How the Philosophy of Absolutes Threatens America
By Loren Adams, 8 November 2009
It was Abraham Lincoln who warned the nation it could not be
defeated by forces without, but by forces within.
“At what point shall we expect the approach
of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? Shall we expect some
trans-Atlantic military giant to step the ocean and crush us with a blow?
Never! All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined with a Bonaparte at
their head and disposing of all the treasure of the earth, our own excepted,
could not by force make a track on the Blue Ridge or take a drink from the Ohio
in a trial of a thousand years. At what point then is the approach of danger to
be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us it must spring up from amongst us.
It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we ourselves must be its
author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we must live through all times,
or die by suicide.” –Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln added: “If we falter, and lose our
freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
The lethal `enemy within’ described by Lincoln so aptly is
now called to arms. I call it “dogmatism” – the theology of absolutes
where everything and everyone are painted in either black or white and no
tolerance is granted those outside the “faith.” Social conservatives walk their
dogma and everybody else better kowtow to their pet beliefs or they’ll sic
their precious dogma on them.
How they “sic their dogma” on others is critical; they
DEMONIZE opponents – both foreign and domestic. Thus Democrats and
progressives don’t earn any more respect than Osama bin Laden or the late Saddam
Hussein, and their misinformed troops are intentionally incited to hate –
followed by violence. Recall Vietnam war-hero Senator
Max Cleland’s experience in Georgia.
Some mistakenly think, “If only another,
more respectable Democratic president would be sitting in the White House,
Republicans and conservatives would act more respectfully.”
No, they’d act the same. It’s
their SOP for the GOP, period. They were prepared to crucify Hillary but Obama stepped
in their way. However, if Joe Biden or Bill Richardson would have landed the
job, the hateful, self-righteous right would be character assassinating them
too. It’s not so much a BLACK thing or WOMAN thing, but an OUTSIDER thing
– anyone not in their club – or more correctly, their CULT.
Democrats are demonized by the right to the degree they become enemies worthy
of death. Republican polarization is not imagination; thus, we live in
dangerous times.
After reading REPUBLICAN GOMORRAH, I was impressed to encourage others to do likewise.
The author, Max Blumethal, captures the central philosophy that threatens
America today. He writes more about the underlying psychological forces than
personalities – although individual stories are richly detailed. The
title could not be more apropos.
I find that the little boy crying
"Wolf!" constantly is the wolf himself. Demonizing
"others" has become a useful tool of choice by the rightwing, a
political concept that must have enemies to justify existence. And so they
erect strawmen, fabricate pretexts, and construct false flag operations –
deliberately to deceive the masses into going along with their core belief that
the universe and our mortal existence in it boils down to just a
giant struggle between good and evil – where "good"
is defined as themselves and "evil" as all others who refuse to
conform to their set doctrines. It is what's called by many "THE
DOMINIONIST MOVEMENT," a mass
cult-like monstrosity that advocates America redeem itself only by embracing
theocracy – their brand.
And so their followers are on the
streets, at town-halls, and in churches screaming to the top of their lungs.
The hateful havoc is breeding disaster; assassination is in the cards,
followed by subsequent turmoil and economic collapse. Blumenthal (author,
REPUBLICAN GOMORRAH) is more optimistic than I. He sees a floundering
Republican Party set to self-destruct, thus a Democratic Party flourishing
as a result of weakened opposition.
On the other hand, I factor the
pendulum theory – where political shifts are a matter of course
like internal parts of a grandfather clock. Eventually the right
replaces the left, and since the right’s now hostage to religious
zealots, the opposite pendulum swing means America
disintegrates into a theocracy resembling HANDMAID'S
TALEand another power,
probably China, inherits America's place of prominence.
This is America's Achilles Heel.
The Soviet Union searched for America's weakness for years but failed. This is
it – the curious viral religiosity of absolutes. If this disease doesn't
take the nation down, what will? The rightwing is much more powerful that
multiple nuclear warheads; 80 million fundie voters cannot be dismissed
– despite their temporary "Gomorrah-like" state.
Conservative politicians mostly remain because their fundie supporters forgive
their own while never forgiving others for the same or similar transgressions.
Since they've fully captured the
Republican Party, the next presidential nominee will be vetted 100%
one-of-their-own, no doubt. Sarah Palin's gloss may have faded, but another
will rise to take her place. Then, as politics acts like the clockwork it's
always acted like, a theocrat gets elected. Then what? Move to Canada like
Margaret Atwood’s HANDMAID'S TALE?
Lincoln’s nightmare is ours. 