February 10, 2004
Why the Right hates America.
Author/cartoonist Mark Zepezauer nails it.
Come to think of it, the right hates our constitution, too, except for the Second Amendment, and maybe the Eleventh, now that the Rehnquist Court has rewritten it to mean "Congress shall pass no law that we don't like." But the First, the Fourth, the Fifth, and um, the Sixth, and the Eighth, and pretty much the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments are right out the window these days. Damn shame, too, if you ask me. Plus the right is still itching to overturn old decisions like Miranda and Bakke and Roe, if not Griswald. Some of them aren't too crazy about Brown v. Board, either, if you know what I mean.
And it's obvious by now that the right wing really, really hates democracy. If you even bring up the word, they go on about how the Founding Fathers made a republic, not a democracy. Well, sure, but they also wrote in the parts about blacks being three-fifths of a person, and only land-owning males being able to vote. Some of those cool old amendments moved us closer to actual democracy, at least for a while there. Now the rightwingers on the Supreme Court have made it clear that we have no actual right to vote, let alone have the votes counted if it's inconvenient for their candidate.
Via Mississippi Review.
Posted by Magpie at February 10, 2004 04:02 AM | TrackBackI have been ruminating on this idea of a book titled "Why Do Conservatives Hate America?" for a couple of years now, but alas, won't have the time to write it before the 2004 elections.
I really wish one of the writers on our side of the aisle would take that title and put out an NYT top ten bestseller--lord knows there is more than enough material for the usual 200 pager.
It would mostly be cut and pasting from our records of outrages, but there is some surprisingly interesting political science and sociology in it as well. One can make a case that the "public" conservative community (as opposed to rank-and-file conservatives) do harbor some beliefs and goals that are antidemocratic and quite frankly unAmerican.
Posted by: michael the wanderer on February 10, 2004 10:01 AMWhy not a collection of essays? Email Orcinus and ask him if that's a good title; there might be ways of wording it which are less inflammatory to paleoconservatives.
(Please download and read this essay first: Rush Newspeak, and Fascism-PDF; HTML)
Contact twenty-five web logs you admire. Tell them you want to write a book on why the Right hates America (or whatever). They suggest a chapter topic. Say you get 15 responses. Edit the topics so they aren't redundant.
Respond to the contactees. If they aren't up to a prompt response, contact others. Repeat until you have 15 chapters of 20 pages. Or 20 chapters of 15 pages.
IMO, it makes a big difference if you can get it printed. Contact Emma and discuss getting it into print ASAP. If there's anyone who's a good lead, it would be her.
Posted by: James R MacLean on February 10, 2004 07:24 PMAnd may the Tristero be with you!
Posted by: James R MacLean on February 10, 2004 07:26 PMDon't make it "conservatives." I'm uncomfortable with "right" also. I like "America-Hating Patriots", "Golem's Revenge" (the conceit being that the nationalist and business elites created by America to defend itself or make itself prosperous.
Golem, not from the LotR, but Rabbi Lowe's Golem in Prague.
Posted by: James R Maclean on February 10, 2004 08:31 PM