A little depressing reading for all my friends on the right

[Bravus]

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/06/10/liberals/

[olger]

Hah. I read it, my liberal aussie friend and I must say I agree with a few of Lind's points and peaceably brush the rest into the dust bin of dumb-ideas-that-sound-good-and-smell-worse.

The Good:

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Lind is correct about contemporary Republicans lacking the general courage to make change. I notice with interest the author's futile attempt to add the "Gipper" to the long line of weak-chinned repubs. The reason it is futile is that Ronald Maximus was a conservative, not merely a republican. His wholesale firing of the entitlement-grubbing air traffic controllers in 1981 was a move that John Wayne would not only approve of but one that he would have done himself were he in Reagan's position. It made most Americans feel good about the positive aspects of accountability. I remember it well.

Lind is also right about the weakening of conservatism into centrism (whatever that is). Many repubs have lost their way and are content to spend their political days trying to be liked by a media that personifies hatred. Lind is wrong however about the heart of America. It is still red, in spite of the best efforts of hollywood, drive-by media and liberalism (three stooges). Liberalism just doesn't work. It tends to undercut ambition, and institute in its place a short-circuited mindset, robbed of responsibility. I take that back, liberalism does work for the expanding of Nanny States and slow draining the ingenuity of the people.

The Bad:

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Lind writes about pluralism & secularism as if they are to be valued. However, in the cold light of biblical analysis, both of these are mere fuel for the final fire.

Liberalism lifts its triumphal banner over the salvation of sodomy. It is something of an epiphany when deviations of this nature become the defining point of a movement. But it must be agreed that this issue has become iconic of the democratic liberal party, along with several other gender confusions.

Abortion. While I agree that republicans were not able or willing to overturn Roe v. wade, it appears to be more a result of disagreements in the family than of liberal triumphs. We are beyond the breaking point (as Chesterson said) when we care more for the Tasmanian fruit bat than we do of God's children. This brings me to the ugly..

The Ugly...

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Global warming. The promise of research dollars combined with a measure of national gullibility serve to fool a laconic public into accepting part of this nonsense. Most are on the fence regarding it and will learn too late that a failure to vote or show up at meetings always results in a default abdication of their rights to the agenda driven. Calvin Beisner is correct in his pace-setting critique of the environmental movement. We cannot blame the kook fringe for selling from an empty wagon for many years, when we ourselves have done a lot of buying.

So...if you are in favor of

Bigger Government (I know I know, Bush messed this one up too)

Higher Taxes

Gay (what a farce) Marriage

More abortion

Bigger Unions (dinosaurs)

The Gangreen Church (environmentalism)

More Regulations

Less Individual Freedom

Then by all means vote democrat. Or vote republican. From where I sit there is little difference. But conservatism is not dead, anymore than farming and hard work is dead. It will be back, if not politically, then in the voice of a returning God who says "Bring Me your talents, and what you have done with them!" Accountability wins out in the end.

olger