I received this comment:
“Readers of this blog, I’m the liberal Bob is talking about in this post.”
“On page 116 of his book, Bob writes ‘When the words of freedom are used to destroy freedom, it is time for a revolution, and nothing less than a revolution.'”
“Once upon a time, ‘liberalism’ and ‘conservatism’ were both words of freedom in this country. Decent people on Capitol Hill of both persuasions would argue about things up there, and a great country was the result.”
“Nowadays, ‘liberalism’ and ‘conservatism’ are words used to destroy freedom, and the ‘respectable’ standard bearers of both persuasions are just maggots that you can’t tell apart without a scorecard. A real revolution, as Bob implies by his context, means changing the language. That’s what John Locke and John Stuart Mill did. It’s what Mozart and Shakespeare did, too. Bob’s doing the same thing.”
“Just so Bob isn’t doing all the work around here, I’d like to invent a new term myself: the ‘respectable liberal.’ And as a first step toward reviving our democratic republic, Bob and I can have a good, old-fashioned, liberal vs. conservative argument over whether ‘respectable conservative’ really *is* as low as you can get. ”
Anonymous, both breeds are despicable, but don’t miss the important point.
In 1914, an episode occurred that could have prevented the death of over a hundred million people and most of the horrors of the horrific twentieth century. World War I was to lead to the rise of Communism and Nazism.
That War began in the summer of 1914. But by the end of the year it had settled down to the trench warfare and pointless yard-by-yard slaughter that would go on for four years, until a sadistic new world was born.
At Christmas in 1914 the soldiers on both sides emerged from their trenches. They played soccer games together. They sang Christmas carols together. They wondered aloud, “WHY are we doing this?”
For the last time.
The leadership on both sides cracked down. One thing the rulers on both sides agreed on was that soldiers were there to kill each other, not to sing Christmas carols or wonder what they were fighting about.
That was none of their business.
The point is that you and I have come out of our trenches. The black guard I talked about has come out of her trench.
Please note a critical distinction here.
I am not asking what are arguing about. Liberals want some stuff and we want some stuff and blacks want some stuff. That is human nature. I am not asking what we are arguing about.
I am asking what are we FIGHTING about.
What the hell are we doing in these trenches? We all know it’s leading straight to catastrophe.
I’ll tell you why they were in these trenches back in 1914. In World War I there were generals and monarchs and politicians who were fully agreed that we peasants should be killing each other, not asking why.
Today liberal priests, the professor-priesthood, are demanding a war to the death.
Conservative leaders who think they represent traditional religion, the preachers and priests, are demanding a war to the death.
Lenin’s signal for slaughter was the clenched fist. Fascists met the clenched fist with the fascist salute, the “Sieg heil.”
Churchill had his “V” for Victory.
The horror that went with each of those was incalculable.
After I had a part in bringing down the Soviet Union, I had a quiet, personal celebration. I stood on the Moscow River bridge, facing the Kremlin, and, all alone on a winter night, I gave the USSR the finger, the bird.
If the troops coming out of the trenches in 1914 had adopted that salute to the leaders who were killing them, the suffering they would have saved is incalculable.
It is time for a new Christmas of 1914.
It is time for us to show total disrespect for those who want us to fight and not question, professors and preachers alike.
They show their clinched fists and their Sieg Heils and their blasphemous use of the Sign of the Cross. They tell us about the Greatest Generation and give us their “V” for Victory.
We have our own salute.
It is the bird.
It is not an eagle.
It is not a dove.
#1 by Anonymous on 09/10/2005 - 7:36 pm
“Our bird is neither the eagle nor the dove.” Very funny, yet very sobering. That’s a rare feat.
Making fun of something can be a life-or-death matter. Respect for silliness kills. Lack of respect can save lives. Millions of them.
When the people lose respect for their leaders, the leaders lose control of the people. That’s all a revolution needs. It’s been said before, but Bob has said it best.
#2 by Elizabeth on 09/12/2005 - 12:54 pm
I’m reminded of Ben Franklin and the turkey…
Ol’ Ben wasn’t perfect, but I think we would have been better
off if we’d started off and continued with the wild turkey
as our emblem, and not as historical plagiarists under
the eagle.
The wild turkey, besides being a fine-looking bird, is
uniquely North American, as well as clever. The bald eagle’s
only still around because it’s a beneficiary of Federal
protection.
#3 by Bob on 09/16/2005 - 7:39 am
Elizabeth, it is unfortunate that today, for an entirely different reason, the turkey should be our national symbol.