Belmont Club

By Richard Fernandez

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The mandate of heaven

August 24, 2009 - 10:51 pm - by Richard Fernandez
Cannoneer No. 4
2009-08-25 06:45:10

“Radicalized Conservatives” is an oxymoron.

When ex-conservatives are provoked to action, as opposed to hand-wringing, whining, or woofin’, what do they become?

“Conservatives” are almost always fighting a losing battle, like a fortess garrison under siege, defending, almost never attacking, surrendering the initiative to the attacker. Conservatives can occasionally pour boiling oil and molten lead on the orcs at the bottom of the ladder, maybe even knock down some siege towers, but the besieged must sortie out and steal cattle, slit throats, and poison wells in the besieger’s camp until they lose heart and go away. Balian of Ibelin was a Cultural Revolutionary, and he still lost.