Anyone who has been to Iraq can describe the exact same phenomenon. I was there as a civilian truck driver. The very first day I arrived at camp Anaconda, I was totally blown away. From the top supervisor of the camp down to my direct manager, they all spoke of "haji" this and "haji" that. It is very insulated over there so they don't realize how crazy it's gotten. But to an outsider, it is stunning.

For the whole time I was there, the vast majority of all the contrators and the troops referred to any and all Iraqis as "hajiis" - and yes it was always in a belittling and derogatory fashion. But it's even more absurd than that. Most people don't realize that the giant mega military bases (actually like cities) are run on a bizarre caste system. The actual labor is done by Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, Indians, and others known as TCNs (third-country nationals). Anyways, they are all called 'hajiis' too. Without getting into a long explanation - yes 'haji' has a legitimate connotation relating to Muslims (which is not the manner in which it was used). But the fact that many of these foreign subcontractors were also called 'hajis', even though they are Hindi or Buddhist or whatever, shows the absurd nature of it all.

Racists have to feel their problems are created by others.

Conservatives also relate to the world just like cult and that is not hyperbole. Cults are conditioned - and conservatives are nothing if not conditioned into a false reality over many years through the lies and half truths of Rush and gang. The right has so demonized any source of information which is not approved by the cult that their conditioned followers do not listen to any source which does not affirm their prescribed training. Conservative leaders have effectively shut half the country off from reality. Their cult’s only world is the one approved for them - like FOX, Rush, Savage and the True Father of today's conservatism, Sun Myung Moon's Washington Times. This is a form of information control.

This is also why we on the left shake our heads all the time wondering why today’s conservative can be so out of touch. Today’s conservative is controlled, conditioned.

If you have ever actually dealt with someone in a cult, like the moonies for instance, you find conservatives literally relate the SAME way.

Conservatives, just like people in cults, feel they are being persecuted. They believe they and they alone are doing God's will or are the only ones patriotic who are saving the world for God. They will rationalize lawbreaking and wrongdoing for these reasons. Moonies deploy what is called "Heavenly Deception" which means it is OK to lie and cheat for you are trying to save the world for God.

This is why people like O’Reilly will intentionally lie to their followers and not bat an eye.

http://tinyurl.com/3cw299

Cults create the “us vs. them” mentality – this is how conservatives think.

Another aspect to this is language control; I don’t have time for all that here. But in essence the right has redefined words and used language control like cults. Newt’s GOPAC memo is an example. “Liberal Fascism” is another way of training their cult. The right is plainly a fascist movement yet they throw the word around and train their followers it is liberals who are the ones. Face it; though they may not have set out to do it, the right has a mind control operation second to none.

Glenn, you come as close as any to saying it without coming out and doing so. But it is obvious the nation has a huge national security problem which it will likely never fully face. That is, half the country is controlled and living in a false reality. A democracy cannot survive this for long and it looks more and more like we won’t.

Why do you think it only takes a matter of hours for ALL on the right to be singing off the same sheet music, having the same exact thoughts, opinions? The left may all get on an issue if it is important but the right will all be on the same page like the trained dogs they have become about things like Hillary’s laugh.

Face it, these are people so conditioned they literally cast aspersions on EVERY Purple Heart recipient in our nation’s history just so they could smear Kerry. They made being a medal recipient something that one just can’t be sure the person deserved it. This is sick stuff folks. Cults do the same thing. If they cannot win a debate they must cloud the issue so people will throw up their arms and walk away like there is no real truth. This is sick stuff folks. If they can’t win over people, they confuse them.

These are not patriotic people on the right, these are controlled people.

We've been conditioned to blame everything on the "failed educational system," but I've had the opportunity as an actively involved parent, and now as a teacher myself, to see how inaccurate that assessment is, at least here in Arizona.

My respect for public school teachers began as I saw them take my eldest, a classic difficult child, and facilitate his transformation into a compassionate and civil human being. It took half-a-dozen years or more, and the sustained effort of many teachers. Obviously, my son had a lot to do with this, and so did his parents. But the teachers played a huge role, also. It came as a shock, when I entered teaching seven years ago, to discover what whipping boys we public school teachers are.

I teach at a high school in a district that is conservative and known for placating parents. Critical thinking gets the usual lip service from administrators and the district, but we all know that if one parent voices disapproval based on Johnny's comments at the dinner table, the teacher will be told to cease and desist, and a notation may well be made in his or her file. (We don't have any power; it's a right-to-work state.) Unfortunately, this results in extreme care on most teachers' part to be noncontroversial, and much as I regret this, I am in no position to jeopardize my job.

A global condemnation of "stupid people teaching kids" will not help change the prejudices in this country. It would help, much more, for parents to register their support for teachers who challenge their kids' thinking. I do this by emailing my kids' principals whenever I can to praise teachers who have caused them to think, even if only in small and noncontroversial ways.