February 11, 2008




IMPEACH BUSH



IMPEACH CHENEY



CONSERVATISM IS A CANCER


Let's not equivocate. Conservatism is a rotten political philosophy that puts the interests of the few above the interests of the many. It's a philosophy that finds rationales for hating people who are different, whether they be gay, African-American, or some other minority. It's a philosophy that puts short-term profits above the long-term interests of the country and the planet. It's a philosophy that seeks to call superstition science and that constantly seeks to revise history because history is not to its liking. This article by Alicia Morgan is at www.smirkingchimp.com:



Bush is the symptom; conservatism is the disease.


Even as liberals debate conservatives, we cede them the ‘rightness’ of their basic tenets, which I think is a mistake. I hope to show that conservatism – both social and economic – is detrimental to a democratic society. By ‘conservatism’ I do not mean prudence and moderation - which is what many people take conservatism to mean – but the political and social meaning which includes the myth of the ‘free market’, the elimination of as much regulation and taxes as can be gotten away with, the myth that privatization is the best way to deal with society’s needs, and that government is in itself a bad thing. The (usually) unspoken corollary to this is the ‘Conservative Golden Rule’ – he who has the gold makes the rules. In other words, the people with money and power are the best and most deserving – simply because they have the money and power! This is a strongly-held belief of many people, but it is not acceptable to say in so many words, so there are many euphemisms to describe it - ‘meritocracy’, ‘pulling yourself up by your bootstraps’, ‘reverse discrimination’, and so on. Conservatism’s message is connected to some very powerful societal myths that resonate deeply in the subconscious mind, making it easier to believe in the myths than the facts.