So, in the new era of “post-partisanship” America, supposedly ushered in by the new President, Barack Obama, what do we see in the eighth day of his administration? We see a petition, started by his own party, the supposedly “mature” and “enlightened” party which does not “cling to childish things”, against radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, due to his comment of “I hope Barack Obama fails.” Now, what this petition is supposed to accomplish I’m not entirely sure.
What I do know is this: from the vast majority of comments I have thus far read, there is a great deal of venom directed at Rush from the party of “civility” and “maturity”. The insults of “idiot”, “un-American”, “close minded”, and even “evil” are thrown about with reckless abandon and delight towards Rush. Here are some examples:
In my own personal opinion, I agree with Rush. I do hope Barack Obama fails in the ways he attempts to implement his agenda. I believe what he will try to do and possibly succeed at will be terrible for the country. But then again, I simple look beyond such catch phrases as “Hope” and “Change” and grand pronouncements of “healing the planet”, and “ending war, poverty, and racism.” The Obama supporters would respond (and have responded) with disbelief and insults, saying “What is wrong with you? How can you not be against ending war and racism? How can you be against health care for all?” They continue in a rather lengthy laundry list of evils our new Leader will supposedly cure. I respond to all this rather simply: What you propose cannot be done, is not sustainable, and if attempted would result in catastrophic failure, and the restriction of civil liberties in this country. As goals, in and of themselves, they sound great, don’t they? An example of Utopia on earth. It reminds of a debate I had with an avowed Communist. His entire argument centered around, and this will be a paraphrase because it has been a while, “Communism is about equality, brotherhood, and justice. How can you be against those goals?”
(I will also add this poor fellow was flat out convinced that modern American Conservatism was Fascist, and based upon the policies of Sir Edmund Burke, and that the only two forms of government in the world today were Communism and Fascism. At one point in time, he even had in his signature (this was on an internet forum ) the following quote: “To move one step forward, we must step back! Back to 1917!” If that is not scary in and of itself, I know not what is.)
Without going on too much of a tangent, people’s minds in the modern age are too easily grabbed by mottos and slogans, much like the motto “Four legs good, two legs bad” as read in the brilliant novel “Animal Farm”. They never stop to question just what that means, only that the goal sounds noble. ”Hope and Change” are the new theme of the day, the new hip saying. After all, what is wrong with having hope and wishing for change? If you’re against hope and change you must be a terribly dull and bitter person, who likes things the way they are. And since you like the way things are, and reject change, you must be one of the oppressors! You must be overthrown!
And so it goes. Why should I be hopeful for the future of our country when the above drivel is what is “in” ? You bet I desire change. I desire a change to a world where, logic, reason, and results are held in far higher esteem that grand pronouncements which lack substance. And it is my belief that Obama WILL NOT deliver the “change” I desire, therefore it is perfectly logical and reasonable of me to want him to fail at implementing a Leftist agenda. What happened to “Dissent is Patriotic” that was the war cry of the Left during the Bush years? What happened to “common ground”? Of course I am being sarcastic; even at my young age of 19 I fully realize that the Leftist Elite of this country never play by the rules. Their modus of operandi is as follows:
1) When not in power, play the oppressed card. Paint the enemy as reactionary zealots, eager to eliminate the 1st Amendment.
2) Once in power, work to silence the same people you accused of trying to silence you.
Which brings us back to Rush. He is being denounced as “evil” (yes, that is true – check the comment page on the petition) for rejecting the “change” that Obama offers. And yet, as pointed out, these same people trumpeted to the skies that “Dissent is Patriotic” during the terms of President Bush. So which is it? Do the same rules and courtesies apply to everyone, or just one certain group? Conservative talk radio has long been a thorn in the side of the Liberals in America; they can’t beat the popularity, influence, and commercial success of their opponent, even with the stranglehold they posses on “mainstream newspapers” and cable television. Therefore, rather than accept that the Liberal message may be flawed, the Liberal Elite work through the legal system to silence the opposition. Enter the Fairness Doctrine, which was brought back to the floor in 2005, though it failed to pass into law, fortunately. But now, with a Democratic majority and Barack Obama in power, I would be extremely surprised if another attempt was not made to bring the Fairness Doctrine back.
And you know what the most amusing thing is? Fewer things serve as such a harsher and damning indictment of Liberalism, than the fact that it still does not succeed when placed against Conservative talk radio. The Liberal Elite need to literally try and handcuff the arms of talk radio behind it’s back to make it a “fair” fight. How is that not one of the most ludicrous things ever witnessed in the arena of politics and ideology? Unfortunately, this isn’t a harmless joke; it is very real and very dangerous. Any attempt to reinstate that Fairness Doctrine is an immediate threat to the 1st Amendment and independent thought in this country. Groupthink is the new name of the game. Anyone outside of the consensus (which is falsely assumed to be centrist) is a “radical”, and “on the fringe”. Thus he is dangerous, and his subversive thoughts must be ignored or even silenced. Who knows – one day even humble blogs such as this one could be targeted.
Sound familiar? Of course it does – every Police State uses the same rationale to silence the citizenry. So for now, I happily accept my role as a subversive. I do not bend to the mainstream, I do not bend to Liberalism, and I do not bend to those who would seek to indtimidate me into silence. They will have to try harder than that for me to give them satisfaction.
Your friendly neighborhood subversive,
Mike Grant — Samnite Gladiator
