HBO Presents: Conservatives as Ignorant Racists Who Cling to God and Guns
@110. AlexinCT:
It’s neat how you like to tell me what I believe, when you don’t even understand it yourself.
It takes a completely insane mind to try and argue that despotic leftist states are “right wing”, because they are totalitarian.
I’m not making that self-contradictory argument. I am making the argument that, based on their political philosophy, these states are rightist – they do not allow for the individual rights and democratic representation that underlie liberal values.
The USSR stood for the “Union of Socialist Soviet Republics. Every Eastern block nation had the words “Democratic Republic” in their name….of course history proved them all liars.
Yes, that is exactly my point. Just because they call themselves socialist or democratic does not mean they are. Actions speak louder than words.
Have you ever seen the constitution of any of these vile collectivist states that you so ignorantly, but with such desperate ideological need, are claiming are “right wing” because they are totalitarian? They are replete with that left wing idiocy about fairness, equality, liberty, and other such progressive pap. Of course, none of it ever matters because the elite class ruling, the totalitarians you claim are “right wing”, know and treated these documents as just bull.
See, you almost get it here. You are so close to understanding why these regimes are rightist – but something stops you. You recognize that they did not adhere to the values of the left, yet reject placing these regimes in their logical place on the far right.
How freaking twisted must you be to continue to pretend these states are “right wing” David? Is it because you are so indoctrinated that you can only see evil in those that do not think like you, and hence label everything evil unlike you? Do you have a psychiatrist? Are you on medication for dementia and delusional behavior?
No, it’s because leftists believe in liberal democracy, and rightists believe in a higher authority. No delusion required.
The left believes equality of opportunity is a basic precondition for liberty.
Oh, bullsh*t! The left believes in equality of results, and pays lip service to equality of opportunity.
You have no evidence for this. I am on the left, and I believe in equality of opportunity, not results. Equal opportunity has been elusive in the history of the US, and has been the focus of struggle for centuries here.
A progressive tax, the dumbing down of education, welfare, the war on poverty, Barney Franks & Chris Dodd using laws to force banks to loan money to people that can not pay it back in the name of progress and fairness, affirmative action, hate crimes, and so on. All things pushed by your “liberty loving” (that was sarcasm in case you miss it David) progressives, are intended to force equality of outcome.
None of these force equality of outcome, only opportunity. If the left intended to force equality of outcomes, taxes would not be progressive, they would be confiscatory. Welfare would be universal. Housing would be a right. Employment would be a right. Your claim that the left is pursuing equality of outcomes is laughable.
Here is some proof for you of how the nightmare could start.
Did we have government in a totalitarian fashion usurp power, silence all dissenters, and run rough shod over the Constitution as you claimed, or not?
We did, to some degree. Of course not all dissent was silenced (it never is), but the Bush administration did indeed usurp power and run rough shod over the Constitution.
And are you really making the claim that botched fingerprints leading to arrests never happened before the Patriot Act?
No. I am arguing that abuses such as secret search and seizure and unlawful detention are violations of our rights, and are totalitarian in nature.
If so, I will be protesting Obama’s administration as well.
Then you better begin David. He has already allowed rendition to stay and so much as had his AG say the practice will be expanded. sure, they parsed some words about how they would do it differently, and thus make it more palatable, but the fact is they will continue to do the same thing you libs accused Bush of being a criminal for. Remember that this practice was started by Bill Clinton’s people too.
I think the distinction between “extraordinary” rendition and the prior practice is quite significant. This is the difference between what is legal, and what is criminal.
Obama has no interest in repealing the Patriot Act either. I say you quit blogging here and start protesting please.
Sorry, Alex, but it will take time to reverse the damage to our Republic. After eight years of GWB, I can be patient and let Obama take some time to fix the mess he inherited. So far, I think he is doing a decent job of it.
Peace.
DS
