corrupt politicians excuses for our lack of Life and Freedom.
PEACE IS WORTH THE PRICE AND THE ONLY ONE OFFERING PEACE IS JESUS CHRIST.
Peace Jeff
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