Letters to the Editor
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This is my father!
Good lord, I just got back from Tampa, where I had a heated argument about the war in Iraq with my father, in the presence of my 95-year-old aunt (my aunt finally told both of us to cut it out). This article really hits home. I'm more than happy to refrain from discussing politics with my dad (despite the fact that this cuts him out of a significant part of my life), although I tried to do so a year ago and continued to get cc'd on very offensive e-mails from him throughout the year, to which I felt compelled to reply. This time around, I only ventured an opinion on something because my aunt asked me what I thought of Condoleezza Rice and the war in Iraq. *She* then referred to the war as "a farce" and said she despised Bush, despite being a lifelong Republican. Maybe I should have taken a pass at this point and changed the subject since my dad was sitting at the table, but my aunt was sort of egging me on, and frankly, I was flattered that she would ask my opinion since my father never really has. Suddenly, my father exploded in rage, demanding to know what the difference is between Iraq and Bosnia (since Clinton apparently "started" the war in Bosnia, and Clinton was also a draft-dodger, yada yada), and insisting that I refuse to see that there are two sides of an issue (I hate to break it to my dad, but I'm a pretty conservative Democrat; in fact, I had already told him I am more likely to vote for John McCain in 2008 than Hillary Clinton). The evening ended in tears, and with me wondering, whatever became of my father, the one who taught me critical thinking and political argument and who used to enjoy heated debates? Two years ago, he told me he didn't like Bush very much. Four years ago, he was willing to vote for Al Gore if I had told him it would help my career. But now he reacts to any criticism of Bush as if it's a personal attack on him. What is going on??
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Must've Missed the Memo...
Maybe I'm reading too much of this stuff. I only know that there are some really strange people who seem to think there's a "war" on Christmas started by people who don't agree with the Christian myth around the holiday, which seems to be a melding of pagan and early church customs. That might be disturbing to really fundamentalist Christians, but that's history.
One thing I try to do is be objective and start from what is actually going on. What is actually going on is a few very strange people seem put out with the idea that not everyone sees Christmas the way they do and are hell-bent to make sure we all "see the light", even if they have to create a firestorm to do it. That strategy fits with the current strategy of trying to "moralize" and "christianize" us so-called "liberal savages". Wil Wheaton's essay drives this home for all to see and rather vividly depicts how it plays out: in our family life across this country. Most telling was the description of what seems to happen as intelligent people embrace dogma without question. Something delightful and warm and human seems to go out of them. I watched this many times with people's conversions to religion. The joy and aliveness seemed to leave only to be replaced by this angry, unapproachable beast who seemed ready to explode into madness and hysteria if you didn't say the right things.
I try always to seek the truth, or get as close to it as possible. That seems to keep me sane especially during times like this. Thanks, Wil for your hilarious and poignant piece. Good Wishes to you this holiday.
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Fear among "conservatives"
I'm 72, one of the people that supposedly got "conservative" as I got older. I watch o'Reilly for fun, not edification. Mostly he's a total asshole. But he reflects a great fear that is beginning to set in that the feet of our conservative leaders have more clay in them than the liberal Democrats. After all those who have found Christ (as if anyone can) must be good people. I'm sorry that Wheaton's father got so excited, but it's pretty fearful when you are discovering that your leaders are merely mortal. Our founding fathers knew that politics is a corrupt business, and tried to set up a system where its deleterious effects are at least somewhat ameleorated. If we can send young men and women to die for our "values" in Iraq, I don't see the problem in executing a scumbag like Tookie Williams, and if Arnold did it to recover his conservative base, well that's politics. Years ago I read a book called "Punishing Criminals". The authors thesis was that no man could be punished for committing a crime unless he volunteered for the punishment. The act of committing the crime entails the volunteering. Tookie volunteered for the death penalty when he committed murder. Just because the death penalty is applied unevenly is no reason to not apply it. Like all political activities it can and should be improved.
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What's going on?
"But now he reacts to any criticism of Bush as if it's a personal attack on him. What is going on??"
We're now almost at the end of the third year of a feelgood war in which the feelgoodness doesn't seem to be any closer to showing up. That's what's going on.
Prepare for another round of insanity as the war drags on for another year and the election drives Republicans crazy.
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I had a similar experience
When I recently went to visit my mom and brother two weeks ago. We ended up exchanging heated words about Iraq, Bush, the ACLU, God in the pledge, etc. It was very unpleasant, and I wish I had had the sense to just change the subject, but I could not believe intelligent people could really hold such bigoted and narrow minded beliefs. My mom and brother have also been tainted by the Fox/talk radio machine, and are simply no longer rational. I think what both liberals and conservatives have in common, though, is that both sides are so angry and upset because we all feel as though the country is going to hell in a handbasket and that the other side is taking us there.