Oh man, I am behind in my blogging. I have to use this post as a catch up on a number of of your blogs. Hope you don't mind.
Unfortunatley the rise of George Bush is also the fault of moderates and liberals. There is a reponsible way to confront religious based terroism. Invading Iraq wasn't one of them. We watched silently as the tactics of intimidation silenced Islamic moderates for the last thirty years.
At the same time we have been silent when Israel used extreme tactics.
It is a problem being a moderate in a world where extreme politics gets all the attention.
How do we ensure moderate voices are heard? Well Move on Dot Org is one place..
1. Unfortunatley the rise of George Bush is also the fault of moderates and liberals.
I didn't strictly keep up with it, but after the re-election of W., the "liberal" media was full of recriminations and warnings that if they didn't get their act together, they would be doomed to permanent minority status. (Like, in Canada now, I repeatedly hear Mr. Dion & the Outremonts saying, "We have to prepare for an election. We have to prepare for an election. Did I mention that we have to prepare for an election?")
The thrust of all this was that it was imperative that the Democrats give the American people something solid they could support and vote for. I don't know how well they really succeeded in the mid-terms. Enough to get majorities. And it's heartening to see people like Sen. Leahy flexing their muscles.
2. At the same time we have been silent when Israel used extreme tactics.
It's a thorny one. I've heard Canadian radio commentators saying, again repeatedly, (esp. during the Lebanon war) that Canada has never been neutral on the subject of Israel. Always supported Israel. Israel and terrorism do not mix well in the same sentence. B'nai B'rith, Jewish Defence League, etc. have enormous media power, and are ferocious watchdogs. They are the prototypes of all ethnic or minority groups wishing to play on the collective guilt of the world.
What to do? We must never forget. (The message of the Holocaust.) But we must also never lose sight of the objective situation.
3. I have a copy of Courage To Be sitting on the shelf. Looking at it right now. I'll have to look into it again.
5 comments:
Oh man, I am behind in my blogging. I have to use this post as a catch up on a number of of your blogs. Hope you don't mind.
Unfortunatley the rise of George Bush is also the fault of moderates and liberals. There is a reponsible way to confront religious based terroism. Invading Iraq wasn't one of them. We watched silently as the tactics of intimidation silenced Islamic moderates for the last thirty years.
At the same time we have been silent when Israel used extreme tactics.
It is a problem being a moderate in a world where extreme politics gets all the attention.
How do we ensure moderate voices are heard? Well Move on Dot Org is one place..
I was very excited to see Paul Tillich pop up in your blog. His "Courage To Be" has had profound influence on my life.
Careful, considerate thoughts are a form of bravery. This man made me think of fundemental human values.
1. Unfortunatley the rise of George Bush is also the fault of moderates and liberals.
I didn't strictly keep up with it, but after the re-election of W., the "liberal" media was full of recriminations and warnings that if they didn't get their act together, they would be doomed to permanent minority status. (Like, in Canada now, I repeatedly hear Mr. Dion & the Outremonts saying, "We have to prepare for an election. We have to prepare for an election. Did I mention that we have to prepare for an election?")
The thrust of all this was that it was imperative that the Democrats give the American people something solid they could support and vote for. I don't know how well they really succeeded in the mid-terms. Enough to get majorities. And it's heartening to see people like Sen. Leahy flexing their muscles.
2. At the same time we have been silent when Israel used extreme tactics.
It's a thorny one. I've heard Canadian radio commentators saying, again repeatedly, (esp. during the Lebanon war) that Canada has never been neutral on the subject of Israel. Always supported Israel. Israel and terrorism do not mix well in the same sentence. B'nai B'rith, Jewish Defence League, etc. have enormous media power, and are ferocious watchdogs. They are the prototypes of all ethnic or minority groups wishing to play on the collective guilt of the world.
What to do? We must never forget. (The message of the Holocaust.) But we must also never lose sight of the objective situation.
3. I have a copy of Courage To Be sitting on the shelf. Looking at it right now. I'll have to look into it again.
The problem as far as I can see it, is that explosions, hysteria, sex appeal and arrogance compels viewers and readers. Hot News!
Moderate view points seems boring in comparison and don't hit our HOT BUTTONS. Rationale strategies appear uninteresting.
We need to wrap moderate viewpoints in a pkg like Neil Young's "Keep on Rockin in the Free World". This to me makes the moderate POV sexy.
Hmmm...Mr. Bacon thinks Neil Young is sexy? What does Madam X think?
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