10-18-2008, 04:05 PM
I imagine there is a continuum of attitudes from the nutty side of the right to the looney side of the left and at the extremes there are some individuals that behave in ways that are extremely detrimental to the rest of us. It's probably my bias but I tend to see that when the far left drifts into dogmatism and violence it seems to be like the pains of birth... a birth of more inclusion of more people in the benefits of our communities. The dogmatism and violence of the far right, though, seems to be the throes of a painful death.. marking the ending agonies of some bigotry and fear of change. The far left screams with pangs of injustice and the far right with spasms of patriotism.
Times they are a changin' perhaps more than they have in some time and so we seem to be hearing more of the spasms of the far right. Another example of it comes from Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann who said yesterday on Chris Matthew's "Hardball" program, "I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America?" This after she questioned Obama's patriotism. If the US were more like Germany in the 1930's we would probably have to be concerned with this being the rising crest of a wave of fascism (well, perhaps without the socialistic part). But I think it is only the throes of a dying mentality. May it soon RIP.
Times they are a changin' perhaps more than they have in some time and so we seem to be hearing more of the spasms of the far right. Another example of it comes from Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann who said yesterday on Chris Matthew's "Hardball" program, "I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America?" This after she questioned Obama's patriotism. If the US were more like Germany in the 1930's we would probably have to be concerned with this being the rising crest of a wave of fascism (well, perhaps without the socialistic part). But I think it is only the throes of a dying mentality. May it soon RIP.