JUST NATURALLY DIVISIVE AND AUTHORITARIAN

Anyone wondering why our culture has become so splintered has only to look to Christian fundamentalism. Christian conservatives, by definition, can be no other than biased, undemocratic, authoritarian, unable to compromise and divisive in their views. Why would I say that, you ask?

The core of liberalism is to be impartial and all inclusive in its views of the world, to spread the benefits of democracy to everyone, to, for example, treat all religions equally, topple kings, free women from drudgery, blacks from segregation and gays from bigotry. By definition, by its stated purpose to be progressive and impartial, liberalism’s relativity can only be the enemy of those who think there is but one inflexible moral path, their Bible way. That’s why democracy’s fairness and inclusiveness is considered liberal and evil by conservatives.

Since good reportorial work always tries to present the facts of an issue without assigning moral values to it, conservatives will always see an impartial, nonjudgmental media as being liberal. They will only accept conservative exclusiveness as true and, of course, conservative exclusiveness naturally leads to biased world views. Once we understand the authoritarian necessity in fundamentalism, we can see why religious conservatives are the enemy of democracy and freedom. Their world view is by necessity undemocratically discriminatory.


FITZCARRALDO! FITZCARRALDO! I PRAISE THEE

Just rented from our library this old Werner Herzog directed movie about a madman compulsively interested in opera, whose goal is to bring opera to a backwoods settlement in Brazil. A laughing stock in his community, first he needs money. Already a failure as a railroad magnet, Fitzcarraldo embarks on an economic adventure which needs for its success to tote a huge steamboat over a mountain. Full of bizarre cinematic visions, comedy, tragedy, surprise and surrealism, and unbelievable non-special effects, it’s a must see. Wait till you see a boat climbing a mountain! Wait till you hear opera echoing through a jungle wildscape! Klaus Kinski’s manic hair is enough to make the movie wonderfully cinematic! To love a madman might be its subtitle. How the whole adventure comes out, I’ll leave for your viewing.


WHAT? ME WORRY?!

Why do neocons from the bushman party try to worry us about the fate of Medicare so that they can cut benefits and help destroy yet another liberal benefit to America? Neocon Bible fundamentalists try to tell us that because of declining population it will soon take 2 1/2 Americans to support each member on Social Security, yet, in a recent article in the Spokesman Review (August 8, 2004, p. B4), we read that the 18-24 year old New Millennium Generation is larger than the Boomer Generation. I’d say we’ve got many decades before Medicare and Social Security will be threatened.


BUSH STAND-INS CLOSE TV STATION IN BAGHDAD

Iraqi police recently silenced Al-Jazeera for a month in Baghdad. With America’s closing down of Sadr’s radio station two months ago and now America’s stand in Iraqi government following in America’s footsteps with Al-Jazeera, we see ominous signs that democracy is being stifled in Iraq. Bush is only too happy to see freedom of expression crushed in Iraq so we must ask, since he obviously hates the media in America (except for his hand picked men at Fox News) would he gladly see the same thing in America? Many of his American followers, if you read letters to the editor or listen to the Limboland types, seem also to equate dissent from the party line with betrayal of America. We’re not even going to state the obvious Constitutional argument against their fascist hatred for debate. But, obviously, the only news allowed in Iraq is going to hew to the party line. Another case of the Republican Party supporting dictatorial leadership anyplace in the world they want to control.
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"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." —President Theodore Roosevelt